Doha Day Trip

I checked rosters and found that Justine and I both had the same day off so decided it was time we started to discover some of the other cities in the Middle East. Our first day trip was Doha and after booking our standby tickets for 210 Dirhams (around £29 or $63 Australian) we were on our way. When we got to check-in the agent asked us our destination. When we said Doha she just started laughing. "There's nothing there" she said. "Do you not want to go to Muscat instead?". Justine looked at me funny but I said "No. We planned on Doha so that's where we'll go" (I so hoped that it would be a good day!). It turned out to be fantastic. :-) We just laughed and had fun all day. I can't wait for our next day trip!
Justine on the travellator at Dubai airport.
It was great to see that other airlines deal with the same problems we do.
We travelled on Qatar Airways to Doha. It's nice to fly on another airline for a change.
Doha city viewed from the other end of the Corniche.
Justine outside the restaurant on the seafront where we stopped for a drink (She wasn't saluting, it's just very bright!).

At one point walking round the city I decided that left would be the best way to turn. It wasn't. We ended up in the middle of a building site!
Having Italian for lunch in the City Centre mall.
We asked a taxi driver to drop us off at the market and he stopped here!
We did find the Souk eventually though.
Me trying not to look too much like a tourist.

The shopkeepers were so friendly!
Justine enjoying our afternoon stop for Moroccan tea and cake.
Qatar Riyals look so much nicer than UAE Dirhams.
A view of the market as we were leaving at dusk.
Justine having a Whiskey and Coke and getting slightly tipsy on the flight back to Dubai.

Seoul Searching

As I have my promotion course this month the crew scheduling department have decided to give me a whole month of Business Class flying. My first flight was to South Korea and I had a fantastic crew too. On the night of our arrival into Seoul we discovered Korean BBQ. The food looked a little dodgy but once we started eating we all agreed that it tasted great. After that we headed back to the hotel to get some well deserved sleep. The next morning it was up bright and early to start discovering the massive city that is South Korea's capital. We decided to take the bus tour which first involved catching the subway train to the bus station. After we'd negotiated our way round the maze of different coloured lines we finally arrived at City Hall station and the tour could begin! It took us to all the big sights including the South Korea National Museum, a traditional Korean village and Seoul Tower. We also managed to grab a quick lunch on the way too. After a few hours it was time to find our way back to the hotel and rest before the long flight home.
I took this photo as we were flying somewhere over Siberia. The view was amazing but it's times like this that you really hope you don't have to land anywhere quickly!
A busy night on the Seoul streets.
Korean BBQ being cooked at our table.
The view from my window in the morning.

On the platform to catch the train to City Hall.
The trains are very busy but also clean and quiet.
Karen (Malta) and Jessica (Australia) on the train.
The Seoul Tower is on the top of a big hill in the middle of the city.
The city is massive! It just goes on as far as you can see.

Jessica, Me and Karen at the entrance of the traditional Korean village.
One of the many palaces in Seoul.
The guards outside the palace.
I wouldn't mess with these guys!
We were lucky enough to see the Changing of the Guard ceremony while at the palace.

February 08 Roster (Updated 10/02)

My roster for February:

01FEB DUBAI - SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA)
02FEB SEOUL - DUBAI (ARR 03FEB)
04FEB DUBAI - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (INDIA) - DUBAI (ARR 05FEB)
08FEB DUBAI - FRANKFURT
09FEB FRANKFURT - DUBAI (ARR 10FEB)
11FEB DUBAI - MUMBAI - DUBAI (ARR 12FEB)
14FEB DUBAI - MUMBAI - DUBAI (ARR 15FEB)
16FEB DUBAI - MANCHESTER
17FEB MANCHESTER - DUBAI (ARR 18FEB)
21FEB BUSINESS CLASS PROMOTION COURSE
24FEB BUSINESS CLASS PROMOTION COURSE
25FEB BUSINESS CLASS PROMOTION COURSE
26FEB BUSINESS CLASS PROMOTION COURSE
27FEB BUSINESS CLASS PROMOTION COURSE
28FEB BUSINESS CLASS PROMOTION COURSE - GRADUATION
29FEB DUBAI - ALEXANDRIA (EGYPT) - DUBAI

President Bush In Dubai

The US President made a visit to Dubai today and they closed down the whole city. It was like a ghost town.
A helicopter flew down the middle of Sheikh Zayed Road just before the President's convoy passed by.

The first few cars of the convoy.
The President's limo...
... with the Secret Service close behind.
I've never seen Sheikh Zayed like this before.
It was so quiet!

New Year's Eve In Munich (Only Just)

Some were in New York enjoying the festivities in Times Square, others in Sydney watching the fireworks off the Harbour Bridge and most in Dubai partying the night away. I however was sat in the flight deck on the ground in Munich, waiting for the tug to push us back and watching the ground staff conga up and down the terminal! When the clock struck 12 (European time) on New Year's Eve my flight, EK52, was just beginning it's journey back to Dubai from Munich. We were supposed to be somewhere over Turkey at the time but due to mechanical problems we left 4 hours late. The trip had started really well. In the briefing room I met Belinda who I had heard about from some of my other friends. We hit it off straight away and were inseparable for the rest of the trip. The loads were light with only 80 passengers flying each way with us. The crew arrived at the hotel around 9pm and decided that we would have a bite to eat before bedtime. We went to the beer garden downstairs in the hotel and the food was amazing (as it usually is in Germany). The next day Belinda and I caught the U-Bahn (underground train) into the city to do some sightseeing. The place still had a very Christmassy feel to it which was really nice. After 2 hours of running around and taking photos it was time for another ride on the train back to the shopping area near the hotel. We visited the supermarket and spent a small fortune on some nice meats, cheeses and wines to take back to Dubai with us. When I got back to my room I discovered that the TV had UK channels on it so I spent the rest of my time catching up with all my favourite soaps and programs from back home. I'd been waiting for a Munich to appear on my roster for the last year and 2 months and this one definitely didn't disappoint!
Me and Bjoern (Germany) in the Beer Garden at the hotel.
My pan of Pork. It was so tasty!
Waiting for the U-Bahn to arrive.
Me in front of the town hall clock.
Me and Belinda (New Zealand) with some random fountain in the city.

The little coffee shop where we had a latte.
Belinda and Nakwan (Thailand) enjoying their coffees.
Me and the 'Give Me 5!' polar bear.
There was an iceskating rink in the middle of town. It was so funny watching the little kids trying to stay upright.
Me and the busy city streets.

Rewe, the German supermarket.
Nakwan finds the meat she's been looking for!
Nakwan and Belinda in the hotel cafe.
It snowed lightly during our time in Munich. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to keep us there for another night!

When we arrived at the airport the ground staff let us do the briefing in the lounge and invited us to have some food before we left. :-)

January 08 Roster (Updated 28/01)

My roster for January:

02JAN DUBAI - BEIRUT - DUBAI (ARR 03JAN)
09JAN DUBAI - NEW YORK
10JAN NEW YORK - DUBAI (ARR 11JAN)
14JAN STANDBY 2300-0600
15JAN DUBAI - NEWCASTLE
16JAN NEWCASTLE - DUBAI (ARR 17JAN)
18JAN DUBAI - AHMEDABAD (INDIA) - DUBAI (ARR 19JAN)
22JAN AIRPORT STANDBY 0845-1215 (PRIORITY MELBOURNE/SYDNEY)
24JAN STANDBY 2300-1100
27JAN DUBAI - CAIRO - DUBAI (ARR 28JAN)

January is a month of reserve so I do not know what I am doing until the day before. My roster will be updated daily to show the changes.