Another OW J Round the World Trip

[yld200]

This trip has already come and gone unfortunately I considered doing it live, but felt it would've been too hard and I wanted to try and disconnect myself from the interwebs as much as possible.

All the planning for this trip started around early last year after learning a bit more about the OW 280K J award fares - that was my points target, fly around the world in business class!

We finally settled on a number of stopovers - Dubai, Ankara, London, New York and Tokyo. I had booked 2x J seats on a QR flight from MEL>ADL>DOH>DXB the day it became available and was most looking forward to starting the trip off in a business on the QR A350. Then the whole middle east issue started in June and all flights between Qatar and UAE were cancelled which affected my itinerary. QF weren't very helpful initially and QR wouldn't do anything until T-72 so after looking at endless options with stop overs in Muscat, Iran, Jordan and Bahrain, I ended up finding availability on a Cathay flight a few days before our trip commenced which eliminated the hassle of transiting through another ME location.

Our final itinerary looked like this:
MEL>SYD - QF
SYD>HKG>DXB - CX (Stop)
DXB>AMM>IST - RJ (Stop)
IST>ESB>IST - TK - Paid fare in Y
IST>LHR - BA (Stop)
FCO>LHR - BA
LHR>JFK - AA (Stop)
LGA>BOS - AA Y
BOS>NRT - JL (Stop)
NRT>MEL JL

All flights except the TK flight were booked using QF points at 280K point /pax and taxes came to $980 /pax.

The TK flights set us back a little under $200 total.

Within Europe, I organised a lease car through Renualt Europe in which we did 5000km in a little over 3 weeks more on that later.

Some highlights

• Seeing family
• Harry Potter (wife)
• Metz, France
• Dubrovnik
• Steak Firenze style
• The Amalfi coast
• NYC Bagels
• Tokyo Kobe Beef

The flight path to Europe:

From Europe:

 

[yld200]

After all the headaches and emotions of booking, re-routing and the rest of life it was time to hit the road. With our bags packed and things settled at home we said bye to our baby girl and hit the road for 6 and a half weeks.



First flight of the day was QF424 MEL>SYD departing at 10.30. Check in was easy, there was a bit of a queue and the normal line at the other end of the terminal was moving quicker than the priority line which only had a few operators running but all good in the end. We went straight into the lounge and had a coffee - lounge was quite full but easy enough to grab a seat. Dave Hughesy Hughes was having some brekky in there as well.

Many flights to Sydney were showing as delayed or cancelled due to high winds in Sydney closing one of the runways down but our flight was still showing as on time. Arrived for boarding and it looked like half the passengers for the flight were in the priority boarding line. Once we were all seated we were notified that the flight was delayed til 10.50 and then again till 11.15 with push back eventually at 11.20.

I had initially selected row 3 but checked again at T-70 and found 1A free had to do it



Food options was a selection of an feta and olive tart or a croissant with cheese and pesto.



Flight touched down at 12.25pm and transfer to international terminal went smoothly. After clearing immigration and security we made our way into the Sydney J lounge. There were some decent food options available with some kind of noodle dish which was decent. First time in the Sydney international lounge for me and it's definitely better than the MEL international lounge but still looks pretty dated.

 

[yld200]

When the boarding announcement was made in the lounge we made our way over to the gate for our next flight - CX100 SYD>HKG. Priority boarding worked pretty well and we were in our seats 16D and 16G - middle pair - before we knew it.

Initial impressions of the seat were good. There is a storage compartment to keep your headphones, phone and other small items. Larger items can be stored in a little pocket close to the divider. The window seats in comparison definitely looked more private and felt slightly more spacious.

The aircraft did feel a bit aged and the lining in my foot well had come loose which was pretty poor but didn't bother me too much.



Menus were handed out:


Amenity kit:

 

[yld200]

Meal service started shortly after take off and it felt like it took an eternity. Drinks were served, then entrees, then mains and deserts. It all felt very robotic and forced. It was all done with a smile but just felt all wrong.


The food was ok, nothing too special. After meals were done, the lights went out and most pax had a snooze. The snack service was also really slow, they came out and set the tables and then it took at least 15 minutes before the meal was served. I had the Nasi Goreng - it was really nice, a little spicy but very good.

 

[yld200]

Arrived into HKG around 9.30pm local time and had 5 hours to kill. We decided to visit the pier lounge first which was spectacular. The lounge is spread across 5 separate areas all of which are dark and quiet. The atmosphere seemed very relaxing and comforting. I had a showed here and we had a little snack. Top class lounge - I though I had some photos but cant find anything on my phone If I find any I'll update the post

The lounge closes at 1 so we moved over to the wing lounge which is nice but smaller, not as comfortable seating and very bright in comparison to the pier.

Next flight was CX755 HKG>DXB departing at 2.20am. We had similar seats, this time sitting in row 15 and my foot well lining was in tact this time.

The meal service for this flight was rather strange, they serve supper immediately after takeoff and then have a small breakfast service before landing. I would guess that 90% of the pax in business class went to sleep as soon the plane took off.




I also set the seat to bed mode and went to sleep. I'm 6.2 and found the bed to be decent, the foot well get narrow but in terms of length it was fine and I managed to get some decent sleep and wake up for the breakfast service which wasn't very memorable.

The crew on this flight seemed to be much more attentive compared to the flight out of SYD.

Overall my Cathay experience was good. I didn't get my first preference QR flight which was disappointing but still being able to lay flat and have a decent meal and really good lounging in HKG was great. The hard product is really good, seats comfy a little worn out but still good, however the soft product isn't refined as other airlines. There's definite improvement opportunity during their meal service.

Arrival into DXB T1 was easy, it was very quiet and overall we were out past immigration within 15 minutes.

Dubai was a family visit stop as my sister lives here with her husband and 3 kids. Most of the time was hanging with them and playing. I've visited Dubai many times before and didn't really have any desire to do anything other than hang with the family. The live at JBR so I did go to the beach a few times in the mornings, and we did some walks at night, but it was just too hot.

 

[yld200]

After 3 days in Dubai it was time to make our way towards Turkey for another family visit - this time my wife's grandparents. Initially we were supposed to fly DXB>DOH>ESB but due to the issues with Qatar and their neighbours we changed up our flights to DXB>AMM>IST with Royal Jordanian in J and then a paid Y fare from IST>ESB.

It was an early morning departure out of DXB with RJ from terminal 1. Priority check in went well and we were handed our boarding passes and lounge invites. We asked if there was a chance of checking our bags through to ESB but this was denied as expected. We were directed to the Dubai International Hotel Lounge which was very impressive. After clearing immigration and security the lounge is on the upper level.


The sign at the entrance had the name Ahlan First Class Lounge and it definitely was like a first lounge. At the entrance there is a cool display showing DXB flight radar screen.



The lounge itself had a few seating options, there are some lounge chairs in the hallway at the entrance, there is a bar area and a dining area. We took a seat at the dining area as we didn't have much time and wanted to have some brekky.



The food options were quite extensive. The dining area also included an alacarte menu but you could also have anything from the buffet.

Very impressive lounge. I used the business area to print some documents and notice a door through to a spa. The agents at the desk didn't offer us anything but that might only be for first class pax. After some food we then made our way to the gate for our flight to Amman.

 

[yld200]

Priority boarding was well organised and once we were seated we were offered coffee and drinks (no alcohol).


The seats were pretty comfortable and decent for a 3 hour flight.



While taxiing to the runway - EK birds as far as the eye can see.



View from up in the air - Saudi Arabia I think.



A snack was served consisting of some cheese, bread and a stuffed pepper. Nothing special. There was 1 flight attendant in business with one other person helping in the galley. She wasn't very attentive and after the snack was served, nothing else was offered and no drinks were served. During the descent she did a walk through but didn't ask people to put their things away or put their seats in to the upright position which was strange.

 

[yld200]

After arriving in Amman we heading for the lounge which is on the upper level of the terminal around the main duty free section. It was quite busy when we arrived as there were flights to New York and Chicago departing around that time. The lounge is quite large and is split over 2 areas. One of the areas is mainly for dining and has a smoking section which was full. The second area is more quiet and has lounge seats with some snack bars scattered around. Alcohol is available at some sections offering red, white and some spirits.



From the quiet area looking over to the dining area (sorry photos are a bit dark).



We had a stroll through the duty free shop and most things seemed very expensive and all in USD.

 

[yld200]

Made our way to the gate for the flight to Istanbul RJ165 which was on an Embraer 175 with a 1-2 configuration in business. I really like the livery of the RJ plans, very cool looking aircraft.


Seats were again similar to the previous flight which were comfortable for the 2.5 hr flight to Istanbul.




Coffee again served as pre-departure drink and it felt like the crew member didn't really give a stuff. A few pax had recline before take off and weren't told anything. The meal served was delicious as well as the chocolate dessert which I don't have a photo of.


Flight was straight forward and we caught the bus to the terminal in Istanbul with only the J class pax which was unexpected. I thought they would've loaded as many people as possible onto that thing. We had access to the priority immigration line which was quick and we collected our bags and walked over to the domestic terminal. The walk takes around 10-15 minutes and once you arrive at TK domestic its hectic. People everywhere. We had to do a self check in, then a bag drop in a 25 minute line and because our bags were slightly overweight based on our tickets, we had to then go pay the extra which was only like $10 then return to the bag drop counter and collect our boarding passes.

After clearing security we had some time to sit and have to tea (cay) then make our way to the gate. At the gate we were all put on the bus and carted over to the plane where both front and rear doors were used. Got a quick snap of some TK birds while boarding.



Once on board it was every man and woman for themselves. People had oversized carry on, some people had 2 or 3 bags and it was a fight to get into the overhead lockers.



Leg room was pretty non existent but that didn't bother me since it was an hour flight.

Once in the air, the crew smashed out a snack service handing out cheese sandwiches and drinks to all which I thought was great. Overall an easy flight and impressive that they still manage to do a snack service on such a short domestic flight.



Once we landed, again it was everyman for themselves. I don't know what it is in Turkey, (maybe its the seat belts since no one wears one) but pretty much as soon as we were off the runway and the plane was moving slowly more than half the pax stood up and started getting their things. I thought it was pretty funny but everyone did it at the same time.

We made it to Ankara!

 

[I love to travel]

This looks like an amazing trip and I think you did well with the taxes too.

 

[LadyC]

Sounds like a great trip. Awaiting the next instalment.

 

[craven morehead]

Very interesting , looking forward to the rest of the TR

 

[ellen10]

Great trip report. Looking forward to the next instalment.

 

[amaroo]

Enjoying the report. RTW trips are enticing.

 

[snabbu]

Excellent use of those QF points yld2000, looking forward to reading about the rest of the trip.

 

[yld200]

Our visit to Ankara was to visit my wife's family, there probably isn't any other reason you would want to go to Ankara. There isn't too much to do in Ankara but we still managed to do some site seeing since it was my first time in Turkey, I was keen to check out the city and the sights.

The first thing that you notice is that the drivers here are mental, driving is chaotic and the lane markings are just a decoration for the road. The mentality is that if my car can fit then I'm going for that gap, if my car is 1 cm infront, I have right of way and will merge into your car if I want. Turning left is done from any lane I want and if I block the intersection, then too bad.

In the below photo - its a bit hard to see - the bus driver is on the phone, while smoking and driving the bus which is typical here.


On one of our days we did a trip to a town 100km west of Ankara called Beypazari. It's a small town with many little small shops in the city centre on cobblestone streets which was cool to see. It's off the main path so you don't get many tourists here but there are some nice shops specialising in making little copper and silver coffee pots, cups, trays, etc.



The grandparents family own a farm just outside of Beypazari and of the way back we stopped to take some veggies back home. Fresh, eggplants, chilli, tomato, cucumber, watermelon and much more. The family supplies tomatoes all over Turkey and they have a huge farm.



On the way back we also stopped at a Hamam for some bathing. In this area there are a lot of natural hot springs to choose from and most of them are a hotel type experience where you stay for a few nights and use the bathing facilities. The water is hot and the male and female baths are separate. There is a person that will scrub your body to remove dirt and oils loosened up by the heat. If you can tolerate heat, its a nice experience and kind of refreshing in a weird way.

Some of the scenery on the way to and from the Hamam.

 

[yld200]

We also visited Ankara Castle. It isn't known when the site was constructed but it is estimated to have been constructed during the Roman times. People still live in rundown houses within the walls of the castle which is strange. I thought given the historical nature of the site, they would have moved people out to preserve the area. My understanding is that the areas are inhabited by families who have lived in the area for generations.

There is an amazing view of Ankara from the top.

 

[yld200]

We walked around the Haci Bayram Camli, which is mosque built in the ottoman empire. It was a Friday so it was quite busy for the traditional Friday dzuma prayers, it was especially busy as there was some high profile politician there as well. There was police presence everywhere, we sat down at a little simit and cay place and you could see snipers on rooftops around the area and men in uniform with large rifles. Managed to get a shot of one as he walked past.



We then visited the Anıtkabir which is the mausoleum of Kemal Mustafa Ataturk who was the leader of the turkish was of independence and is considered to be a hero amongst Turks.

Entry is free to the mausoleum. At the entrance there is a long walkway with statues of 3 men and women on either side which is supposed to represent the different men and women from the ottomen times. The female group represents solemnity and determination even in grief and hardship. The male group is of a military person, a youth / intellect and a farmer.



The walkway into the monument is called the road of lions with 12 pairs of lions along each side representing the different Turk tribes representing power all together. The paving stones are all spread apart and there are large gaps where you can easily slip or roll your ankle. This was done intentionally so that visitors would walk slowly, take their time on their way to Ataturks tomb. T



The stones and marble used in the construction were all brought in from various parts of Turkey. The ceremonial plaza is at the end of the road of lions

.

There is a memorial / museum with different artefacts belonging Ataturk and his family. Along the way it then shows the different battles fought and the various changes Ataturk brought into Turkey.

Ataturks tomb is located below a monument inside the Hall of honour which a grand room - sorry didn't take photos.

 

[yld200]

The Anitkabir is a great place to visit and showcases the history of the Ataturk regime and what it meant to the people of Turkey. People who love history could spend hours here recounting the steps and battles taken that gave Turkey identity and independence. He was an advocate for womens rights and for establishing political processes that the people respected.

I found it very fascinating and a definite place to visit if in Ankara. It really helps understand what he means to the people of Turkey.

 

[I love to travel]

Hmmm maybe Turkey needs to be bumped up the to do list your TP is inspiring.