A Boyhood Dream Fulfilled: Space-Geek Tour of the USA

[Human]

I haven't had a chance to log on in a couple of days and admit I more than once wondered how the final leg of your trip was going...it feels like a TV show I've been bingeing and I have just one more episode to go!

You are very kind. The Season Finale is coming up ... but don't forget the Reunion episode after that!

 

[Human]

Compromise #3: One final indulgence. EK404, SIN-MEL First class. Booked with 107,700 Qantas points plus S$87.70.

I was pretty chuffed when I saw availability on this flight; it meant staying overnight in Singapore, but I reasoned that Emirates First class was worth the slight inconvenience, and that this would be a fitting end to an amazing trip. Of course, I was a little worried when it was announced in mid-2024 that this route would be cancelled, but I had the Qatar option to fall back on if it were. In the end it was announced that the cancellation date is to be March 30. So this will be my final time on this flight, and it may well be my final time flying Emirates First class, given how high their carrier charges are for almost all of their other routes.

I have flown on EK404 once before, last April, so I had some firm thoughts about how I wanted to enjoy the flight before I boarded.

Emirates took very good care of me from the check-in desk at Singapore to the Arrivals Hall in Melbourne. I was wheeled from check-in, through Passport control and Immigration, to the Emirates Lounge in Singapore where I had a coffee, a small granola, a small plate of fruit, and an orange juice (I knew what culinary delights would be awaiting me onboard!). Then I was collected again and wheeled to the gate, through Security screening, and onto the plane. 5 of the 8 First class seats were occupied.

I was immediately offered champagne or another drink. I asked for an orange juice, explaining that I knew that the “good stuff” would only be served when in the air (which is what happened when I last flew this route in April). The flight attendant said that this was no longer the case and that she could give me the best champagne immediately. Naturally, she twisted my arm! The “good stuff” is currently Dom 2015.





Here follows the most controversial part of this entire trip, which will leave some readers disappointed, and others outraged. You may need to sit down before reading what you are about to read:

I chose to not have caviar.

No, I have not gone mad (well…). I had caviar last time, and there was so much of it, necessitating me asking for more blinis and melba toast, that it actually filled me up so much that it detracted from my enjoyment of the later courses. On a 12- or 14-hour flight you can stuff yourself with caviar and related accoutrements, then give yourself a few hours for things to settle before enjoying the other food. I, at least, find that a 7-hour flight does not quite allow you to do that. In any case, I like caviar, but it doesn’t blow me away so I was happy to forsake it.

My food consumption thus started with nuts, olives and chips to accompany my Dom Perignon 2015…


…Followed by this absolutely delicious prawn-based amuse-bouche…


And then a “Traditional Arabic mezze”. This is described in the menu as an “Appetiser”. A more ridiculous description I have rarely seen! I couldn’t finish it (the flight attendant later told me that few passengers do). However, the tabouleh was so delicious that I did ask for, and was given, an extra serving. The baba ganouj (eggplant dip) was also very good, although strangely the hummus was not as good as the hummus that I’d had in JAL Premium Economy the day before…


I was feeling quite full at that stage so I closed my privacy doors, reclined my seat back and took a Moment. Almost at that exact same time we started flying through some mild-to-moderate, but continual, turbulence. It wasn’t massive in the scheme of things, but it was certainly bad enough to make me thankful that I’d finished eating and drinking for the time being, and it lasted for well over an hour, with the seat belt sign on.

As the turbulence was abating I asked the Flight Attendant for a recommendation for something refreshing and non-alcoholic and she suggested a “Cucumber Gimlet”, a mocktail made of cucumber and lime. Interesting combination. They’re both green, I suppose…



It tasted OK without blowing me away, and I was left to contemplate what at that stage were the two most important questions in life: do I ask for my main course, or do I skip it and go straight to dessert? And when should I ask for my glass of Hennesy Paradis?

Stay tuned…

 

[VPS]

Compromise #3: One final indulgence. EK404, SIN-MEL First class. Booked with 107,700 Qantas points plus S$87.70.

I was pretty chuffed when I saw availability on this flight; it meant staying overnight in Singapore, but I reasoned that Emirates First class was worth the slight inconvenience, and that this would be a fitting end to an amazing trip. Of course, I was a little worried when it was announced in mid-2024 that this route would be cancelled, but I had the Qatar option to fall back on if it were. In the end it was announced that the cancellation date is to be March 30. So this will be my final time on this flight, and it may well be my final time flying Emirates First class, given how high their carrier charges are for almost all of their other routes.

I have flown on EK404 once before, last April, so I had some firm thoughts about how I wanted to enjoy the flight before I boarded.

Emirates took very good care of me from the check-in desk at Singapore to the Arrivals Hall in Melbourne. I was wheeled from check-in, through Passport control and Immigration, to the Emirates Lounge in Singapore where I had a coffee, a small granola, a small plate of fruit, and an orange juice (I knew what culinary delights would be awaiting me onboard!). Then I was collected again and wheeled to the gate, through Security screening, and onto the plane. 5 of the 8 First class seats were occupied.

I was immediately offered champagne or another drink. I asked for an orange juice, explaining that I knew that the “good stuff” would only be served when in the air (which is what happened when I last flew this route in April). The flight attendant said that this was no longer the case and that she could give me the best champagne immediately. Naturally, she twisted my arm! The “good stuff” is currently Dom 2015.
View attachment 427282
View attachment 427283
View attachment 427284
View attachment 427286

Here follows the most controversial part of this entire trip, which will leave some readers disappointed, and others outraged. You may need to sit down before reading what you are about to read:

I chose to not have caviar.

No, I have not gone mad (well…). I had caviar last time, and there was so much of it, necessitating me asking for more blinis and melba toast, that it actually filled me up so much that it detracted from my enjoyment of the later courses. On a 12- or 14-hour flight you can stuff yourself with caviar and related accoutrements, then give yourself a few hours for things to settle before enjoying the other food. I, at least, find that a 7-hour flight does not quite allow you to do that. In any case, I like caviar, but it doesn’t blow me away so I was happy to forsake it.

My food consumption thus started with nuts, olives and chips to accompany my Dom Perignon 2015…
View attachment 427287

…Followed by this absolutely delicious prawn-based amuse-bouche…
View attachment 427288

And then a “Traditional Arabic mezze”. This is described in the menu as an “Appetiser”. A more ridiculous description I have rarely seen! I couldn’t finish it (the flight attendant later told me that few passengers do). However, the tabouleh was so delicious that I did ask for, and was given, an extra serving. The baba ganouj (eggplant dip) was also very good, although strangely the hummus was not as good as the hummus that I’d had in JAL Premium Economy the day before…
View attachment 427289

I was feeling quite full at that stage so I closed my privacy doors, reclined my seat back and took a Moment. Almost at that exact same time we started flying through some mild-to-moderate, but continual, turbulence. It wasn’t massive in the scheme of things, but it was certainly bad enough to make me thankful that I’d finished eating and drinking for the time being, and it lasted for well over an hour, with the seat belt sign on.

As the turbulence was abating I asked the Flight Attendant for a recommendation for something refreshing and non-alcoholic and she suggested a “Cucumber Gimlet”, a mocktail made of cucumber and lime. Interesting combination. They’re both green, I suppose…
View attachment 427290
View attachment 427291

It tasted OK without blowing me away, and I was left to contemplate what at that stage were the two most important questions in life: do I ask for my main course, or do I skip it and go straight to dessert? And when should I ask for my glass of Hennesy Paradis?

Stay tuned…

? And when should I ask for my glass of Hennesy Paradis? NOW

 

[Human]

As with most of my flights, I had the flight map open for most of my flight. Also on most flights I “binge listen” to whatever on the playlist takes my fancy. For this flight I noticed that Emirates had the entire Beatles catalogue available. It was a no-brainer.

Just when I was ready for more food, we were interrupted by another long period of turbulence, with the seat belt sign on. However, I had determined the following:

A main course of prawn machbous…


A fruit platter for dessert…


Accompanied by Hennessy Paradis (I might be mad enough to pass on the caviar, but I’m not so mad as to pass on the Hennessy Paradis!)…



Followed by a cappuccino.


And my final morsel of food consumption before returning to the real world:

Chocolate.


And I should mention that all of this was accompanied with gorgeous views of the Australian outback. Who needs in-flight entertainment?







The soundtrack to all this continued to be the Beatles discography, in more or less historical order. Ironically and yet totally appropriately, Paul McCartney was singing “The Long and Winding Road” from Let It Be, just as the flight was approaching Melbourne. I’ll add that to the long, long list of serendipitous moments that have occurred on this trip. During our descent I couldn’t help but notice how dry the landscape is. Don’t you people in Australia get rain anymore?





And that was it. MEL. My luggage was first out, I was collected by my wonderful amazing wife, I have no idea what my body clock wants to do, and I have a GP appointment tomorrow to find out how Australian doctors treat tendonitis.

I feel very, very refreshed. Still on a massive high, probably, and wondering how long it will last.

But standby: by my estimation there are a couple of thousand more words to come…