RTW to no-where in particular

[Drakecula]

My main mission there is to visit the Teotihuacan temple complex. Any tips for a private guide, or even how to get out there from downtown?

The company we ended up booking with was Ketzaltour - though they normally work directly with travel agents. I only went directly cause of the issue I had with the Australian travel agent I used going into administration... Pretty sure you could find a flyer for tours in your hotel or at the airport, heaps of options.

The tour guide and driver we had were great, spoke both English and Spanish, we were in a minivan and he said we had all booked through different companies. So I doubt you'll have trouble finding a tour company to get you out there and back. We did stop on the way at a gallery, but they weren't too pushy trying to sell stuff, and I think we stopped at a restaurant for buffet lunch (not included) on the way back. I can't say for sure all tours would include stops like that, but it's possible. Captive audience I guess.

 

[ellen10]

Looks like a great trip. I will enjoy following along.

 

[RooFlyer]

Dinner at the Breakfast Creek Hotel last night. It was OK, but seems to me it's much like Doyles at Watson's Bay in Sydney. Very much trades on its reputation and the tucker is just so-so. Service at BCH, Spanish Garden was very inexperienced.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Hobart airport experience better than usual, no-dramas to Melbourne; Premium boarding enforced and worked! At HBA!!. Bumped into @boomy at the MEL J lounge, on my way to board, so just a quick 'Hi'. More Premium boarding working.

A great crew in the J cabin, 3 options for lunch but I just had soup as I had the laksa in the Spice Bar in Melbourne. Flight went quickly, landed at BNE which I haven't been to for years.

Then, miracle of miracles, 'priority bags' worked too! My bag was second out. I'm buying a lottery ticket!

TKWYA

 

[Katie]

Dinner at the Breakfast Creek Hotel last night. It was OK, but seems to me it's much like Doyles at Watson's Bay in Sydney. Very much trades on its reputation and the tucker is just so-so. Service at BCH, Spanish Garden was very inexperienced.

I miss when the Cavs were still running it.

 

[RooFlyer]

Crikey. I'm in the SYD FLounge for breakky and the dining area is less than half full!! "Corona virus - no one's traveling" was the reply to my unspoken question.

In spite of that, service very slow and food delivery glacial. I've finished my coffee before the bread gets delivered ( still waiting). Guy next to me had to go up to the counter to get someone to take his order.

View of my office last evening

 

[craven morehead]

Crikey. I'm in the SYD FLounge for breakky and the dining area is less than half full!! "Corona virus - no one's traveling" was the reply to my unspoken question.

In spite of that, service very slow and food delivery glacial. I've finished my coffee before the bread gets delivered ( still waiting). Guy next to me had to go up to the counter to get someone to take his order.

View of my office last evening

View attachment 206276

So the service just drops off because numbers are down? Great business model ......

 

[RooFlyer]

So I'm at gate 8 and it's the usual disorderly shambles in front of the scanner stations. Crew arrives at the cattle boarding time, so you know there's going to be a delay. 10 mins later, they announce a delayed boarding time due to expected fast flight time to LAX.

 

[ausfox]

Red pin is where the rellies live. I think Annency will get a guernsey ... I decided to stay in Chambery on the way to Le Chatelard to see the historical village.

View attachment 206139

Oh, I forgot @Matt_01 for New York inspiration too. I've probably forgotten others, sorry ...

I remember Chambery for it’s pedestrian mall in the centre of town. Great coffee bars for a croissant breakfast.
I wish I was back there.

 

[RooFlyer]

Quite a good flight on QF11, A380 to LAX. Very smooth ride, even across the equator. Service was good, meals OK.

Usual seat in Emerald city, getting very frayed at the edges.



Thai fish cakes



Beef brisket



I asked to dine later than the standard roll out, and after some brief consternation, it was approved. I asked for it to be heated an hour later, and it came out 20 mins after that.

It was indeed a fast trip across the ditch, and even leaving late and'going slow' according to the captain, we pulled into the gate at 5:35, too early for immigration, which starts at 6am. So we waited on board until 6.

 

[RooFlyer]

We were the first into the immigration Hall and I was able to use a kiosk for my B1/B2 visa. Then a bit of a delay when the very friendly immigration guy told me all about the Mexican pyramid I was going to visit in Mexico City. Could not get him to shut up!!

Bit of a delay for bags, but then the orange express card got me straight through customs.

The new-ish 'transit security' after bag drop was not yet try open at 6:20am, so we hiked up to the regular security, where the queue was non existent even with only 1 lane open.

I was in the First lounge at 6:35am, 35 mins after leaving the plane.

 

[Major]

Is that still NP inspired food ?

 

[RooFlyer]

Yup. Green leaves.

 

[JohnM]

And picnic cutlery...

 

[tgh]

Really.. all this bagging.. this our national carrier.. we should be proud (sic)…..

 

[RooFlyer]

What sort of ball park figure was this DONE (I'm assuming) and how many SCs?

About $13K, virtually no taxes and I think 1,350 SCs (no doubles or bonuses).

 

[RooFlyer]

Had a shower in the lounge, then walked around TBIT a bit, to stretch the legs. Then onto the B787 LAX-JFK continuation of QF11.

I was in 3A, a seat by the window with shelves etc by the aisle



About to depart:



Hauling out of LAX:





Views going across the Rockies and Great Lakes:









Lunch orders were taken prior to take-off and was to be served immediately after seat-belts off, I was told. As we had just had breakfast, I asked if I could have my lunch a bit later. "Its only a 4 hour flight" I was told, "we'll see what we can do". Clearly that wasn't a 'no', but it wasn't a 'yes' either. Whatever. In the event, there was a drinks service after seatbelts off and lunch was obviously going to be about 1.5 hrs after departure, so I said they could include me in the main service, if that wouldn't be an inconvenience. No problem .. (I think it was going to be that way anyhow ... ). The warm chicken salad was nice. Sav Blanc was OK too .. a pity they topped it up with Chardy ... Rock hard butter, as ever ... no biggie .. happy to be on my way to New York.



I watched the Downton Abbey film, after which, Qantas made some suggestions

 

[JohnM]

About $13K, virtually no taxes and I think 1,350 SCs (no doubles or bonuses).

Base price of a DONE4 ex-Aus is $12499, plus taxes and charges.

Ticket on QF stock and expect the latter to be at $1.5-2K.

Engage our favourite TA and ticket on something like JL stock: $550. No fuel fines (eg. my favourite flight QR LAX-DOH alone is $500 in fuel fines avoided).

I just ticketed a DONE4 a few days ago.

I've usually earned up to about 1600 SCs for a DONE4.

Back in the paper-ticket days when xONEx's were a maximum of 20 sectors and when they booked into F on AA domestic sectors, a lazy 2500 or so SCs used to come my way from a DONE4.

 

[JohnM]

Views going across the Rockies and Great Lakes:

Bloody historians - Great Salt Lake puh-leeze.

 

[RooFlyer]

Engage our favourite TA and ticket on something like JL stock: $550. No fuel fines (eg. my favourite flight QR LAX-DOH alone is $500 in fuel fines avoided).

Exactly; doing that flight, too.

Bloody historians - Great Salt Lake puh-leeze.

Nope. Eastern shore of Lake Michigan. No cigar for you!

Coming into JFK (or rather, going past JFK to halfway across the Atlantic (it seemed) before we turned for the approach in)




We arrived at JFK 15 mins early and a quick taxi to the gate (at the end of T8 satellite), so quite a walk to bags. My run of prompt bags ran out, so a bit of a wait, then into a taxi to my hotel in Queens. I decided to bite the cost of a taxi as I knew I'd be stuffed with little sleep and decided to pay for a simple ride.

Hyatt Place in Long Island City, just across the East River from Manhattan. It is near a subway, good price, easy to get to from JFK and newish



Room is OK:







A view of Tony Hancock magnificence: