Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
This is: Round The World 2004
Flight Log 2 : BA17
London Heathrow (LHR) - Singapore (SIN)
I was only the third person to arrive in the First
cabin, which I would soon find out was fully booked. (It hadn't
looked that way on either Amadeus or OLCI.) But then, First
never feels full, even when it is! As I settled into Seat 2A,
one of the cabin crew offered me a glass of champagne
and some cashew nuts, while her colleagues presumably busied
themselves herding the teeming masses into Steerage. But all that
was "back there somewhere" and of no immediate concern
As I sipped my champagne, the day's earlier anxieties just fell away
and I suddenly felt very confident that this was the start of what
was going to be my best trip ever. A guy could really get used to
this way of travelling
We pushed back from the stand just a few minutes behind schedule, the noise of the tug directly below unusually loud. We crossed the southerly runway and taxied round the eastern side of the airport, passing floodlit Concorde G-BOAB (I think) on our way to the northerly runway for a westbound take-off run. Again, as previously in the Concorde Room, I felt a twinge of regret that I had never made a flight on this beautiful machine and now never would. Soon the distinctive BA 747-400 chimes told me that we were to be the next plane on the runway. The initial thrust of the engines was enough to send several items careering off my visitor's seat, but a fully fuelled 747 is never the most sprightly performer on the runway. After what seemed a very long time indeed, we finally reached V2 and the lumbering giant was transformed into a graceful bird of the air, climbing slowly and taking up a trajectory that would point us directly at Hamburg.
A further round of drinks and canapés followed and
I ordered up my first movie of the night, Terminator 3 - The Rise
of the Machines. CSD Paul introduced himself in person and made
me feel most welcome
The supper menu was as follows :-
| Foie Gras | Champagne |
| Richard Corrigan's foie gras and fig terrine with fig compote | Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque Brut 1996 |
| Soufflé | |
| Stilton cheese and leek souffle with apricot and cranberry chutney | White Wines |
| Soup | Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Les Cortons 2001, Roux Pere et Fils |
| Parsnip soup with stem ginger | Pouilly-Fume Les Griottes 2002, Jean-Pierre Bailly |
| Salad | Starve Dog Lane Chardonnay 2000, Adelaide Hills |
| Fresh salad leaves with your choice of dressing | |
| Chicken Sandwich | Red Wines |
| Tex-Mex chicken sandwich on Manoucher bread | Chateau Grand Pontet 1996, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe |
| * * * | Chareau de Fieuzal 1996, Grand Cru Classe Graves |
| Lamb | Cornish Point Pinot Noir 2001, Central Otago |
| Roast rack of lamb with a herb crust, basil and tomato jus, crushed peas and potatoes fondantes | Ebenezar Barossa Valley Shiraz 1999 |
| Prawns | |
| Chilli garlic king prawns and pad Thai noodles | Dessert Wines |
| Pasta | De Bortoli Noble One Semillon 1996 |
| Fresh pasta with your choice of creamy mushroom sauce or cherry tomato and oregano sauce served with Grana Padano cheese | Warre's 1986 Reserve Tawny Port |
| Grilled Chicken Salad | |
| Salad of grilled herb-coated chicken with wild mushrooms and basil dressing | |
| * * * | |
| Chocolate | |
| Hot chocolate sponge pudding with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream | |
| Apple Pie | |
| Cox's apple pie with clotted cream | |
| Cheese | |
| Fountains Gold, Stilton, Bougon Chevre, St-Nectaire and unpasteurised Kirkham's Lancashire cheese | |
| Fruit | |
| A basket of fresh fruit | |
| Beverages | |
| Espresso, cappuccino, coffee, decaffeinated coffee, tea or herbal tea |
As the hour was late and I had
already eaten well for the day, I decided to keep to light choices.
I had the parsnip soup (very nice) and the king prawns
(outstanding), washed down with a glass of the Chardonnay and
followed by a sleep-friendly cup of blackcurrant tea. Towards the
end of the meal, as we were passing to the south of Moscow, we
encountered a large area of turbulence. The seat belt signs came on,
the movie finished, but I couldn't go and change into my PJs! The
Russians really need to do something about their air space ... far
too bumpy for my liking
Eventually I was able to go and get changed
and I lay down on my flat bed, pulled the duvet over me and
considered what a fine start the trip had got off to and what a
great experience it was all going to be.
I thought of all the places that I would be ...
... that I would be ...
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I slept for 6 hours, which has to be a record for
me on a plane. I was one of the first to stir, but made a conscious
decision to get up and not sleep for too long - after all I would be
arriving in Singapore in the evening (local time) so the more tired
I felt the better. I changed back into my day clothes and ordered up
another movie and some refreshing apple juice. The film? ...
Death on the Nile. Yes, a bit of an oldie these days, but why
not at that time of the morning? I nearly laughed out loud at the
line "Never have I seen such a serpent in a First Class cabin." I
had a quick look round my fellow passengers, but none of them seemed
to fit the bill, thankfully
The young lady in 1A was amused as well, and was chortling away at
something she was watching. Or maybe she had turned round and caught
the guy in 2K changing back into his day clothes in his seat
Towards the end of the movie, it was time for breakfast to be served :-
| Juice | Bacon Roll |
| Chilled fruit juice | Warm bacon roll with tomato ketchup |
| Smoothie | Traditional English Breakfast |
| An energising fruit smoothie | Scrambled eggs, grilled bacon, pork sausage, sautéed mushrooms and grilled tomato |
| Yoghurt & Cereal | Eggs |
| A selection of fruit, plain yoghurt and cereals | Eggs Florentine |
| Fruit | French Toast |
| Fresh seasonal fruit plate | Brioche French toast with a compote of berries |
| Bakery | Beverages |
| A wide selection of breakfast pastries and rolls | Your choice of coffee or tea |
I had another glass of apple juice,
a smoothie, a bowl of Fruit & Fibre and the traditional cooked
breakfast, which was wonderful
I have never felt so fresh after a
13 hour flight. All too soon we were making our approach into SIN
and this top-notch flight was at an end. Full marks, BA!
Date: Fri 27 Feb 2004
Aircraft : B747-400
Scheduled dep : 2100
Actual departure : 2113
Scheduled arrival : 1750+1
Actual arrival : 1807+1
Cabin : First
Seat : 2A
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