Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
This is: Indian Ocean 2012
A first class trip to the mall
We were in no great hurry to get up, having secured a very late check-out time of 8pm. Breakfast was a repeat performance in the Vivaldi restaurant; we were both determined to eat less than on Monday, but neither of us was confident of having succeeded in that objective. In due course we set out in the unbelievable heat to walk the short distance to Union metro station. Playing around with the ticket vending machines revealed the existence of something called Gold Class, available for a small premium over standard fares. As a pair of discerning frequent flyers, we decided that we simply had to give it a try. Our tickets entitled us to use a well-appointed separate compartment at the front of the driverless train, which therefore afforded great forward views. It proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable ride to the Mall of the Emirates. We did have to pay a small excess fare on leaving, however, due to misunderstanding what ought to have been a simple zonal system.
 |
 |
 |
RIGHT: Lest we might forget where we were, some helpful clues were provided |
  |
|
| ABOVE: Ski-ing fun when it's 40+C outside | |||||
| This was my third time in the Mall of the Emirates and it was the most enjoyable visit to date. Everything was nice and quiet on this weekday morning - really quite a contrast to the hustle and bustle of my previous two visits. We had a good look around, including an almost obligatory visit to observe the goings-on at the remarkable indoor skiing facility. | |||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
ABOVE and LEFT: Some general impressions of the Mall of the Emirates |
 |
 |
 |
RIGHT:
Lunch stop FAR RIGHT: A little treat |
 |
 |
||
When the time came, we had a very nice dim sum lunch at the Chi Zen Chinese restaurant. The food was lovely and it seemed like a nice place, but it suffered from a relatively poor location down a little mall cul-de-sac. As an indulgence, we then walked back to the fountain and bought a little cake each at a branch of Fauchon. As there was nowhere convenient for eating them, we ended up taking them back to the Sheraton. We repeated the Gold Class experience for the return journey, this time with an 'all zones' ticket. The attendant who was supposed to check those entering the compartment wasn't doing her job properly: an inspector eventually came on and found an Indian passenger with an ordinary ticket. He was most put out when she demanded that he pay the requisite penalty.
Back at the Sheraton, we were relieved to find
that the cakes hadn't melted or otherwise disintegrated. We ate them
and then set the alarm for a two-hour siesta, in view of the long
night of travelling that lay ahead. It worked quite well. After
freshening up, we paid a short visit to the Executive Lounge for a
single G&T, checked out and boarded our complimentary airport
transfer car at 8pm. Shock No 1 came at check-in: our flight was
delayed until 0130.
We made our way airside and onwards to the lounge, where with the
aid of his laptop Bruce quickly discovered that actually, the flight
was delayed until 0630 the next morning and the aircraft hadn't even
left Colombo yet!
Bruce spoke to the lounge agents who, based on the information available to them, initially denied the problem. He insisted on speaking to someone who knew what was really going on and was told that Business Class passengers would be rebooked onto the Emirates flight at 0245. With Economy passengers apparently being left to fend for themselves, it once again showed that travelling in the pointy end isn't just about a few extra creature comforts.
Time slipped past and the trip moved seamlessly (and sleeplessly) into Day 6.