Episode 2 - Flights…

 

Aboard the Airbus 350-900 with Therese

As alluded to in Episode 1, our flight to Paris was perfection. This is my first business class flight and I’ll find it very difficult to return to economy or premium economy.  Vietnamese Airlines business class was just beautiful. The seat was great and I slept so well when it became a flat bed.  The film and tv show etc selection could’ve been better but I watched a film (what was the name of that film…pfff… gone) and later watched Dune.  We landed before it ended and I’ll pick it up again on the return flight, and watch Dune 2 too.  

The meals were divine. Everything was divine!

We had about a 4 hour wait for our Azerbaijan Airline flight to Baku. We roamed around trying to locate our terminal and gate…  the up side to that was a fabulous step count tally, and we can’t complain as the walking was much needed after such a long trip thus far. The airport was abuzz with Paralympic teams heading home. I’ll attempt to upload a film of the special performance treat put on for the travellers.  Let’s hope that works. It was amazing and so much fun. 

We boarded our flight to Baku along with fellow Formula 1 travellers which included Alpine team support staff. We are probably indebted to them because what unfolded might not have had the happy ending it did were the plane not loaded with these very important people. 

Ok… so what unfolded? There we all were, almost every seat on the A320 filled, engines started, we backed away from the gate and then stopped.  After a long while the captain reported we had a problem with the hydraulic system.  The plane crawled to a far away spot and we waited for the technicians.  The atmosphere on the plane was great thanks to the Russian, Canadian and US travellers near us.  After about two hours…they off loaded the 200 odd passengers onto buses and back we went to the terminal. It was a schamozzle… with information coming to us via some other passenger fathoming the french/Azerbaijani rare non-information and lying broadcasts.  We all bonded. Got everyone’s life stories from their cancer journey to the Russian Orthodox Church and David with the Ferrari cap hoping to meet his son for a father-son adventure.  As time trickled by, that seemed less and less likely. 4 hours later we walked 100 miles to buses taking us to the Hyatt for a hastily arranged meal and bed. Many people went hungry, but not us. The potatoes were lovely. Glad we were on the first sitting. David at the second sitting had a half a piece of fish and tiramisu.

We had been told that a new plane was on its way from Baku to pick us up and we’d fly at 6am

At 2:30am we gleefully sprung up from our beautiful beds after a solid 5 hours of sleep. Bussed back to the airport and stood in what we suspected was a pointless queue followed by another possibly pointless queue etc etc.  Eventually there was one person processing us. It took more than 2 hours to go from the terminal entrance to the gate, which was just over there.

The non-information lying returned and we sat nowhere special for another two hours.  We boarded the same plane which they claimed had been fixed. Inside we doubted it and Svetlana next to me crossed herself and prayed to the Russian Orthodox god and promptly passed out.  We envied her. 

We finally left at about 8:45am for the 5’10” flight.  

We landed safely!!! Rashid our driver was there waiting for us and we loved him for that.  He told us terrific tales on the way in to the city and our eyeballs were inundated with amazing buildings. We thanked the President for the beautiful road, beautiful because he travels it every day. Were the President on Vodafone, my connection would surely be working.

Here are photos and films, presented in the order that blogger has chosen.

A souvenir of the Paris Paralympic Games 

Much needed entertainment at CDG airport

Wow…a farewell thank you from the Olympic Games organisers

The Egyptian power lifting silver medalists 

Such a stunning medal the centre being made from pieces of the Eiffel Tower

Therese settled in with movie on our Vietnam Airline Sydney-Hanoi leg

We loved Anastasia photo taken during one of the many offloaded moments

Offloaded from Azerbaijan Airline broken plane

Failing to fix the hydraulics

Hmmm…

Svetlana prayed to the Russian Orthodox god then passed out

Coming in to Baku

Eyeballs filled with architecture extraordinary on the drive in to town from the airport

Baku wow buildings on the drive in from the airport

More from the Egyptian athletes

Meet Svetlana

Meet Laurie from Canada

Aaw… we love you Paul