Prague (Praha), Czech Republic

Fifth time here in this beautiful city. This time I got to see it at night. 9 out of 14 crew decided to meet up for dinner in the city. Yum yum yum!

Pork knuckle

Fried cheese & sliced beef

My pork schnitzel & mashed potato with onion. 

Dessert! Tiramisu gelato

It's a wonder I don't weigh 500 lbs!!

Off for a Saturday night stroll to help digest our meal

Astronomical clock

Wenceslas square

Pretty architecture

And back to the hotel we go with our bellies full!

Tips to make your flight a little easier

So I often get asked by non-crew friends about tips to make their airline journey more comfortable. Having travelled a lot myself (both on & off duty) here are a few tips that will hopefully help you as much as they help me.

1. PACK LIGHT - I would suggest packing your cabin bag as light as possible. Cabin crew are NOT there to put your cabin bag in the overhead compartment. This mostly applies to larger airlines that provide free luggage allowance. My cabin bag usually consists of my laptop, phone charger, travel pillow & my "travel pack".  I can't stress enough how handy my "travel pack" has been on flights. It consists of a small empty water bottle, chips/snacks, chocolates, books/magazines, medications & a pashmina (aircrafts are usually chilly).  I also usually have this travel pack in a separate bag so as soon as I find my seat I can quickly grab it out of the cabin bag to keep in my seat pocket. Not only does it save you time looking for these items, it also ensures you are out of the aisle quicker and avoid getting bumped or shoved out of the way by other passengers (& that you are not blocking the aisle).

2. PACK AN EMPTY WATER BOTTLE - As I don't always have time after security to pick up a bottle of water, packing an empty one makes a huge difference. Most airlines will not hand out bottles of water in ecomomy. You either have to wait for the bar cart to come around or go get a cup yourself (DO NOT PRESS THAT CALL BELL!). Cabin crew are usually more than happy to fill up your water bottle rather than having you flag them down 5 times for water. Having a bottle also ensures you stay hydrated on the flight.

3. TRY TO BOARD EARLY - Airlines usually load by zones or seat rows. I suggest being at the boarding gate earlier rather than later to ensure you get a space for your cabin bag in the overhead compartment. Contrary to common belief, the overhead locker above your seat is NOT your locker. Space is on a first come, first served basis. Keep in mind you are on a plane and that space is limited. Not only do the compartments have to fit passengers bags, it is also required to store crew & flight items as well such as blankets, headset bags, etc. If there isn't any more space you have 1 of 2 options. Offload your bag (take out all your valuables) & it will be on the carousel when you land OR you can keep it under your seat.

4.  WALK AROUND - You need to stretch your legs & get your circulation going. This helps avoid deep vein thrombosis & helps reduce the chance of swollen feet. Also a great way to meet some new people & have a chat on an otherwise potentially boring flight. 

5. PACK SNACKS - You don't know if you will like the food served or will necessarily be hungry only when you are being served. I ALWAYS carry snacks onboard with me. Parents...this is especially important for young kids! If you are hungry during non service time crew might attempt to find you something but it will most likely be a piece of fruit or a bread roll or something not that substantial or to your liking. Chips & chocolates are usually my go to snacks. Every now & then I'll pack some Chinese buns or mini sandwiches to carry along. 

6.  LANDING/IMMIGRATION CARDS - Please fill these out when you get them NOT just before landing while the crew are telling you to put your tray table up! I can't tell you how many times we've given out landing cards at the start of a 13 hour flight only to have to demand passengers to use a magazine as a hard surface when they are furiously trying to complete it a few minutes before touchdown. Your tray table needs to be stowed!!!

7.  CARRY A PEN - You will need this for tip 6. In general if you are traveling you will need a pen at some point. You would be surprised how many people don't carry one.

8.  BE NICE TO THE CREW - Treat others as you expect to be treated. If you yell at the crew because they took too long to get you your drink, good luck to you if you need anything else on that flight! Keep in mind that cabin crew are MAINLY there for your safety. We just happen to also serve you food & drinks. Also keep in mind that should anything go wrong, your lives depend on the crew & their training. Remember that the next time they run out of chicken & you have to eat the beef. 

9.  KIDS - If you are a parent, please pack snacks & colouring books/games/ whatever will keep your child busy. Parents with infants....formula should be your best friend! If not then kindly purchase milk in duty free. Fresh milk is not always available onboard. If you are NOT a parent, carry earplugs. Trust me!

10. BE PATIENT - Travelling is tiresome. You are usually stuck waiting in a long check in line, then cramped up in a small seat for hours. You will need patience to deal with the inevitable irate passenger at the check in desk & the crying baby on the aircraft. Travel delays are also inevitable. I suggest summoning up all the patience you have & keeping calm in times like this. After all you will be at your destination or home soon! ;)

Yyz. Home sweet home!

Made it home on leave! Was so worried that I wouldn't make it on the flight as it was overbooked but managed to get a seat. :)

The first thing I always notice when I get home (because I shower off the 13 hour flight right away) is the AMAZING water pressure. It's funny how something so simple that I used to take for granted brings me so much joy now! That and the regular meal my mum always cooks for my arrival (lamb biryani) always welcomes me home. 

After waking up early today & figuring out plans for the day, I ended up having such a great day. Was pretty much just random shopping & errands, but it was just nice spending time with the fam. We decided to BBQ for dinner & since I mentioned that I was trying up cut down on meat we decided to grill seafood. 

Lemon herbed salmon on a cedar plank & Asian grilled shrimp

Veggie salad rolls

Grilled salmon, grilled shrimp & Thai mango salad

Sangria time!

Such a nice breezy evening as well that we had to have dinner outside under the canopy. 

To top off the day, I found 2 hats I've been looking for IN MY SIZE!!!  Yes it was technically children sized but as I have a small head....PERFECT!  

Tomorrow treating the fam for lunch then shopping & a movie. Making sushi for my sis to have at work on Monday. Thinking of doing a shrimp & tofu stirfry for dinner tomorrow. Wonder if my dad will notice the tofu. He is NOT a fan. Lets see how it goes. I'm determined NOT to gain any weight in this trip like the last one. Curses to great home cooked food & ice cream I don't get in Dubai!!!!

P.s. I didn't end up going anywhere in Nairobi the next day as I was broke. Fell asleep really late so just lazed around the hotel. Maybe next trip!

Nairobi, Kenya

So for the past week or so I've been trying to cut back on my meat intake. For those of you who know me know that is quite the challenge. However after watching "Forks over knives" I thought I would make an honest attempt to cut back on meat. I don't think I can ever become a complete vegetarian but I do want to have less meat in my diet overall. I've been so good lately. I've been having a lot of seafood & veggies with only a piece of meat inboard. 

Then I arrived in Nairobi tonight.....

So the crew decided we would go out for dinner. As Kenya is known for meat I figured I'd go for it. It beat having a room service salad alone. Here comes the pictures (& trouble!)

The restaurant "Carnivore"

The menu served tableside (all you can eat)

Flag indicates we want more meat. Flag down indicates we surrender!

Salads & sauces

Meat overload. Ostrich, pork, chicken, lamb & beef! Ostrich was......interesting. The meatball tasted like lamb. The sliced ostrich was very tender. 

Crocodile. Hard to explain what it tasted like. NOT like chicken. Tasted more seafoody. 

Turkey being carved tableside. Crew too hungry to wait. Lol!

I think I need a veg diet this coming week!

Always room for dessert! Chocolate chip blondie with vanilla ice cream. 

Absolutely stuffed!!! The weird thing is that kind of meal used to be my idea of heaven. It was good but I actually missed the veggies! Maybe there's hope for me yet ;) 

Dinner was almost my whole allowance so I'm not sure if I'll make it to the Masaii market tomorrow. Stay tuned!

I knew this would happen!

I had a feeling I'd get lazy with this blog!

Hopefully I'll have some exciting photos to share from Nairobi. Off to Kenya tomorrow for the very first time. If the crew are up for going to the animal orphanage I'll have tons of pics. Otherwise maybe just a pic of my dinner?

Ha!

Birmingham, UK

Back from a lovely 4 day trip to Birmingham for my sister-in-law's graduation. First day was the typical rain & gloom I expect from the UK but the other 3 days were glorious! Sunny & warm with a light breeze.....beautiful! 

Since its common knowledge that I'm a chocoholic, they arranged for us to go to Cadbury World. SUCH a fun day!

Chocolate heaven!!!!!