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Asia Trip Part 1: OOL-KUL-HKG-KHH (D7, MH, CI)
Introduction:
Well I was just doing my usual search on the net for cheap flights and saw that Air Asia X had a pretty good sale on flights throughout their network. I let my mate Josh know and we thought, why not! After a bit of planning we worked out when we would fly out and back. Since AAX don’t fly out of Brisbane we would fly out of the Gold Coast. We would fly from OOL-KUL on Sunday 25 May and KUL-OOL on Saturday 7 June. Between then we would fly from KUL-HKG with Malaysian on May 26. Josh and I would then split up in HKG, I would fly China Airlines from HKG-KHH (Kaohsiung, Taiwan) on May 30. I would spend five nights in Kaohsiung with family who are currently living over there. Josh would fly from HKG-BKK-HKT with Thai Airways on May 31. He would spend 4 nights in Phuket. We would meet back up in KL on June 4. Josh flying HKT-KUL with Malaysian, while I would fly KHH-HKG-KUL with China Airlines and Cathay Pacific. Then finally on June 5 we would fly KUL-SIN-KUL with Air Asia. I was very much looking forward to going to Asia for the first time! I will split this report into two parts. Gold Coast Airport: We stayed at a motel next to Coolangatta Airport the night before as it was an early departure from OOL and we both live in Brisbane. Sydney spotter Bernie who was up in Brisbane for the weekend also stayed the night in Coolangatta. He drove us to the terminal where we checked in and dropped off our bags. Once that was done he picked us back up and drove us to the Skate Park at the end of the runway at Coolangatta where we met up with local spotter Brock. VH-EBK operating JQ12 from Tokyo-Narita https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3714/...1d6e19f277.jpg 9M-XXD arrives from Kuala Lumpur as D7206! Our ride to KL! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5586/...fe61bb30bc.jpg After our plane arrived Bernie drove us back to the terminal. Thanks again for everything mate! We proceeded through security and customs which was quick and easy. We then just sat down at the gate and relaxed. Soon enough we were on our way out to the aircraft. I have flown on a few A330-200s but this would actually be my first flight on an A330-300! I would fly on four of them on this trip. May 25, 2014 Air Asia X D7207 OOL-KUL 9M-XXD A333 Seat 17K STD/ATD: 0840/0850 STA/ATA: 1510/1522 Flight Time: 8 hours 32 minutes On our way out to the aircraft… https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3710/...27cc71ec82.jpg https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3796/...63264faf14.jpg https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3729/...9edd6929bd.jpg Boarding https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5522/...6b2c092ffc.jpg Boarding was quick and easy. It was not a full flight. We were seated in the second economy section which had quite a light load. Not sure about the first section but the third looked packed! I was in Seat 17K while Josh was in 18K. We were both lucky enough to have the two seats next to us un-occupied! We pushed back right on time and made the quick taxi out to RWY14. As we taxied out I could see Bernie and Brock along the fence line photographing our departure. The morning rush at OOL https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2925/...26cedbf15d.jpg Lining up on RWY14 https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2933/...1f140316fb.jpg Up we go! https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2899/...1d7fefb16a.jpg Passing Cobaki Broadwater https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2930/...014e7dfe7b.jpg Now over Northern New South Wales https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/...6d6cce2665.jpg Heading towards the coast https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5491/...1fc4448d0a.jpg Great view of the beach! https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2927/...acf896fc3c.jpg Kingscliff https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3807/...b1e8a8e5ab.jpg https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2926/...7798dd30c6.jpg |
Nice big left turn towards Brisbane
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5115/...e684284b68.jpg We flew directly over Brisbane Airport before making a slight left turn to put us in the right direction. Redcliffe, with the aerodrome to the left https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5236/...ba843cd8dc.jpg Unfortunately I was facing the sun until we reached the West Australia Coast, so didn’t get any good photos outside. About an hour into the flight the food and beverage service commenced. I had pre-ordered a meal when I booked. I chose the chicken teriyaki, I also chose to “maximise my meal”. So I also received apple juice and a piece of chocolate cake. The meal was pretty good, and very cheap! https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2934/...942b7f1a43.jpg AAX offer Samsung Galaxy Tab’s as IFE for a charge. I just used my own laptop, tablet, phone and iPod which managed to keep me entertained the whole way. It was great having the row to myself so I could spread out and relax. Passing over the northern tip of the West Australian coast https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5477/...420bc3339a.jpg Somewhere over the Timor Sea https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2900/...8b0102009a.jpg Approaching Indonesia, Bali would’ve been visible on the left side. https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3765/...575aec48d0.jpg Over the Java Sea https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2927/...5f466862d6.jpg Passing over Malacca Airport as we descend into Kuala Lumpur https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5506/...3e5df52027.jpg https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3681/...8922d9bde7.jpg Holding over the Malacca Strait https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3710/...c19fe34682.jpg Love that wing tip! https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3712/...6b54feca93.jpg Still holding, saw plenty of ships around! https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2922/...604b4dc8be.jpg On finals for RWY33 https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5510/...ffd4106267.jpg Moments from touchdown https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3810/...2b184e0543.jpg Reverse thrust! Welcome to Kuala Lumpur! https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3831/...b737a6bd32.jpg |
Malindo B739 taxiing out for departure. Funnily enough I photographed this aircraft one year ago at Boeing Field Seattle just before she was delivered!
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2897/...40a08f5643.jpg Air Asia X A343 9M-XAB https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2923/...91581768ca.jpg Air Asia X A333 9M-XAA https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5530/...82bc039a1c.jpg We parked at the gate about 20 minutes behind schedule. We made our way off the plane and down to customs. Kuala Lumpur Airport (KLIA2): Plenty of Air Asia A320s about! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5588/...e1d7b43479.jpg Soon enough we made it to customs which didn’t take too long. We then collected our bags and tried to finds our way out! I didn’t like KLIA2 very much! Very crowded and hard to get through. We eventually caught a cab to our hotel. The Sama Sama next to the main terminal, it is a very nice hotel! We just relaxed there for the evening as we were off to Hong Kong the following day. Kuala Lumpur Airport (Main Terminal): We left the hotel at around 7am. The hotel offer transport to the main terminal by golf buggy which was good fun. It only takes 2 minutes to get from the hotel into the terminal. We made our way up to the departure area on level 5. The Malaysian Airlines check in area was very busy but it didn’t take too long for our turn. Got our boarding passes and dropped off the bags easily enough and then proceeded through customs and security. We had to catch the train to the main terminal which was quick and easy. Once there we just had a look around as we had a bit of time to spare before our flight. Three Malaysian A333s next to each other! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5540/...132c4e0914.jpg KLIA! https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2896/...931a76b368.jpg Boeing 777-200ER 9M-MRQ would be taking us to Hong Kong! My first time on a B772! https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3673/...3232eb09c4.jpg Bangkok Air A319 HS-PPA https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3810/...38502e7d22.jpg After looking around the terminal we went back to our gate just as boarding started. We proceeded through the second security check before making our way onto the aircraft. May 26, 2014 Malaysian Airlines MH72 KUL-HKG 9M-MRQ B772 Seat 12A STD/ATD: 0915/0925 STA/ATA: 1305/1300 Flight Time: 3 hours 35 minutes Onboard, parked next to Saudi B744 9M-MPD (ex. Malaysian) https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3767/...891157c98a.jpg We pushed back pretty much on schedule and taxied out to RWY32R for departure. Passing the city https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3780/...f4a495124e.jpg Above the clouds https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3770/...a3645d1bca.jpg Cruising along… https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3691/...3f11a3254f.jpg Food and drinks were soon handed out. I had the chicken and noodles, can’t remember what the other option was. It was very nice, however there was a chilli at the bottom and I didn’t realise until I ate it! Needless to say my mouth was on fire for the rest of the flight! Haha. The meal also came with fruit, yoghurt and a bread roll. https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3859/...867509becb.jpg I just spent the flight enjoying the view. I couldn’t use the IFE as when I pulled out the remote from my armrest, the cord came out and I was unable to fix it. At least it wasn’t a very long flight. Over Vietnam https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3761/...bb8998c9d8.jpg https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3825/...3053f63bf7.jpg |
Nearing Hong Kong
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3832/...2cd00d1a7d.jpg Over Hong Kong as we join finals for RWY25R https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3737/...d25b177aac.jpg https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5036/...d024954328.jpg https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2899/...1a98a4abc9.jpg Air China Boeing 747-400 B-2445 https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3774/...a84c0dbc4f.jpg Aircraft parked up for the day https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3705/...0a77c1276f.jpg Cathay, Cathay and more Cathay! https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3783/...06a5296285.jpg Taxiing around the other side to our gate https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3822/...bc42047773.jpg Into our gate! https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2909/...469e6053ac.jpg Disembarked the aircraft and we made our way to customs. Hong Kong Airport: Good start to spotting in Hong Kong! South African Airways A340-300 ZS-SXD! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5564/...5d5bc9239c.jpg Customs was quick and easy. We were staying at the Regal Hotel right next to the terminal. Very easy to find and to get to! Hong Kong Airport is brilliant! So easy to get around! We had a room with a view of the airport which was brilliant! We had 4 nights in Hong Kong. The rest of Monday and all of Tuesday was spent spotting out the hotel room window as well as a couple of hours at the sky deck. Wednesday we went up to Victoria Peak and to some markets at Mong Kok. Thursday caught the bus to Tung Chung and caught the cable car up to Ngong Ping village. My flight to Kaohsiung didn’t leave until 1640 so I spent most of Friday spotting. Here are some of my photos from my stay in Hong Kong. Some of my favourite movements I caught in Hong Kong… https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3702/...9f0890b0_t.jpg https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3785/...c5ef6f80_t.jpg https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5482/...bba7a598_t.jpg https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2910/...76acf9c0_t.jpg https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3783/...a0ff8457_t.jpg |
Those are just some of the thousands of photos I took spotting at Hong Kong. More can be found here…
https://www.flickr.com/photos/brando...57644858298162 Photos from sightseeing in Hong Kong can be found here… https://www.flickr.com/photos/brando...57644577672100 At around midday I left the hotel and went to the departures area to check in for the flight to Kaohsiung. Josh still had another night in Hong Kong. He flew on HS-TGT from HKG-BKK and HS-TJB from BKK-HKT the following day. Got my boarding pass and dropped off my bag. I then proceeded through customs and security; I had about 4 hours before my flight to Kaohsiung. The terminal is fantastic for spotting. No secondary security or anything to block the view. You can get straight up to the glass. KLM nearly ready to head back to Amsterdam. Love the KLM livery! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5531/...e588c31023.jpg China Airlines A333 B-18311 in Skyteam livery. I was happy to finally get a decent shot of her! Never been able to catch her in BNE apart from when she had the “Sweet” livery. https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3877/...30a75c802f.jpg Air Astana Boeing 757-200 P4-FAS being prepared for the flight back to Kazakhstan. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5491/...edeaf01469.jpg El Al B772 4X-ECC https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3862/...441f1c2e38.jpg British Airways A380 G-XLED https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2926/...59819e77e7.jpg Ethiopian Boeing 767-300ER ET-ALJ https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3893/...92a29a7e85.jpg At around 1530, B-18355 arrived from Kaohsiung, so she would be my ride! https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3881/...3251d6bfe3.jpg Soon enough boarding commenced! May 30, 2014 China Airlines CI948 HKG-KHH B-18355 A333 Seat 8A STD/ATD: 1640/1657 STA/ATA: 1800/1804 Flight Time: 1 hour 7 minutes On-board, next to Fiji Airways. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5273/...cebd437e40.jpg Climbing out after taking off on RWY25L https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2933/...5423667171.jpg We made a 180 degree turn to point us towards Taiwan. https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2915/...2ed137433b.jpg Very quick flight from HKG-KHH https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3910/...4eeffa47c6.jpg The crew rushed through the cabin with food and drinks. Dinner was served on the flight which was chicken and rice. Also came with a slice of apple crumble. It was quite a nice meal. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5153/...ae6db55ee7.jpg Descending into Kaohsiung https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5515/...be14ea59e1.jpg We got a great view of the city on finals for RWY09 https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3856/...7531f7ef2d.jpg https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3899/...94d2f7dbc3.jpg |
Vacating the runway after landing on RWY09
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5273/...331896dcc2.jpg We had a quick taxi to the terminal and were soon disembarking the aircraft. Kaohsiung Airport: This one caught my eye! The Chinese carriers sure do know how to do nice special liveries! https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5532/...9ae8a85a89.jpg Customs and baggage claim didn’t take too long. Soon I walked into the arrivals area where I was met by my uncle and my 8 and 7 year old cousins. I was very much looking forward to spending 5 days with them! They live around half an hour from the airport. Whilst in Taiwan my uncle and aunt showed me around. There were lots of things to see and do. We also caught the high speed train to Taipei for the day. I had a fantastic time, and it was nice to have a bit of a break from plane spotting! Photos from my time in Taiwan can be found here… https://www.flickr.com/photos/brando...57645247872244 Well that is it for part 1 of the report. I will post part 2 in the coming days. Thanks for reading! Brandon |
Thoroughly enjoyed part 1 Brandon. Some great photos! I am looking forward to part 2.
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Fantastic trip so far, loving the photos too!! I do agree, the KLM livery is one of a kind! Of the three airlines so far, which would you have to say is the better? Looking forward to the second part!
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I would have to agree on the KLM livery.
Not a lot of change since 1982 - more vivid light blue, wider dark blue line and all white bottom half of fuselage ... https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5531/...e588c31023.jpg KLM B747-200 PH-BUO departing Sydney in March 1982 http://www.16right.com/MessageBoard/...2019820305.jpg |
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