Eventful Flight Story: EK433

About two years ago, I was en-route back from my holiday in Australia. Some of you may know, I was terrified of flying at this point and so the thought of sitting on a plane for eight hours was far from ideal. 

My dad and myself were lucky enough to be treated to an upgrade to business class, and so boarded the plane in good time and we were made to feel very comfortable. I had my usual freak-out as we took off out of Singapore's turbulent climate but eventually settled down into what seemed like a normal flight.

Around four hours into the flight we were flying East of Hyderabad. I was in my element watching "The One Where Ross Is Fine" (Friends) and eating from Emirates' exquisite menu. However my tranquility was ruined by the noise of screams and the sound of breaking glass... 

Never have I seen a stewardess so fast.  

Everyone in my cabin (just beyond the bulkhead) bolted upright in their seat and turned to witness a man welding a stolen walking stick and screaming in Arabic. He beat a gentlemen behind us very badly, and then moved to the second isle. The next in line for a beating would have been my dad and myself had he not have changed path. He continued his path of havoc and knocked over a dinner trolly breaking glasses left right and centre. 

He was demanding the stewardess to see the pilot, while intermittently shouting "Allahu Akbar" at the top of his voice. By this point I was convinced this was a terrorist attack; however poorly planned it seemed to be. 

I vividly remember looking down at the ocean from my window thinking, "that's where we're going". My stomach turned into an endless pit, as that moment seemed to last forever.

The stewardess refused to take him to the captain. The man reacted badly and begun beating her with the stolen walking stick in the footwell of one of the seats on our row. The shouting was endless.

At this moment my love for Australians was solidified for life as a very brave Australian man came to the rescue. I recognised the hero as I had noticed him at the gate. He had icy blue eyes and a very calm demeanour, as if he saw events like this all the time. Saying: "calm down mate" in a perfect Australian accent, he wrestled the man off the stewardess and began to detain him.

Other stewardesses rescued their beaten crew member and ran to collect restraints. The man was quickly tied up in an excess of seat belts and cable ties and was given some form of a sedative. 

The man began to calm down, and the shouting eased. At this point, all nearby passengers including my dad and myself were moved to empty seats beyond the bulkhead. There was an amazing sense of team spirit, and the Australian was congratulated thoroughly. He did however have to continue to guard the man for the remaining four hours of the flight.

The last four hours in the air were exhausting, and I have never felt so relieved as I did when we landed in Dubai. The Dubai police escorted the man away from the plane, and injured passengers were given urgent medical care. 

My dad and I continued to our connection, and needless to say we landed safely in London seven hours later. We were later told by Emirates that the man had Schizophrenia, and was not endangering the flight. 

Be that as it may, it was certainly the most eventful flight I have experienced.

Where Am I Going In September?

At the beginning of September, I am leaving the UK! I will be spending 4 months travelling around Asia before I land in Australia for Christmas. After Christmas I will be starting my Bachelor of Science degree at USyd. 

Itinerary

Pre-Australia, I will be visiting:
- Italy
- UAE [Dubai]
- Thailand
- Cambodia
- Vietnam
- Laos
- China [Hong Kong]
- The Philippines
- Malaysia
- Singapore



I decided to visit Rome because flights from mainland Europe to Asia are significantly cheaper than direct from London [£200 less]. I will explore Rome for 5 days before travelling to Dubai for a 2 night stopover. 

As many backpackers will know, Dubai is a very difficult place to find affordable accommodation so I will be staying with Airbnb hosts in Dubai Marina. 

From Dubai, I fly to Thailand. I land in Bangkok and from there I am travelling south via Koh Sok national park to Koh Phangan, Koh Tao and Koh Samui. I will spend a couple of weeks exploring these islands, and then return to Bangkok. 

My return to Bangkok marks the start of a 30 day journey through Cambodia [Siam Reap, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville], Vietnam [Can Tho, HCMC, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, Ha Long] and Laos [Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, Muang Pakbeng], before re-entering Thailand to see Chiang Khong and Chiang Mai. I will return to Bangkok [by sleeper train] and then fly to Hong Kong. 

I am staying in Hong Kong for approximately a week. During this time, I am meeting up with some school friends and teachers and helping them at a conference promoting my old school. 

Hong Kong is a perfect gateway to The Philippines, with many daily flights. I haven't completely decided my route around The Philippines, however I have decided that I want to visit Manila, Palawan, Borocay, the chocolate hills [Bohol] and the rice terraces [Ifugao]. I have scheduled between 2 and 3 weeks in this country. 

From The Philippines, I will return to south Thailand via Phuket airport. I will travel to Hat Yai via Koh Yao Yai and Krabi. This is where I begin my train journey into Malaysia. I am travelling down the west coast through many cities such as Langkawi and Penang before reaching Kuala Lumpur. I am considering visiting The Pehetian Islands on the east coast, however in November the climate means the islands will not be at their best. Either way, I will continue down to Singapore, which will be my final stop before landing in Australia!

Of course, this blog will be fully up to date throughout my journey, and I will be writing about how I applied as an international student to USyd in a later post. 

Thank you for reading! <3

Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is a perfect travel destination that can suit most tastes. The city is rich with culture, sunny beaches, fantastic food, and not to mention beautiful views. I spent 5 nights in this glorious city which was enough time to see most sights, however I could easily have spent more time to explore a more local side of the city.

Barcelona's iconic, still unfinished church La Sagrada Familia is one of the most impressive sites in the city. The outside is embellished with an intricate depiction of the birth of christ, along with angles playing various musical instruments. When I walked through the door, I was speechless. The stain glass windows glow with firey reds and oranges, and bold green and blues, and these colours flow throughout the entire church. I recommend setting aside a whole morning to visit this magnificent site, but make sure you have reserved your tickets in advance. If you arrive without a ticket, you may face hours of wait before you can enter the church. I feel it is important to book entrance to all major tourist sites in the city, for example Gaudi's Park Güell, Casa Mila and Casa Batlló.

The Casa Mila and Casa Batlló are unlike any houses you've ever seen. While the Casa Mila is a UNESCO world heritage site, it is still a functioning residential building. The architecture on the roof is very impressive, and in addition the views down the centre of the building are certainly enough to make those scared of heights a little wobbly! The Casa Batlló appears to be taken directly out of the set of The Hobbit! The windows are stain glass and the walls are mosaic. These stunning houses deserve at least two hours each to explore.

Gaudi's Park Güell may be one of your top sights to visit in Barcelona. However it certainly did not live up to expectations for me. There are two sections of the park, a section with free admission, and a much smaller ticketed area which contains most of the impressive architecture. The ticketed area of the park is absolutely jam packed with visitors. It is impossible to enjoy the beauty with so many selfie-stick wielding tourists! Travelling in the peak summer season means that many areas in the city will be busy like this. In my opinion, the free admission area is the most beautiful. On a sunny day from the top of the park, the views to the coast are spectacular. 

For fantastic views over the city, take the Montjuic Cable Car up Montjuic Hill . The cable car airlifts guests from just outside Montjuic Park to Montjuïc Castle. Views from the castle are spectacular, you can see aeroplanes approaching BCN El Prat airport, the endless colourful containers being loaded in the docks and the city centre. It is certainly a beautiful view. 




I visited Barcelona in September 2015 and stayed in the Hotel 1898 on Las Ramblas. The hotel is beautifully clean, and the black and white colour scheme is very classy. The roof-top bar / restaurant has wonderful views over the city, and the relaxed atmosphere is second to none- be sure to try one of the huge, (quite expensive...) cocktails! If you plan to spend an evening on the roof, bring a jacket or jumper, since it can become quite windy and cold later on in the evening.

Being located on Las Ramblas, the hotel is fantastically located to many sights within walking distance, for example the markets and the harbour (which is also home to the Maremagnum shopping centre).

The market (La Boqueria) located on Las Ramblas is a 2 minute walk from Hotel 1898. The market is packed with luscious fresh food from fruit and vegetables to massive fish and steaks. It is definitely worth spending a good half an hour exploring the endless isles of food.

If you plan to travel to Barcelona in peak season, make sure you book transport and accommodation far in advance to ensure availability and low prices. I travelled on the train from London Ebbsfleet station to Barcelona via Paris. Direct air tickets are available from many carriers including Norweigan Air, Easyjet and British Airways.

I hope to hear about your Spanish adventures!

Paris to Zurich Train

This TGV-Lycra train journey from Paris (Gare de Lyon) Zurich is one of the most beautiful in the world. You can expect deep blue lakes, gorgeous green hills and a shimmering blue sky. That is if you visit in summer! A winter trip would provide equally beautiful ice and snow covered scenery. The trip takes approximately 4.5hrs, passing though Basel at about the 3hr mark. 

Of course, train travel through mountainous countryside would be incomplete without a fair share of tunnels carved through the rock- however the view is all the more fabulous when emerging from a dark tube. 

The trip would not have been done in a true Heli style if i had not got lost (and nearly missed my train...) in the Gare de Lyon station. There were large amounts of construction works, meaning the only toilets were about a 15 minute walk away from my platform! 5 minutes before my train was due to depart, I gave up searching and unwillingly used the trains services.

This route can easily be combined with other destinations (while interrailing, for example). I took the Eurostar from London to Paris, then this route. From Zurich  I continued on to my final destination of Venice, Italy. You can find further information on how to travel this beautiful route here. 

Venice, Italy

I travelled to Venice by train via Paris and Zurich- unfortunately I only spent 2 days in this fascinating city due to a family emergency back home, but I have a few recommendations. 

Row Venice offers a "Venetian rowing lesson". This is a very enjoyable experience which will teach you how to row a gondolier, while exploring the city waterways. 

Travel to St Mark's Basilica and Square early in the morning to avoid the crowds. The area is very similarly quiet and beautifully lit in late evening.

Avoid communicating with street merchants! They have products (mostly fake designer handbags, etc) for sale at 'fantastic prices' in most touristy areas of the city. Whilst approaching you to 'only give you information', it is very difficult to leave once engaged in conversation.

Montevideo & Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

Montevideo

I took a two day trip to Montevideo from Buenos Aires, so in that time I did not see a lot of the city. Unlike other cities on the east coast of South America, it was very obvious why people visit in the hot summer months. The sky was grey and gloomy a lot of the time and it was quite cold! In the time I was there, I visited the Plaza Independencia, Solis Theatre and the Museo Torres Garcia - as well as having a general wonder around the city.

The main thing I took away from visiting Montevideo was the poverty. As my hotel was outside the city, we had to take a long bus ride into the centre. Riding through the outskirts showed many busy, run down streets and many people sleeping rough. 

On departure day, I went to the city bus station (the leading form of transport in SA) and booked a ticket to Colonia.


Colonia del Sacramento

Colonia is a historic city located around 3 hours away from Montevideo. It is famous for its  cobbled historic quarter. I highly recommend a short visit to this city- the buildings are very attractive and colourful- perfect for a photographer!

I stayed at La Laza de Te B&B / Cafe and I wish I could stay again! The room was out in a beautiful small courtyard, and the room felt very homely.



Safe travels <3

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Having performed in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Evita, I always felt I had a special connection with Buenos Aires. I particularly enjoyed visiting memorials and museums to celebrate her life. Evita's tomb is in the La Recoleta Cemetery, and it is unlike any British cemetery. Each tomb is a beautifully carved stone building and would accommodate a whole family.

The Casa Rosada, [Pink House] is the official workplace of the president of Argentina located in the Plaza del Mayo. I would've loved to spend more time in the Plaza del Mayo, however there was a protest regarding the Falkland Islands! I therefore decided to move onto the Sunday market...

At the markets everything was available, from antique maps and Evita memorabilia to everyday essentials such as nail polish and cleaning products -vendors were open to bargaining! I bought an original painting of Evita, along with some historic collectors newspapers. 


My favourite cafe in Buenos Aires is Guido's Bar. It is covered in memorabilia from the owners life and travels- the atmosphere is very homely and the coffee is excellent! 

One district of Buenos Aires perfect for shopping is Palermo. It is a very trendy area of town with a range of shops- from unique to chain. This area is easily accessible by tube. 

My favourite part of Argentinian culture is Tango dance and music. A local guide took me to a Milonga, (in a slightly seedy part of town...) where locals go to dance and enjoy the music. The building was an old wear house, and the rooms itself was beautifully decorated. Definitely an experience to have whilst in Buenos Aires.

I stayed in Buenos Aires on two different occasions, as it was the arrival and departure city of my tip. I began in the Alvear Art Hotel, and finished in the Alvear Palace Hotel. Both hotels are luxurious and well kept, but very different in style (and price!) The Art hotel is modern, and the more expensive Palace hotel has classical beauty and architecture. I would recommend them both! 

Safe travels <3