OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it
be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page. Jiffy (also jiff)
noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.
ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.
So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas
Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!
Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!
Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra
Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!
คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next”
ข้างบนนี้
Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!
E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.
Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.
“The postings on this site are my own and don't represent Maersk Group's position, strategies or opinions. All views are my own”
M/T Romø Mærsk
www.torgachkin.ru
- Picture by © Igor Torgachkin
Tuesday 10th th of March 2015 and I have booked a taxi so Bangkok Airport Limousine will come to
pick me up at 8 o'clock tonight. I will leave with Thai Airways Flight TG
910 for Heathrow Terminal 2 quarter past midnight.I will fly with Air Canada from Heathrow to Stanfield International airport in Halifax, Canada.
I know Thai Airways so I know that the service will
be excellent on board flight TG 910. But it will be the first time with Air Canada, but I guess it will be OK.I only need to wait for a few hours at Heathrow, scheduled to arrive 06:20 in the morning and we depart 5 minutes past 11. So I will have time to update my web page in the Star Alliance Lounge on Heathrow.
Well, they were here to fix my new shelves in the laundry room so we were very late with the boxing session. Bags are packed so I have the time for a meal (snack) at a restaurant before leaving for the
Suvarnabhumi.Hmm, or maybe I should stay home with a can of tuna and make a “ TUNA & ONION SURPRISE
”
®Sad to say that I went to El Gaucho on Sukhumvit Soi 19 for dinner. Quite a while since I had lamb chops and their, maybe the best in the world, creamed spinach. I walked back home and I
stopped at Family Mart on Sukhumvit Soi 23 for an ice cream. I was back home at 6 and the car from Bangkok Airport Limousine was already waiting. They are early, 2 hours early.I did my laundry and I had a shower before I went down tot he car. Well, can as well spend the time at tha Thai Airways lounge than to sit in my room looking at the walls. For sure, greater
chance to see beautiful girls at the Suvarnabhumi. So I'm off for Suvarnabhumi and flight TG 910 to Heathrow, London. Haven't been on board a plane for a long time now, can't say that I have missed it. But here we are again.I asked the driver not to drive fast like some of the full blown maniacs I have been going with to the airports in my days. Plunging down the highway in 160 while playing with their mobile phones.
And yes, when I told them to slow down and to put away the phone they had been looking at me like I was crazy.But this driver was very good and I was almost falling asleep in the back seat, promising for the flight. 13 hours to London and I
hope I can get some sleep. Of course, I brought a few back up
sleeping pills for the flight.We arrived to Suvarnabhumi at 20 thirty and I had soon checked in, flight is full and there was only one seat left when I checked in, a window seat, I hate it. It is OK when the seat next to me is empty, but now
the flight is full. And thus I will have someone sitting in the seat next to me. Leaking and hissing from all ends?
Hopefully not!TG 910 is operated with a Boeing 747, Jumbo Jet, when was the last time you fly with a Jumbo Jet? I didn't thought they existed anymore. I have not been on board a Jumbo Jet for many years now.
OK, it is better than to have to sit in the back. I was soon in the Lounge and I went straight to the internet room to set up my computer. Last updates before leaving Thailand. There was a huge fan at the entrance to the computer room and I asked
what was going on.- We have some problem with the AC
I found 2 cans of diet drink, no Pepsi available and I spotted some sandwiches that looked very good, and they very good and I was soon back for a second plate.
I had to hold back, I had to hold back going for a third plate as I cant have a full stomach going on the flight. I need to be fasting or the sleeping pills lose the effect and I will spend the flight tossing and turning in my seat.
Boarding time 23:35 and I left the Royal Silk
Lounge quarter to 11. I like to walk around the Suvarnabhumi and I can kill an hour walking around. Better than to sit in the lounge eating and drinking. Well, last time at Suvarnabhumi there was a Dairy Queen and I might “pop”
by for an ice cream.Dairy Queen, not as good as Engelholms Glass, but pretty good. Ha, now I remember that I don't have any Thai cash so luckily enough I don't have to eat any ice cream.
- Hmm, there is for sure an ATM on Suvarnabhumi.
Well, there was no ATM, at least not in the vicinity of Dairy Queen. So no ice cream, a simple bottle of water was 30 Baht at any store at Suvarnabhumi. I could go back to the lounge but
never mind. I only had 25 Baht and 50 Satang in cash so there was nothing to
buy for me. At least until I walked by Boots, they accepted VISA and I bought a bottle of water.I left Boots sipping on my water bottle. I was reminded about aspirin and I went back. I bought a bottle of “BABY” aspirin, one tablet per day will keep the cancer away. And to have an Aspirin before a flight is also good. That is of course if you can eat Aspirin, if you can't it can be dangerous.
I walked to gate E5 and I was there at 23:35, announced boarding time. Of course, no sign of any boarding when I came to the gate. I could see Thai Airways Boeing 747 at the gate and, well, I was not excited to fly a
JUMBO again. But it was a long time ago and it might be the last time.I took the opportunity to take a picture of the plane before I walked down to the gate. I thought it was strange, there was not much people at all at the gate.
And I had expected it to be, business class was full so I had expected the whole flight to be full. But there might be an onslaught of passengers coming down to the gate in the last minute. So little people and I
took the chance to ask if there was any NO SHOW so I could get an aisle seat. But everyone in biz had checked in and I was disappointed.They have a screen behind the desk. Blue and green colours on the seats on board. I spotted that there was a whole lot of blue coloured seats in biz.
But I was soon informed that the green seats was the ones who had reported at the gate, the blue was the ones who had checked-in. Black seat means empty and there was none of them around. So I had given up the idea of getting an aisle seat.
+++++++++++++++
Wednesday 11 th
of March 2015
and we were still waiting to board when the clock turned 00:15, the
time we supposed to have take off.I ended up in a discussion with on of the girls. I told him it was departure time.
- No, it is 00:15
- She is 00:15 now
- No, it is 00:14
Right there and then I was making a decision, never Thai Airways again. What a stupid twat! We boarded almost one hour late and we didn't left the gate until very late.
I had a guy from England next to me and he turned out to be a nice guy and we had a chat so time passed pretty quickly. We were
on the runway starting to accelerate with roaring engines and I was getting scared.We were running and running and it seemed like there was no attempt to take off and I got scared. We must be running out of runway soon!
But we made it and we were soon flying over Bangkok and I was relieved. They brought menus and I told them that I was on diet. I had a bottle of water and I was chatting with my fellow passenger. I
“popped” 2 sleeping pills and I was soon asleep.I slept for 8 or 9 hours, until they woke me up at 04:20 for break fast. I asked for a piece of chocolate, the best thing when you wake up on a plane. But they didn't had any chocolate. Back in the days they always had chocolate on board Thai Airways flights. Well, me and my new friend got a glass of juice.
They brought us breakfast, and this can be the best breakfast I have ever had on board a plane. It was some Fritters or something, excellent. I asked for the big SPECIAL Thai Airways tea cup and I had 6 or 7 of those cups.
I brought out my camera and the battery was flat. Darn, I wanted to take some pictures and I was disappointed. I remembered my new LG Phone, well, I had not much hope for this camera. My SAMSUNG camera was at least to say useless.
Over England - LG D855 phone
Over England - LG D855 phone
Landing at Heathrow - LG D855 phone
I was very pleasantly surprised with my new LG phone. The pictures was excellent, well, it is a phone and we have seen some bad mobile phone pictures on my web page. So in comparison the
camera in the LG D855 phone get the highest score.But anyway, I decided to buy a new camera at Heathrow as they were most likely sold with a wee bit of power in the batteries. Good phone or not, I need a working camera and this time I will buy a little bigger Canon, still a pocket camera. But a wee bit bigger as I don't always want to carry my big D60.
So I had a few pictures and it was soon time to land. Both me and my new friend thought it was strange that they could not get a decent PA system in a plane costing billions. He told me that he could never hear if they were speaking English or Thai.
And Heathrow, right up there with the Brussel’s International over worst airports. It was walking and walking, no end to it. And I arrive to terminal 2 and my connection is from Terminal 2. The Star Alliance hub, so why the need for all the trotting around the airport? And of course, no carts!
I passed security and immigration and I checked in to Air Canada before I went to look for United's lounge. I was told that Thai Airways are at the
United lounge. United, I didn't had any high hopes for this one.The sign said that it was 15 minutes walking to the gates and lounges. Yeah, big surprise.
But before getting off on this expedition I stopped to by a camera, I bought a Canon PowerShot G16 and it set me back by 319£ but now I have a nice camera. A wee bit bigger than pocket size, but with a bit of good will it is possible. I was happy when I left for the “B” gates and the lounges. Plenty walking again so no
need for any extra constitutionals
after this. And they have some very long escalators on the airport.
But it was worth it when I came to United's lounge. It was a very nice lounge with an impressive breakfast buffet with some of the best sausages I have ever had. OK, they didn't had any Pepsi. And I had been so close to stop on the way to buy a bottle of Pepsi Max. Well, never mind, I'm better off without any soft drinks.
Proper breakfast buffet at United/ Thai Airways lounge at London Heathrow
Proper breakfast buffet at United/ Thai Airways lounge at London Heathrow
United/ Thai Airways lounge at London Heathrow
Air Canada departs 11:05 so I have a few hours to kill. After 2 plates (brimmed) with sausages I decided that now it is time to start the diet. I cannot come back home like the 2 ton Superman. Imagine the other passengers when we’re going around in an inflatable looking for Polar bears in June. And I was having a hard time at United's lounge. There were not only a breakfast buffet, there was a corner with so much pastries I loved. Danish, almond croissants etc.
I escaped te lounge, but as they say in Thailand. Run away from the tiger just to run in to the crocodile. I was soon sitting at a coffee shop in the departure hall. I had a big paper cup of
Earl Grey tea and two salmon sandwiches in front of me. And to make things worse, I also had 2 huge almond croissants in front of me.I ran in to our Chief Engineer when I left the coffee shop. We know each other from Roy Maersk and he had a 4th Engineer with him.
We talked about the good ol' times and suddenly it was time to board Air Canada's flight AC 861 to Halifax. And I knew that I had a row of three seats for my self. There are plenty space on the
plane and I changed my seat at the gate and I got my own row.7 hours from Heathrow to Halifax and I killed the time by watching movies and to play with my new camera.
It was a kind of comfortable flight thanks to that I had my own row. I had water coming to me all the time and I dozed of at times. Yes, 8 to 9 hours of sleep between Bangkok and Heathrow, but I was still very tired. Sleeping on board a plane
is not the same as sleeping home in your bed. So I was tired and I'm looking forward to get to bed when we arrive to Canada. But where are we going?Yes, this plane was no different from all other planes and the PA system is pretty much useless. But I heard something about bad weather and Montreal.
I was worried and I stopped one of the Stewardesses and she told me that it was fog in Halifax and that we might had to go to Montreal instead. Well, that was no good news.
But the weather got better and we descended to Halifax and we landed in time, 3 o'clock in the afternoon. And I could see that the ground was covered in
snow. I have not seen snow for many yeas now, and I would not have mind for it to be many more before I saw snow again.
Approaching Halifax
Approaching Halifax
Halifax airport - Stanfield International
Halifax airport - Stanfield International
It was very nice to arrive, finally. But it had been a very nice trip. Bangkok to Heathrow with Thai Airways, smooth as silk. Heathrow to Halifax with Air Canada, had been a very nice flight as well.
Thanks to my own row and a very friendly crew. But I don't look forward to do it again! Obviously.Well, I have been traveling in shorts and I really hope that they have managed to get my bags to Halifax. I have my winter stuff in the bags and I will change before leaving the airport.
But first immigration and custom.
Immigration was a very quick, but we had to go to another immigration desk as we were joining a ship. There were 2
guys ahead of those and they were obviously having more problem.One of them did not even spoke English, but when it was our turn it took a few minutes and I went to change clothes as soon as we were in the arrival hall.
Our Driver was waiting for us and he told us that we had a 3 hours drive to a taxi boat that would bring us to Romø Mærsk. We would stop for a snack half way there. The Driver went on and on about snow and I told him that I was from Sweden and it looked like driving down a Swedish highway.
Canadian Highway
We stop for a snack
Dairy Queen
It was not any fine dining
We reach the boat at Pirate Harbour
Getting on board
We're on the way crossing Strait of Censo.
Leaving Novia Scotia behind for Cape Breton Island where we will join Romø Mærsk in Point Tupper
Leaving Novia Scotia behind for Cape Breton Island where we will join Romø Mærsk in Point Tupper
We can see Romø Mærsk
Leaving Novia Scotia behind
Point Tupper aheadwhere we will join Romø Mærsk
We have to cross Strait of Censo to reach Point Tupper on Cape Brent Island
We have to cross Strait of Censo to reach Point Tupper on Cape Brent Island
In the boat on our way to Romø Mærsk
Romø Mærsk discharging at Point Tupper
Romø Mærsk discharging at Point Tupper
We made a stop in the middle of nowhere for a snack and I had a burger. I was actually surprised that Dairy Queen is a fast food place, in Thailand they only have ice cream. We reached a bridge in the middle of nowhere, the place is called Pirate Harbour and there was a boat waiting for us. The boat will take us across Strait of Canso to Point Tupper on Cape Breton Island.
As we can see on the map we have crossed half of Novia Scotia to reach the Pirate Harbour at Strait of Conso. We loaded the luggage and we took off. We sat foot on board Romø Mærsk around 7 o'clock in the evening. And yes, it was nice to be on board after a long journey.
I was about to write that it has never been easier to follow the adventures on the 7 seas before, but, well, anyway, just chose a link below.
Joining M/T Romø Mærsk at Point Tupper - March 2015
In the English Channel - March 2015 - Part 2
Loading in Ventspils, Latvia - April 2015
Anchored on Aabenra Fjord, Denmark again - April 2015 - Part 2
Coming alongside in Go:teborg - April 2015 - Part 3
Coming alongside in Immingham - May 2015
Coming alongside in Rotterdam - May 2015 - Part 2
Still waiting at Nouadhibou anchorage - June 2015
Finally!! Time to go home - June 2015
Polar Bears, HERE I COME!!
I joined M/T Romoe Maersk on the 11th of March 2015 in Point Tupper, Canada. We did the following voyages before I signed off in Nouadhibou, Mauritania on the 4th of June 2015:
| Voy No.
|
Load Port
|
Cargo
|
Discharge Port
|
15503
|
Pembroke
|
Fuel Oil
|
Point Tupper, Canada
I'm joining the ship when they discharge in Canada |
15504
|
Ventspils, Latvia
|
About 18,000 MT of VGO
|
Huelva, Spain for order
Aabenraa, Denmark |
15505
|
Gothenburg
|
Minimum 30,000 MT of Fuel Oil up to full cargo
As close to but MAXIMUM 30,000 MT Low Sulphur Fuel Oil |
Waiting for discharge orders on Gothenburg anchorage after loading
Discharge port Immingham |
| 15506 |
ARA
Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Antwerp for order Rotterdam |
Minimum 30,000 MT of Fuel Oil up to full cargo
As close to but minimum 23,000MT FO |
Nouadhibou, Mauritanian My last voyage before going for my Polar Bear quest? YES! I SIGN OFF!
|
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