6 July 2019
Hot and dirty
Flying to Paris on an Etihad A380
It is hot in Paris, and very dirty. Thats my update.
This will be another update with very boring photos. It is OK to scroll.
Rewind a bit, and when last I was last dribbling crap in the form of text, I was in the Abu Dhabi lounge having just got out of the shower.
After that, I explored the pathetic airport. It is quite small, but feels a lot smaller than it is because it is very very cramped. I am used to airports having crazy amounts of room for activities, but in Abu Dhabi, the corridors are no wider than a supermarket aisle.
Next up, a ride on an a380 for 8 hours to Paris. The bigger tube was nice, the seats were newer and nicer, the food was horrifically bad. So the service was about the same, just a nicer quieter jet. Airbuses are much much quieter than Boeings.
The only drama to speak of on the flight was a Japanese woman with her arm in a bandages complaining of stomach cramps after visiting Egypt.
Eventually the staff gave her drugs, but told her if she lied to them about taking other pain killers already, then she would most likely die. After taking the pills she passed out cold. I have no further update! I am now waiting to see if she caught SARS from an Egyptian camel, which might mean this is the last thing I ever type, better make it worthwhile.
Arriving at Paris Charles De Gaulle airport was as bad as everyone says it is.
The customs line was a zoo, it took forever, but it might as well have taken longer, I then had to wait over an hour for my bag, which had a 1st class tag on it but seemed to come out last.
Then the airport arrivals area had no shops, no ATMs, nothing, you can see from the photos below!
Thankfully it was a short walk to the RER train station, the worlds most dangerous train. I bought a pass, boarded, and wrapped my bags around my arms and legs and remained hyper vigilant. There were many softer targets on the train. A couple of stops after the airport, it filled up with a variety of locals, and the smell.... the smell was horrific. STEREOTYPES EXIST FOR A REASON! I think they rob people with their smell, wait for you to pass out then just strip you of all your possessions.
Anyway, I survived, my hotel is nice but in a very unattractive dangerous looking area!
44 hours awake and counting, time to post the last of the boring airport photos and head out on the town in my zombie like state.
Now remember, I warned the photos would be bad! Here is the Abu Dhabi airport shopping mall. This is all of it. There is also a Burger King.
There are a lot of huge planes coming and going, despite the millions of people its just a couple of long narrow corridors.
The corridors get narrower, and here is another shopping area. All it sells is stuffed camels. Theres a stall along side it selling dates. Thats all you can buy in Abu Dhabi. I wanted to buy a plush date toy.
Here is my plane. 43 degrees Celsius / centigrade (which is right I dont know?) in Abu Dhabi today, and the sky looks badly polluted. The pollution is not so visible in the photo.
Now I have arrived in Paris. Its the baggage hall. Also long and narrow. I became very acquainted with it during my 1 hour wait. Perhaps one of the 8 times a day strikes had broken out.... TO THE BASTILLE!
This is what you are greeted with when you leave the baggage area. The Air Algeria check in counters and nothing else!
Which one of these people shall I rob? The Korean guy probably has the best phone. The train was slow and hot! I dont think it was air conditioned.
And finally, heres my hotel. Its marketed as student accommodation and you get a little kitchen I wont ever use. It is very near my office and very very cheap! $100 Australian a night even with our current crap exchange rate. Also my room smells like bubble gum, thats a random fact.