[Cwyfan]

g

Anybody who has had an email saying something has been changed on their account, when they have not done it, will see all of this differently.

It is not just the comfort of knowing that the change that you did went through, but that only changes that you did went through.

[TiredOldHack]

@AnthonyDunn -don’t get me started on Air China’s reservations system. I’m flying to Xi’an via Beijing, from LHR. British Airways CW to Beijing, and the onward leg to Xi’an Air China, economy.

And the outward Beijing-Xi’an leg shows on BA’s reservation system but the return flight doesn’t…. And it doesn’t work on Air China’s either. It took a very long phone call to determine that a reservation actually existed at all.

[AnthonyDunn]

TiredOldHack – 16/07/2012 10:51 GMT

It’s not clear whether you are a regular on Air China or if, like me, it’s a first time experience. If the latter, prepare yourself (I’ve already posted on the year old/stale “BA food” thread about this BTW) for the experience of what goes for ahem “in-fllght catering” in steerage… The charming cabin crew marched down to the front of the plane bearing a tray with a neat pile of cellophane-wrapped white putty bread sandwich “briquettes”.

This induced some barely contained sniggers and laughter from some of the fellow Westerners onboard. The couple sitting next to me gulped and then turned round and said “we’d better eat it, it might be the last protein we get for a while…!” I can happily vouchsafe that you can now eat out entirely respectably (and not pay through the nose) in Ulaan Baatar. Just about to find out if this is true elsewhere in Mongolia.

[TiredOldHack]

Heh – BA overbooked my flight back from China a few years ago, and I got bumped onto AC for the return from Beijing. Probably the worst long-haul flight of my life, and certainly the worst food.

I think after luxuriating with BA’s CW for the long bit of the journey, we can put up with a couple of hours’ discomfort.

Ulan Bator – as I keep spelling it: best of luck….

[Deleted_User]

Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar according to The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World.
Enjoy Mongolia AnthonyDunn.

[AnthonyDunn]

TiredOldHack – 17/07/2012 15:22 GMT
charlesQ – 17/07/2012 15:32 GMT

Not that I wish to come across as a “travel swat”… but I have been having merry fun and games getting my head around the Cyrillic alphabet over the past week (or its Mongolian variant) and, to the locals, it is definitely Ulaan (“red”) Baatar (“hero”). From the country of Chinggis Khaan (not Genghis…!), there are plenty of heroes around so “Baatar” crops up with regularity. This is a truly fascinating place to visit and an occasionally excruciating place to work – but it’s the “Senior Management”/the other half who is having to do that…

[TiredOldHack]

I will. Xi’an, Terracotta Army Town. Speaking at a conference there.

Mrs TOH (well, Doctor TOH, actually) presented me with an ultimatum: “I’m coming or there’ll be trouble.” So a few days there, and then a few days in Beijing, so she can see the usual things.

I really don’t like Beijing much, but the tucker’s good and if you want to see the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, it’s the only game in town.

[Deleted_User]

“I’m coming or there’ll be trouble.” 😉

Have a great trip as well TiredOldHack.

[Author]

Posts