EU 2017 (xii): London and the return home

Yeayyy, I'm down to the final post for my EU trip and I foresee that it ought to be a short one, unless I go babbling on about unrelated subjects... well, I do do that time and time again :D.

On that Friday morning, after taking the tram to Beckenham Junction, I switched to the Southeastern train to get to London Victoria. Since I wanted to go to the Chelsea FC megastore, I took the District line to get to the Fulham Broadway station. I'm not really a football (or soccer) guy, but my dad is. I'm more of a American sports guy :D. American football, ice hockey and baseball ;.

Being a Chelsea fan and how he talks profoundly of this year's squad whenever I went balik kampung (my hometown), I bought my dad a team jersey with his name and birth year printed on it. That was all I could think of getting him. That, a Chelsea keychain and a Chelsea lanyard. I'm not sure what he would do with the lanyard tho' :D.

Thanks

For you Dad ;)

I didn't spend time to take a good picture of the shirt, thinking that I'd do that when I give it to Dad. Unfortunately when my sister passed the jersey to him, Dad was a bit unwell so he wasn't picture ready. But it did lift up his spirits and he wore it right away when Chelsea was playing on tv :D

I got back on the train and set Leicester Square as the next direction. That is where the Lego store and M&M London are. Good places to get a thing or two for the nephews and nieces. Something small that could fit in my bag nicely, like keychains ;).

Since I didn't get anywhere near the River Thames, this Lego version of the area would do :D

Here's me with err, small Big Ben?

Another London thing to do :)

I received a couple of tips from a friend to give the gelato at Scoop a try and to buy some chocolates from Rococo Chocolates. They're at Covent Garden, which was nearby.

Loved this sign :D

Got some Rococo Chocolates for myself. I still have a couple of bars in the fridge

Dark Chocs, Pistachio and Salted Caramel... So yummmehhh!

The last stop of the day was Oxford Street. No surprise there :D. I grabbed a few chocolates and cookies from M&S and candies from other shops. Always a hit at home and the office ;).

Meet my not-so little birdie... hahaha. Found posters of birds in a hallway in Selfridges

Somewhere in between Hyde Park and London Victoria

Then it was time to head back to Firouz's because he would be cooking for dinner. That was so nice of him! We actually just missed each other for he had taken the previous train. So I joined him for grocery shopping at Waitrose. It also gave me another chance to add on to my chocolate and cookie pile :D. I wished I had brought my bigger suitcase... :P. LOL!

When we got back to the house, I went upstairs to get started with the packing while Firouz did his thing in the kitchen. And the result was amazing like always! Kudos to the chef!

The master at work

Indonesian prawns and one lobster tail 

Fish cooked in soy sauce. I forgot which type of fish it was

Kangkung masak belacan

While waiting for Thomas to come for the weekend, Firouz and I watched Sex and the City 2 movie because we somehow ended up talking about it. I can't recall what or how exactly :D.

The next morning, I joined Firouz and Thomas for breakfast. I had muesli and cupcakes for dessert. Yup, you heard it right. Dessert! It's always time for dessert ;).

Sinful!

I had actually purchased an upgrade for my flight home. All those years flying long haul and passing by the Business class, especially on Emirates A380, instigated me to get the upgrade. Hehehe. I just wanted to try it for once, especially when both of my flights would be on A380s.

The business class ticket also came with a free chauffeur-driven ride to the airport. That was a big plus! I didn't have to take the train with my bags, especially when the tram was having a service disruption on the day.

My measly VAT refund. Shows how much I shopped! LOL

After breezily clearing the security clearance thanks to the Premium Gatwick privilege, it was time to continue reaping the perks of the business class and the lounge. What's that saying again? A picture is worth a thousand words, you say? Well, in my case, a picture is worth a thousand ringgit and I better snap a lot! So please don't mind me, okay? ROFL!

Rolex... Shows the class even as you enter the lounge

Some of the appetizers on display

"Coronation Chicken Salad with Mango and Dried Apricots" and minestrone soup

The main courses. Belum terbang dah kenyang! (I'm already full even before boarding time). Hehehe

Part of the lounge area

I found the cushion and blanket were a bit tired

Ni pun nak amik? kikiki

I don't look the part, do I? hahaha

Waiting for my warm towels

I had initially ordered the smoked duck but they ran out of it. Wwhatt? I demand my money back! Hahaa.. so I opted for the roasted veal

Beef cobbler

The mango and raspberry torte

Doing your business with a view is what matters

The onboard lounge at the back of the upper deck

We had arrived on time to Dubai, which meant there'd be 3 hours of layover in Dubai for my next flight. 3 hours to enjoy the business lounge ;). I like the layout of the lounge that covered the entire terminal above the gates. My gate was A15 so there was eating and lounging area in the vicinity.

Halfway into the waiting game and enjoying my snacks, I heard a pager for a Mr Abdul Aziz on the KUL flight but couldn't be certain of the first name. We are in Dubai, so I'm sure there are a number of Mr Abdul Azizs around :D.

So I went to get a confirmation at the nearest counter, which was the Skyrewards counter. However, they informed me to find the supervisor at the main reception desk.

When I approached the supervisor, who was with two other staff members, I asked who was the pager intended for. She said it was definitely for me. Seeing that I just arrived from Gatwick, her opening question to me was whether I would be planning to go back to Gatwick some time in the near future. I wasn't quite sure what she was trying to say, so I said, I'm going home :D.

It turned out that they have overbooked the business class, and since I was on the Business Saver fare (aka cheaper fare), they wanted to find out if I'd be interested in a downgrade in exchange for a return business class voucher to Gatwick with a one year validity. To sweeten the deal, they were also offering me a 200AED shopping voucher at the airport. Also valid for one year.

The 3 ladies were trying their best to persuade me to take on the deal. But I have commend them for being so professional and yet friendly. At no times, I was coerced into the deal. They were saying even though the voucher was for Gatwick, there shouldn't be any price difference for other UK airports, like Heathrow or Manchester. For any other Europe destinations, I have to check with the local ticketing office. I informed them that I always alternate between the US and the Europe. They said, unfortunately the US is on another sector. I gave it a shot :D. They also quipped that I could also go to the Philippines, which is where they were from :D. In my mind I said to myself, Dekat sangat kot? Tak berbaloi! (That's way too near. Definitely not worth the deal!) Hahaha.

Eventually I said yes. I don't think it took me long to come to that decision. I had at least experienced 7-hours of business class flight from Gatwick to Dubai. Insya Allah there'd be more soon when I redeem the voucher. They placed me on the upper deck and even blocked 6 seats for me. 2 by the window and 4 in the middle. Woah! :)

When I went downstairs to the gate to obtain my voucher, the staff treated me with good care. Even when I boarded the plane, the cabin crew said that they heard about my situation and they were very sympathetic. They showed me my seat and told me that all 6 seats were blocked for me and I could use the middle seats if I needed to lie down. Plus as we were approaching KUL, I was also given a Fast Track pass in case I need it to clear immigration. I didn't need it because I'd be using the autogate but the gesture was certainly welcomed.  I remembered the Emirates "Fly the Friendly Skies- this time for real!" troll ad during the United Airlines debacle. And I for one can vouch for it.

A roundtrip business class voucher. *drool*

Should be enough for candies

All 6 seats including those 4 in the middle were all mine! But I just needed these 2

Err I can finish up 10MB in matter of seconds! :D

Looks like I have to plan another trip to the UK/EU before the voucher expires. The plan of alternating my vacation to the States and Europe each year since 2011 is on the line. On one hand, balik kampung US is always a fun thing to do especially spending time with Sila, Vin and the kids. On the other, looking at who's in charge of the country and what's going on in and outside of the country are big turn offs.