Part Eleven: Sunday was the big day. Not only were we finally getting into EK F, it was Singapore's 50th birthday and there were lots of stuff going on. Though we would end up missing a lot of it, we wanted to try and see as much as possible. We started our day by walking to the Botanical Gardens, which is a UNESCO site as well. There was to be be some live music and other stuff going on there for SG50. It was a nice walk from the hotel and we ended up walking with a lot of other people as well. The subways were free for SG50, but with a stroller and all the people, we did not think it was a great idea. Arriving at the gardens, we walked through some nice paths and got to see some of what was being offered, before we made it to the festivity area. They had some live music playing, some tents selling food and then there were some free tents offering henna, caricatures, face painting and some other kid stuff. We spent some time walking around and just enjoying the scene.
Garden Gates:
Pathway:
POW Bricks in a Garden:
Our next stop was Haji Lane, which was the Arabic version of Little India. A lot of the stores were still closed, but we were able to spend some time walking through and checking out some of the stores that were open. From there, we walked over to Awafi for lunch only to find out there was a limited menu being offered. While not optimal, we had some food and started walking back towards the hotel. We took our time walking back and stopped off in some stores along the way. Once at the hotel, we finished packing, sent our luggage downstairs and headed up to the lounge to kill some time before our flight.
Haji Lane:
We got a cab outside the hotel to take us to the airport, and got there pretty quickly as the streets were not crowded at all. From the cab we went straight to the Emirates First Class counter and started to check-in. I had asked the agent about possibly putting us on a later flight from Dubai home, and he mentioned going to the ticketing counter before he checked us in to ask. The agent at the counter was unable to help, even though there were plenty of seats available on the flight we wanted. With that news, we went to check-in and figured we would ask in the lounge for help. Once checked in, we headed to immigration only to be greeted by huge lines everywhere. We asked one of the workers if there was a line for First Class (always ask) and was pointed to the crew and dignitary line (not sure if it was because we had a kid, or our BP). Once through immigration, we headed to the lounge and were hoping our luck would be better there. We presented our request/question to the lounge agent who said they would would look into it for us. Meanwhile, we sat down, had some drinks, showered and waited. The agent came back saying we needed to speak to the agents in DXB as they could only help.
Drinks in The Lounge:
Our Plane:
In SIN, they have the security setup by each gate and then there is a waiting area there for the flight. Not wanting to be sitting around too long, we walked around a little and came back for security. The First Class line was not setup yet, so they halted the regular line and sent us through, while we did get some stares, we got over it pretty quickly. We were told we had the cabin to ourselves, but it turns out we had to share it with one other person. With this information, i asked to shower twice, once after dinner and then again before we landed. I was told they needed to check if it was possible, and got the affirmative answer about five minutes later. Emirates F cabin is very ostentatious, but still gives a nice feeling. From the little vanity mirror to the non-chilled mini bar by your seat, it all adds up to a very nice product. Personally i did not care for it in bed mode, as my feet ended up in no-mans land, as the leg rest did not connect with anything. Additionally, i thought it was a bit off that they stored the bedding in the corner of each seat. The amenity kit, pajamas and slippers were all nice, plus they gave a nice tote bag to keep all your goodies in. Before we knew it, we were landing in Dubai.
EK F Seat:
Tail Camera:
Shower:
