On my first flight, NY to Moscow...a number of (male) Orthodox Jews shared the plane with me. We were served dinner somewhere over Newfoundland, and experienced night for most of the flight afterward. You know how they give the announcement that you may move freely about the cabin when they reach cruising altitude? The Jews did so. They greeted dawn over the arctic circle wearing their prayer shawls and phylacteries, and brandishing Hebrew prayer books. I wish I had gotten a picture of em, but I was afraid it would offend them. One of em also startled the stewardess when he collided with her while wearing all those things. Both planes (NY to Moscow, and Moscow to Bangkok) were the new Airbus planes that Aeroflot had heavily advertised in the US. Dad said they had to be an improvement from when he went to Russia back when it was the Soviet Union. He had taken an Ilyushin jet, and Ilyushin jets actually _bounce_ upon landing! Unfortunately, the new planes were more crowded: the cheap seats had the denser seating configuration with the 18 inch aisles. Whoever furnished the Aeroflot planes actually found a way to cram more seats in by having less space between the rows as well: you know those tray tables they have on the back of airline seats? The ones on that plane from NY to Moscow were actually made to be _half the size_ of regular airline tray tables. Granddaddy had told of taking an Aeroflot flight within Russia which was standing-room only and actually took of with people standing in the aisle...Ill have to tell him they found a way of accomplishing something close to that! I actually had a little breathing room on the first flight because not all the seats were occupied. Not so on the second flight, although they had more cushiony seats (the ones on the first plane had been hard, upholstered in plastic, and darn near impossible to sleep in, besides having nearly zero leg room). I ended up wedged in by a plump Ukranian couple who spoke no English and for whom I tried to help fill out their debarkation cards. Did you know their passports are as colorful as their Easter eggs? The pilot did a half-barrel-roll shortly after take-off that had people trying to retrieve coins, keys, and glasses afterwards, but otherwise the flight was thankfully uneventful. You know how some air travel problems are in the eye of the beholder (thanks for the article about the perceived baggage claim wait time problem, Michelle). I do not envy the job of the airline menu planner. There wasnt any borscht on my flights, but I did get served two meals which involved steamed fish and vegetables. Now, neither borscht nor steamed fish & vegetables are bad things in themselves, and they are probably better for you than the sandwiches and chips American carriers have been fobbing off on their economy class passengers lately, but any foods that have a strong smell, when the smell lingers in the cabin and youre stuck with it in the recirculated cabin air on a long-haul flight, yes, it can get annoying. Went to VFW meeting with dad yesterday, high-tailed it home by taxi shortly afterwards, due to the fact that someone got word that the Redshirts (who are apparently still a problem) planned a demonstration in Bangkok later than afternoon and everyone wanted to avoid the ensuing traffic jams. Dad and Ans place is pretty bad even for them (dusty and dirty) but there has been a lot more new construction (including a corporate skyscraper for a bank) in their area so it is becoming a busier and hopefully gentrifying neighborhood instead of the middle of nowhere. Sincerely, Laura
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 01:58:21 +0000