The A380

So, how was the ride on the Airbus 380? I won't pretend to be a veteran. I've only ridden on it a couple of times. Both were on the London-KLIA. That meant passing through the bad air over Bay of Bengal, something which I had always dreaded when I traveled as a student on top of a DC10. We were talking about the early 90s here. It was an experience. I could even see the fear in the cabin crew's faces.

Things got better with the 747-400. A much smoother ride all around but still the occasional heavy bumps. So, I was expecting a real smooth ride on the new plane. And yes, the ride was a lot smoother.

BoardingEnough legroom?The seats were arranged in pairs, with six seats across the rowThe central controlI was lucky to have a business class seats on both flights, hence my story may not be applicable to everyone. Boarding was faster than expected as both decks had their own platform. The gate at KLIA was actually double-stories. Hence boarding was smooth. The gate at Heathrow was a bit more sluggish as there was only a single common entrance.

The lower main deck had three compartments. The front housed the First Class - for only 8 passengers. The middle and back cabins were for the economy class.

The upper deck was also divided into three smaller sections. The front two were the Business sections with another Economy compartment at the back. The meals was what you'd expect on an MAS Business Class service. But it had a small compartment by the front set of stairs where you could mingle around a small little space. There were rack of magazines and free flow of drinks here.

It was also here that I had a chat with one of the Chief Stewarts. I actually recognised him from my previous trips. According to him, the upper front compartment was originally planned for the First Class, and hence the toilets were much bigger here. At the last moment, the arrangement was changed and the First Class was moved ton the lower deck. The facilities were smaller down there.

The Business Class seats were certainly an upgrade to the 747-400. Much bigger legroom, and the seats reclined to horizontal. Completely flat. Entertainment was provided via a 15 inch touch screen, with on-demand movie. Nothing fancy. There was ample storage space, with separate compartments for shoes and personal items. There was also a charger and personal lights.

During landing and taking off, the video console would show the view from the tail finThe screen was huge, but rather far away from viewFood at the counter by the front stairwell. No bar I was afraid.Time for meals!Waiting for take-offThe layout was 6 in a row, with a pair of seats each. On both occasions, I was sat on the middle row. For privacy, there was a small blind which one could raise in between the pair of seats. I felt secluded enough when I took a nap, so no complains from me.

On both occasions, I managed at least 6 hours of good sleep on the flights. The landing and taking off was also very smooth for a big plane. There was also a gimmick where the monitors would show a view from the tail camera during taxiing, taking off and landing. More for reassurance maybe.

The A380 was definitely big and smooth. When I travelled on the 767 for my Trans-Atlantic segment, I definitely felt that the other planes were much smaller. Maybe more psychological than anything. It lived up to its billing for sure.

More on my Atlanta trip here.

The Georgia Aquarium

Right next to The World of Coca-Cola was the Georgia Aquarium. It may not be be famous in Malaysia, but this is the World's largest aquarium and it was huge. But unfortunately, I was on a tight schedule that afternoon and was only able to sample through the displays but none of the shows. I manages to explore the place within an hour and a half. There was plenty to see, but unfortunately not enough time.

The main tank actually housed four sharks amongst other first. There were also a separate tank for the beluga whales, another area for penguins as well as a another display for tropical fish. That seemed to be where most of the crowds were. Mind you, there can't be that many tropical fish laying around here.

The entranceThe central lobbyThis is a piranha!Sea dragonThe place was huge and the areas were pretty well laid out with a central lobby where people could meet as well as where the main cafeteria was situated. This was also where the information desks were and meeting points form groups. As you could imagine, it was rather crowded in the middle there.

I spent most of the time as the fresh water exhibits. They had a tank of piranha there as well as the usual otters and other fishes and frogs.

Since both the World of Coca-Cola and then aquarium were located in the middle of downtown, there were easily accessible. The City Council also had this Day Pass where one could save on the entrance fees by purchasing a combined ticket. This included tour of the CNN Towers and the Atlanta Zoo. Unfortunately I only managed to visit the two attractions. It was more of working trip, and the cold weather and short days just made exploring the city at that time of the year that bit more challenging.

Still, if you ever ended up in Atlanta, it would definitely be worth a visit. More on my Atlanta trip here.

World of Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola was invented by a local Atlanta Pharmacist and Atlanta is proud of that. The company still maintained its headquarters in the City. And the much-talked about secret recipe is purportedly kept in a box inside a vault at the headquarter building in the outskirts of town. Only two people have access to the secret, and each of them only knew half of the formula. Or, that was what the legend said.

In the middle of town, the Company set up a museum. They called it The World of Coca-Cola. Attempt had been made to have similar displays in Las Vegas and Tokyo in the past, but those exhibit were closed due to lack of support. But the chapter here had been going strong.

Even the polar bear was thereThe old delivery methodThe original museum was located in a different part of town and the current purpose-built complex was only opened last year.

The first part of the exhibit was a gentle introduction into the celebrated history of Coca-Cola by way of multimedia presentation and as well as direct introduction. The next part was a mini museum with displays of Coca-Cola memorabilia from throughout the world.

Memorabilia galoreAnd a fair bit of reading as wellThe torches from the recent Olympics on displayNow came the favourite part, the tasting areaEverybody get to carry a bottle homeNext came the trip to the vault - not the real one of course. The final part was the about the product. We were taken through a mini-factory which bottled the drink in a limited edition bottle to be taken home as memento. While waiting for the drinks to be ready, we could also sample 60 plus flavours of Coca-Cola products from around the world. Guaranteed to get you high on sugar by the time you were done. Imagine if I were to take Mu children along with me. It should be a fun ride home .....

I bought some fridge magnet to take home at the exit. The museum was quite fun, since it was not often one get to see it coming from Malaysia and all. Well worth a visit I thought. More on the Atlanta trip here.

Jet Lagged

Yes. I'm a survivor. But the morning passed like a breeze and I felt at times like I was floating in the air. The jet lag really set in when I woke up this morning. I snoozed the alarm at least three times, finally turning up late for my post-call rounds. But i managed to sort through the clinic patients and covered form another colleague who was away on family commitment.

I finally got things sorted out by 2 pm, and called Anita about the plan for the rest of the day. She reminded me that Idlan has a swimming class this afternoon. His very first one. Our driver was away, so Anita would have needed a taxi to get her there. So, I rushed back to Gombak despite being tired.

The swimming class went OK although Irfan refused to join despite the coach's efforts. Finally we accepted defeat and Irfan spent the rest of the afternoon by the poolside. Boring boy. Idlan enjoyed his lesson instead and had already planned for next week's session. He would have one of his buddies tagging along next time.

Sufficed to say that I survived the day .....

More on my Atlanta trip here.

Back into the Groove

More like struggling to get back into the groove. Starting the morning was hard when I had to snooze the alarm a couple of times and could only drag my bum off the bed at around 8 and drove to work after the rush hour subsided.

Started the clinic late but the patients were still waiting for their results then. I didn't have any inpatients to see. The admissions came later in the day. And that was sorted out as well after the clinic was done.

Next came the on call emergency admissions. I managed to sort those in time to catch some dinner in Bangsar before settling for the shower and returning to the hospital for the evening rounds. That was nice. So, now I was waiting at the Doctor's lounge before returning for the night. I really could do with some sleep. But the main thing was I was able to get through with the day's chore in one piece.

More on my Atlanta trip here.