It’s that time of the month again! Are you ready for my April roster? March was my top bid, and although I was happy to receive most of the flights I asked for, I actually have another great month ahead!
I have two new destinations (that I didn’t even bid for!) and some other great flights that I did ask for. In April I’ll be flying to:
- JED – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (turnaround)
- COK – Cochin, India
- ATH – Athens, Greece
- BKK – Bangkok, Thailand
- MEL – Melbourne, Australia
- HKG – Hong Kong
- SEZ – Mahé, Seychelles
Only one turnaround, a fairly quick one to Jeddah and back. After that it’ll be my first time to India! I have done plenty of turnarounds to India and back, but this is the first time I’ve actually been rostered to stay there. If anyone has any tips of what to do or what to see in Cochin, please let me know!
Then it’s off to Athens – the last time I was there was winter last year so I’m hoping that Spring will have sprung and it’ll be beautiful and sunny.
Next up is a flight to Bangkok, which was one of my bids. Recently almost all of our Bangkok flights have been operating without a first class, which means I haven’t been there in ages. I’ve been craving some delicious Thai food and of course a wonderful Thai massage, and that’s exactly what I’ll be doing once I’m there!
After that I’ve got a layover in Melbourne – if you’ve read my blog for a while you may remember that my cousin Sarah lives there, and as it’s over a Friday and Saturday we should be able to get a good catch up in.
Then it’s a trip to Hong Kong, which was also one of my bids, to see my friends Kirsty and Dan and their baby Theo. I can’t wait!
My last trip of the month is a short but sweet layover in the Seychelles – another new destination to tick off the list! It’ll only be an afternoon and evening there, but I’m fully intending to make the most of my short time there. Let’s hope the weather is nice!
So there we have it, another exciting month to look forward to. Thanks as always for reading!
P.s. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter for more day-to-day updates of where I am in the world! 🙂
you’re sooooo beautiful!! my favourite part of the uniform is definitely that hat and scarf! did you have your teeth whitened, by the way? random question, i realise. lol.
Author
Thanks so much – the hat is definitely my favourite part of the uniform as well! š Haha no I’ve not had them whitened!
Hello Rachel,
I’ve been following your blog a while, which a mutual friend from Dubai recommended to me.
I fly from Cochin to Dubai 2-3 times a year.I’ve to admit grudgingly that your Business class beats our own Air India’s Business easily.Love your service and the crew’s attention to detail.You will like our City with its beautiful mountains and Natural resources.You will see why it is called the “Venice of India” with its back channels and a working water-transit system. Try our fish curry with Appam.We use coconut oil a lot and our girls pride themselves in their beautiful,long hair.Please purchase some Ayurvedic Coconut hair oil to take home.Looking forward to see our city in your blog soon.
Enjoy your visit – xx
Nirmala
Author
Hi Nirmala! Thanks so much for reading, I’m so glad you enjoy my blog š Happy to hear that you love flying with us! I visited the backwaters and we had a lovely relaxing boat ride and some freshly grilled fish (with plenty of spice!) for lunch. I didn’t get a chance to try the Ayurvedic coconut oil although will definitely make sure to do that if I ever get another layover in Kochi. xx
Hello! How long are you staying at each place? Iām so curious!
I love your blog, been following you for a few years now. Happy Easter! ā¤ļø
Author
Most of these layovers are a standard 24 hours! Melbourne will be a 38 hour layover (that’s because it’s such a long flight) and sadly the Seychelles is only a 17 hour layover. Thanks for reading! š
You look gorgeous! I hope you have an amazing time in India! š <3
Author
Thanks so much Rachel! š
Hi,
I’m from Kochi(or as you have written it Cochin). That being said, I have never spent a lot of time roaming outside, because well it’s home :p
However people who come to Kochi always do something from the below list :
1. Mattancherry-Fort Kochi – with the Jewish synagogue and Jew Street, Mattancherry Palace, Chinese Fishing Nets
2. Cherai beach
3. Backwaters & Houseboats in Alleppey.
4. Or if you just want to spend time indoors in a mall, the LuLu Mall in Edappally.
Been following this blog ( I really don’t remember how though) for 4 years now. Wondered when you would get a flight to COK.
Cheers
AG
Author
Hi AG! Thanks so much for the tips!! I will definitely try to make the most of my layover and see as much as I can, and it will be my first time in India! Do you have any recommendations of what to eat in Kochi? Is there anything specific from that region? Thanks š
There is quite a lot of stuff to be tasted and enjoyed, but the question is, for the uninitiated, whether the stomach will be able to handle the spice and coconut oil preparation that is prevalent in our food.
A complete lunch feast meal (sadya) could be partaken at many places and that would fill the stomach for days.
For breakfast – there would be appam(pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk) with egg curry OR puttu(steamcake) with kadala (black chickpeas) curry & papadums OR dosa with sambhar & chutney
Lunch – Obviously sadya meal (as mentioned above). Seafood dishes are a speciality of Kerala with different kinds of fish (meen), crab, prawns dishes
Other meals – Keralites love their Porotta (Kerala style) with a wide range of curries.
There are many places which serve all this stuff, But I’d once again strongly recommend getting recommendations from the hotel concierge regarding the best restaurants to try this stuff from because, frankly speaking, being a Keralite, I have never had to go to a restaurant to try out all this stuff when we could make it at home š
That being said, there are quite of lot of Keralites working in Emirates, and I’m pretty sure at least one of your colleagues on the flight would be from Kerala and they could guide you better than me.
š
Author
Thanks so much for all of the tasty recommendations! š
Saw that you did the Alleppey houseboat circuit. Nice. Btw I just realized that I’d forgotten to tell you about one snack. Fried Banana fritters/Banana chips which is very famous in Kerala. š
AG
Author
Yeah we did! It was lovely and relaxing…and I bought some banana chips to try as well! š
Hope you have a wonderful time there. According to your post, if there’s no one in the First Class, no cabin crew will be assigned to the flight?
Then, if you come back from one trip do you go to the next destination the next day. How do you schedule it?
For the crew welfare
Author
Hi Abbey, thanks for reading! š Cabin crew will always be assigned even if there are no passengers booked, as we need a minimum amount of crew to cover the doors. There is also the chance of last minute upgrades onboard, and on the 777 we are also assigned to take care of the pilots. The roster is already scheduled for us, so if I have a trip two days in a row there would be a minimum of 11 hours (sometimes more) between the trips. You have to have a certain number of days off per month as well!