The Worst In-Flight Experience
You know how almost everyone who commutes by public means seem to have a woe or two to share about their fellow passengers?
Well, i bet you'd be hard-pressed to find one to rival mine!
Mentioned in my previous entry about wanting to change my flight to a day earlier on Tuesday night but it was strangely overbooked by 100 when having a half-filled plane is more of a norm. Inevitably those 100 people on Tuesday's waitlist took the next available flight, which is Wednesday's ie mine.
And i found out these 100 people were, well, let's just say our foreign talents (FTs). By the planeload. Gives whole new meaing to "mass import".
Let's see how many ways my experience was not "a great way to fly":
1) The FTs look like it was their first time on a plane. Even though it was past everyone's bedtime, they chatted excitedly and loudly, making it difficult to get some shut-eye
2) My FT neighbour especially, when he came to his seat and saw the standard issues of blanket and cushion, he passed it to me without a word. I held it for him, thinking i was only holding it for him while he sat down.
But no, he didnt take it back and i had 2 cushions and blankets. So i told him "Excuse me, this is yours, not mine."
He took it back, but had no idea what to do with it. So he dumped it in the overhead luggage compartment. Doh!
3) His other neighbour and him were whispering to each other. About me. "He Singaporean?"
Hello, i can hear you! At least speak in Bengali or something.
Then they proceeded to satisfy their curiosity and asked me what country i was from, why i was in Bangladesh, what business am i in etc. I answered as politely as i could and boy, i was glad when the headphones came and i could put them on and ignore them.
4) I was having the window seat. The FT neighbour was very keen on looking out of the window. I dont know why he bothered cos it was pitch dark and you dont get many lights in the country. Even though the shutters thingy was already pulled up to the max, he still reached over and tried to pull it higher!
And in doing so, his hairy arm was just inches away from my face, WTF! I would have told him to lean back, only i was afraid of getting some arm hair in my mouth.
5) You know how everyone gets a personal TV screen so it's...personal? Well, that FT obviously didnt understand the concept. Many times during the journey he would LEAN OVER to see what i was watching because he couldnt make it out from where he was sitting.
6) There's a good reason for having a seat divider. So you know just how much space you have and STICK TO YOUR OWN TERRITORY! The FT kept enroaching on my personal space with his elbows that i took my cushion and put it as a buffer. Maybe in their culture having body contact with a stranger shows affection, but i really really do not like it when my personal space / bubble is breached. And you have your own country mate to your other side, go stick to him can!?!?
7) I thought salted fish was on the menu because i could smell something like that. When meals were served, i was afraid i would retch the minute i open my mouth but then the food smells in the cabin overpowerd the salty one and i could eat in peace.
Until i realised that was a false comfort since technically, the smell is actually still there, just masked.
8) Finally when the movies have finished their run, meals were served, lights dimmed, he decided the best sleeping position would be SIDEWAYS with his HEAD LEANING OVER TO MY SEAT. Gawd!!
At that point I was sleep-drived, truly exhausted, miserable and hoped the plane would just crash and take me out of my suffering.
So ironically, my worst experience in Bangladesh was not in the country but on the departing flight. It would have been more bearable if it was in the daytime, but when you're tired it's just fucked up. Plus, you cant just alight and get off the plane at your whim short of parachuting.
Needless to say i am really really happy to be back on dear Singapore soil. Until the next trip there. Bleah.
Well, i bet you'd be hard-pressed to find one to rival mine!
Mentioned in my previous entry about wanting to change my flight to a day earlier on Tuesday night but it was strangely overbooked by 100 when having a half-filled plane is more of a norm. Inevitably those 100 people on Tuesday's waitlist took the next available flight, which is Wednesday's ie mine.
And i found out these 100 people were, well, let's just say our foreign talents (FTs). By the planeload. Gives whole new meaing to "mass import".
Let's see how many ways my experience was not "a great way to fly":
1) The FTs look like it was their first time on a plane. Even though it was past everyone's bedtime, they chatted excitedly and loudly, making it difficult to get some shut-eye
2) My FT neighbour especially, when he came to his seat and saw the standard issues of blanket and cushion, he passed it to me without a word. I held it for him, thinking i was only holding it for him while he sat down.
But no, he didnt take it back and i had 2 cushions and blankets. So i told him "Excuse me, this is yours, not mine."
He took it back, but had no idea what to do with it. So he dumped it in the overhead luggage compartment. Doh!
3) His other neighbour and him were whispering to each other. About me. "He Singaporean?"
Hello, i can hear you! At least speak in Bengali or something.
Then they proceeded to satisfy their curiosity and asked me what country i was from, why i was in Bangladesh, what business am i in etc. I answered as politely as i could and boy, i was glad when the headphones came and i could put them on and ignore them.
4) I was having the window seat. The FT neighbour was very keen on looking out of the window. I dont know why he bothered cos it was pitch dark and you dont get many lights in the country. Even though the shutters thingy was already pulled up to the max, he still reached over and tried to pull it higher!
And in doing so, his hairy arm was just inches away from my face, WTF! I would have told him to lean back, only i was afraid of getting some arm hair in my mouth.
5) You know how everyone gets a personal TV screen so it's...personal? Well, that FT obviously didnt understand the concept. Many times during the journey he would LEAN OVER to see what i was watching because he couldnt make it out from where he was sitting.
6) There's a good reason for having a seat divider. So you know just how much space you have and STICK TO YOUR OWN TERRITORY! The FT kept enroaching on my personal space with his elbows that i took my cushion and put it as a buffer. Maybe in their culture having body contact with a stranger shows affection, but i really really do not like it when my personal space / bubble is breached. And you have your own country mate to your other side, go stick to him can!?!?
7) I thought salted fish was on the menu because i could smell something like that. When meals were served, i was afraid i would retch the minute i open my mouth but then the food smells in the cabin overpowerd the salty one and i could eat in peace.
Until i realised that was a false comfort since technically, the smell is actually still there, just masked.
8) Finally when the movies have finished their run, meals were served, lights dimmed, he decided the best sleeping position would be SIDEWAYS with his HEAD LEANING OVER TO MY SEAT. Gawd!!
At that point I was sleep-drived, truly exhausted, miserable and hoped the plane would just crash and take me out of my suffering.
So ironically, my worst experience in Bangladesh was not in the country but on the departing flight. It would have been more bearable if it was in the daytime, but when you're tired it's just fucked up. Plus, you cant just alight and get off the plane at your whim short of parachuting.
Needless to say i am really really happy to be back on dear Singapore soil. Until the next trip there. Bleah.