This is the third flight report from a trip last year from New York to Singapore and Bali. These flight reports will eventually cover:
16/05/2016 MU588 JFK-PVG Business
17/05/2016 MU543 PVG–SIN Business
18/05/2016 KL835 SIN-DPS Business (this report)
20/05/2016 KL836 DPS-SIN Business
22/05/2016 MU546 SIN-PVG Business
22/05/2016 MU297 PVG-JFK Business
As I mentioned in the previous report, I don't recall anything about immigration in Singapore this arrival, which suggests that it was painless. My layover in Singapore was nearly twelve hours; this wasn't necessarily intentional, since I was planning on spending two nights in Singapore upon my return from Bali, but KLM's SIN-DPS business class flights can be had for a pittance, and KLM only had a 16:50 departure.
I hadn't crossed Malaysia off of my list, so I immediately boarded the train to the Woodlands station, where I caught a bus to Johor Bahru. Johor Bahru looked a lot like a less-well-off Singapore. Apparently the only photo I took was of some major road construction. I'm not sure why.
Singapore immigration ex-Johor Bahru reminds me a lot of U.S. immigration ex-Tijuana: It's incredibly easy to leave the country, but get ready for a rugby scrum if you're trying to get back in. Eventually, I made it back and boarded a train back to SIN. I usually deal with New York subways; the Singapore MRT's train quality is brilliant in comparison.
But let's be honest. Few here give a damn about my photos of the Singapore MRT, especially since I immediately headed back to SIN, which is called one of the best airports in the world. That determination is absolutely correct: SIN is fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. At least after my first visit in 2016, it's up there with AMS as my favorite airport in the world. KLM flies out of Terminal 1, which is home to Kinetic Rain, arguably the largest kinetic art installation in the world. It's a beautiful, mesmerizing work. I'm sure I could have spent hours staring at it, but then I would have missed my train and really gummed things up for this review.
Then, off to the lounge. KLM use the dnata Terminal 1 lounge. Normally, I cringe at the thought of a contracted, multi-airline, non-airline-specific lounge, but dnata is just fine. The lounge is well-designed, with angular furniture and fixtures. The colors are dark, but attractive. The lounge was not particularly busy.
My memory is that the food spread was fairly substantial.
Apparently, I had rice with what might be sambal oelek, beef or lamb, and yellow rice, along with a pineapple juice and white wine (most likely a sauvignon blanc or chardonnay).
After some time in the lounge, I went plane spotting. Here's a Cathay 777 with a Biman Bangladesh 737 behind it.
And an AirAsia A320, with what I assume is a Xiamen 737 behind it. There's an Ethiad jet (a 777?), a Singapore Air A380, and a Scoot jet hiding, too.
Back inside, people were playing an interesting video game of sorts. The game didn't mince words. I didn't give it a whirl.
I'm not sure what this frog is doing. Preaching? Boxing? Singing opera?
I didn't visit the cactus garden.
I will be flying this KLM 777, named Yellowstone National Park. As nightfall approached, she became quite a pretty bird.
Unsurprisingly, given KLM's route map, this bird still flies AMS-SIN-DPS rather regularly. For instance, it looks like it flew that route less than a week ago. Interestingly, she's been out of service for two or three days, probably due to an MX issue. She was flying PVG-SIN and had to divert back to PVG. Here's the May 12, 2017 diversion, courtesy of flightaware:
At this point, the plane had KLM's old 2-3-2, non-fully flat bed product. For a 1,700km flight, perfectly fine. I wouldn't have wanted to hitch a ride on the AMS-SIN leg, however, as a flat bed would make that trip far more pleasant. I apparently only took one photo of the seat product. Apologies.
The ground crew didn't do an admirable job of cleaning up between cycles.
I was offered a glass of predeparture champagne. Yes, I think I will. On this flight, KLM served Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Réserve, which retails for approximately $30 in the states.
KLM had an interesting in-flight safety video, displaying safety instructions on "traditional" Dutch tiles.
Unlike China Eastern, KLM are nice enough to let me keep the menus throughout the flight, so that you fine folks can actually read the selections. I didn't include the Dutch versions of the menu selections, as I figure that more readers have knowledge of English than Dutch.
I chose the chicken iloni gorontalo. I remember it being tasty enough.
Note the intricate and elegant flatware.
I also had a glass of some red wine. I apologize for not remembering what it was. I doubt it was the Gruner, since I'm generally not a fan of the varietal.
Finally, I had a glass of the Lillypilly Sweet Harvest, which was lovely.
The rest of the short flight was uneventful, as were landing and immigration in Denpasar. Apologies, as I didn't take a photo of the Delft House on board. It's in my office, and I'll add a photo later.
