Why do I always receive suite upgrades when I am unable to make the most use out of them? I was in Vegas for two nights. The first night I went back to my cheap, go-to option, the Hyatt Place for 9k points (see The Hyatt Place Las Vegas Review: No Dice). Arriving at midnight, it didn’t make sense to pay or use points for an on-strip option. And, given that my conference was at the UNLV Law School, Hyatt Place was ideal for the location.
The second night, I used an expiring Marriott stay cert and booked a room at the Aria. I didn’t arrive at the Aria until 8PM on a Friday. I was impressed yet disappointed that I would only have a few hours in this tower suite.
Rather than write a separate review for each leg, I will commit blogger malpractice and put it all in here.
Flight Delayed
At the time of booking, the only itinerary available arrived in MIA at 6:50PM and departed at 7:51PM. Any delays would cost me my connection and force me to miss my conference the next day. If this was an international connection and not an interline ticket, I would not take that chance (Cutting It Close: Will I Make My JFK-HKG Connection?). But, since it was domestic and since I was not checking bags, I assumed everything would be fine. Assumption wrong. The day of departure, I received a notification that my flight from SJU would be delayed. I immediately called AA and asked if they had other options. They said yes, but I would have to be at the gate in an hour.
I hung up the phone, threw clothes in my carry-on, and hustled out the door. With no traffic, I can make it from Rio Grande to SJU in 22 minutes. While there was mild traffic, I was still making good time. Not one to text and drive, I nevertheless broke my rule to check the status of my flight. I was relieved that it was delayed by thirty minutes. I arrived at the airport in 26 minutes to find that my flight was further delayed. This gave me enough time to go to the Priority Pass Lounge (see Priority Pass Lounge San Juan: A Good Start).
Sipping on a Don Q and Coke Zero, I noted that my paranoia about missing connections should be extended to include business obligations (see Travel Lessons). The thrill of making it is what makes travel fun, but here it was unnecessary.
Leg 1: SJU-MIA
If I’m flying from San Juan to Miami, I’m fine flying coach. The flight time is less than three hours. I splurged for business/first because the flight from Miami to Vegas is over five hours. Even contortionist TPOL can’t sit in coach for that long anymore (see The Kama Sutra of Airplane Sleep: Surviving a 17 Hour Flight).
Here’s what you receive if you fly business from SJU-MIA:
No Wi-Fi: “There should be,” is what the flight attendant said when I asked about the unavailability of Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi never worked and the flight attendant didn’t bother following up with an update.
Guess I’ll stare at the wall.
Too Hot a Towel
This thing was scalding hot.
Decent Food
What is the butter for?
Weird Movie Choices
Contagion? Really?
Inconsistent Service: Flying domestic, it feels like a sin to hit the call button. Unlike SQ where the flight attendants can sense the needs of their passengers, domestic carriers make it seem like they’re doing us a favor when they come by. Sitting in the front row, I made eye contact with the flight attendant. She impatiently said, “I’ll be there in a minute.” What could she be doing in a cabin with 16 people none of whom is asking for anything? While waiting, a flight attendant from coach walked by. She turned off my call light and said they’d get to me when they are free. This is insanity, I thought to myself. Is the flight attendant prepping for her next flight, I wondered. And the attitude. It’s like she thinks I’m interrupting her obligation to fly the plane.
Ding!
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, the flight attendant came out with more vino and entertained my request for my fifth drink, a Jack and Coke Zero. On top of that, she gave me an extra pilota for my enjoyment.
Perhaps I’m the impatient one. Or, perhaps, I’m looking to fault domestic carriers because I’ve bought into the stereotype that they’re inferior. Or, perhaps, I’m guilty of ageism. I see an older flight attendant and automatically think, “Here we go.” And, perhaps, she sees another antsy passenger in ‘first’ and has the same thought.
Overall
I would skip business on AA from SJU to MIA and sit in the back where being ignored is expected.
My strategy was to drink my way through this long 5.5-hour flight. One more glass of wine should have been enough for me to pass out. What I failed to take into account was how uncomfortable AA’s business class seat is. Unlike Fiji Airways‘ amazing 737 (see Fiji Airways Nadi to Tonga: The Best Business 737 Experience), this 737 had no foot rest and the seat barely reclined. I attempted to sleep but could not. I was too far from the window to lay my head. The tray table was too close so I could not lay my head there either. Exhausted, I wanted to sleep on the floor. Uneasy, I thought maybe I could catch a few zzz’s by sleeping in the toilet. In the end, none of it worked. I was trapped. All I could feel was that rusty nail going through my skull. I learned yet another Travel Lesson: don’t drink and fly if you can’t lie flat.
First bad idea.Second bad idea.
Overall
Businsess, ‘first,’ or whatever you want to call it, that was brutal.
Overall, Overall
This was a miserable experience. I need to get rich and fly private. Or stay sober and sit in economy.
TPOL is going to Vegas this weekend. The last time I was there was 2018. I was supposed to go after COVID in 2021, but I canceled (see No Vegas for TPOL). For this trip, I was supposed to leave from Medellin to Miami to LAS for 30k AA miles. Interestingly, the flight from MDE to MIA was in business, and the flight from MIA to LAS was in first.
What I wanted to see was the difference between ‘business’ in a 737 and ‘first’ in a 737. Neither, according to Seatguru, are lie flat. Unfortunately, I had to cancel this trip and will now be flying in business from San Juan to MIA to LAS, both in 737 ‘business,’ oddly enough.
An executive platinum friend says that there is no difference between first and business on AA 737s. He claims it’s just an excuse to charge more. Ever the optimist, I said there must be something better about flying ‘first.’ Perhaps they offer more cookies.
Were you one of the fools who thought TPOL was done blogging? (see I Quit Blogging). It’s been ten years of blogging (see TPOL Is Ten And #MasterOfWon) and, for some reason, I still receive unsolicited advice on how to write my blog or how I am supposed to travel. It’s been ten years and somehow I can’t resist the urge to engage with the fools. But this is a post about the highlights from March 2024, so I’ll keep it positive by revealing the best. Here they are:
It was an indescribable feeling to walk around Baghdad. The personal history, the media’s portrayal, and what it is now all came together and left me speechless.
Don’t stop the recklessness. That was my theme when I was in Tonga. First, I went swimming with whales. Then I thought I would push my luck by checking out an underground cave full of fresh water.
In the ultimate, big dick competition, “Officers were called on Monday night when more than 100 local sex workers converged on a hotel being used by sex workers from the Philippines on the city’s Sukhumvit Road, part of a sprawling area of gogo bars, street workers, and massage parlors.
I have spent ten years blogging (see TPOL Is Ten And #MasterOfWon). During that time, I have endured critical comments from many readers (see Happy Festivus! Airing of Points Grievances). Last week was the tipping point. After spending hours writing Baghdad, Iraq: Day 1 which no one read, I published Fiji Airways: Nadi to Samoa in Coach & $300 Delta Damaged Luggage Payment: Fair?. The comments were demoralizing. Regarding the Fiji post, one reader wrote, “Service? Comfort? I came here from Boarding Area where this looked like a relevant review…” I was heartbroken that the reader did not find my post to be up to standard. Another comment from a reader, “Sometime I genuinely am concerned for your welfare.” He noted, “I wouldn’t live my life the way he does.” This comment shook me to the core. Maybe I am a bumbling fool. Maybe I shouldn’t continue to embark on adventures with reckless abandonment.
If those comments weren’t bad enough, the comments regarding my damaged bag killed my spirit. “Exactly the type of person who’d use a fake rimowa… not even remotely surprised.” “You solicit your reader for input and respond with such derision as ‘the person who doesn’t travel that comments and hides in the basement.’ Insulting, to say the least. Do better.”
Unfortunately, I can’t ‘do better.’ I am who I am and write the way I do. But rather than subject myself to further criticism and rather than insult the discerning readers who come to my site, I have decided to quit blogging effectively immediately.
Sad to see me go?
April Fools! If you don’t like my blog, you can, in the words of Gordon Ramsay…
I submitted a claim to Delta and months later they offered me $300. I tried to negotiate for more because my tennis racket was damaged. I sent them a receipt for its repair. Since I did not have a photo of it damaged, they rejected my claim. Ultimately, I accepted the $300 and can’t say I am too upset about it. What do you think?
What do you do when you have 3 nights in Baghdad? The answer is everything and nothing. I say everything because that’s plenty of time to become familiar with the city. I say nothing because it will be stimulus overload, making you wish that you had opted to stay in a nicer hotel with a pool retreat (see Baghdad Day 2 & Baghdad Day 3).
Arrival
Arriving in Baghdad was a surreal experience. I imagined the US armed forces using the airport as a base during the US occupation of Iraq. I imagined my parents leaving Saddam Hussein International Airport in the middle of the night under the cover of darkness in 1981 during the Iran-Iraq War.
It took a moment to comprehend that I was actually in Baghdad.
Transfer
I paid $2620 for a private guide and driver for my 8-day tour of Iraq. My driver was waiting for me when I arrived and kindly greeted me by offering a cigarette.
Hotel Prices
Included in the price was my accommodation. I was told that it was $60 a night for all my hotels throughout Iraq. I don’t know how every hotel was exactly the same price, but I had haggled enough for the tour price that I did not press for further details. I did check online and it said ‘contact hotel for rates.’
Hotel
Imagine a guesthouse in Cambodia or Laos. That’s a three-star in Baghdad. The room smelled like smoke, the bathroom was dirty, and the furniture was well-dated. The bed, though firm, was surprisingly comfortable. While breakfast was included, it was not the big spread my mom would make on the weekends. They kept it simple: eggs, vegetables, and tea.
TPOL’s Tip: While a luxury hotel would have provided an oasis from the hustle and bustle of Baghdad, I am glad I did not pay $300-$400 a night to stay at an underwhelming 5-star.
TPOL’s Tip: Take half a day to rest, lest you want to start off your tour on the wrong foot.
Espresso Needed
With the drama somewhat resolved, we began the marathon tour of Baghdad. The first stop of the cradle of civilization was the espresso shop for much-needed caffeine. It’s 5000 ($3.82) dinars for an espresso. Whoever said Iraq is cheap was only partially accurate.
Martyr Museum
Propaganda is an effective tool to keep authoritarians in power. It dupes the masses into believing that things are the way they hope them to be rather what they actually are.
The Martyr Monument, erected in 1983, pays homage to those who died in the Iraq-Iranian war. Inside, the names of the deceased are inscribed on the walls.
The government has since repurposed the museum to pay tribute to those who were killed for rising up against Saddam and those who were killed by ISIS. There is a photo of Saddam with a noose over his head with the word ‘tyrant’ written below.
Processing it all is challenging. Ultimately, the museum showcases the worst in humanity, a reminder that evil can be perpetrated no matter who is in charge.
Palestine Hotel
I vividly recall the start of the Persian Gulf War and CNN’s coverage with Bernard Shaw. I remember the Baghdad skyline being lit up by bombs, speaking of propaganda, ‘patriot’ missiles.’ I also recall the Palestine Hotel where journalists and diplomats have stayed throughout the years. Seeing it in person was surreal.
One Thousand And One Nights
Do you know the stories from One Thousand And One Nights? Monuments from the fable are all over Baghdad. The soft side of Iraq wasn’t something I thought I would see.
Baghdad Tower (Formerly International Saddam Tower)
It’s no Burk Khalifa in Dubai, but Iraq also has a burj called the Baghdad Tower.
Al-Rahman Mosque
Following the second invasion of Iraq, Al-Rahman Mosque was not completed. It can be best seen from, of all places, a shopping mall.
Thus far the artificial idea of creating a prologue has not been parlayed into anything extraordinary. Not one to give up, I arrived in Baghdad on my 40th birthday, my first time visiting the country since my parents left in 1981. The official celebration happened in the mall restaurant, just as it would have had I been born here.
Shopping Mall
There are no designer boutiques that you would find in the massive malls in Dubai. It wasn’t the fake market from Shanghai (see Fake Market Shanghai: 2019 Pricing Guide), but it was bootleg nonetheless.
Imagining if I lived here and this being my neighborhood mall.
The Hands of Victory
The war between Iraq and Iran that lasted from 1980-1988. It devastated the country but Saddam declared victory nonetheless. To commemorate this ‘achievement,’ he built Victory Arch, also known as the the Swords of Qādisīyah. It is said that the hands that brace the swords are exact replicas of his hands.
Unfortunately, the Hands are in the Green Zone which is off-limits to tourists and civilians. The only photo opportunity is driving by slowly and hoping to snag a few photos before the armed guard became too upset. I had two runs at it and am happy with the results.
You don’t have to read Arabic to know what this means.This guy shouted it out to remind me.The fortified Green Zone.
Signs of Saddam
One of the reasons I came to Iraq is because of my fascination with Saddam Hussein. I was disappointed that there are figuratively and literally no signs of Saddam in Baghdad. His omnipresence, both figuratively and literally, was everywhere during his reign. Now, it’s as if he never existed. The square where his statue was famously pulled down and stomped with sandals, an insult in Arab culture, stands empty except for a few fountains. The currency which also bore his face is a novelty souvenir that can be purchased for pennies on the dinar.
It makes sense that public displays would be removed but like in the US, artifacts of our past should be in a museum. History should be scrubbed from the public domain.
Even the Iraqi flag was changed.
Alcohol
There are liquor stores in Iraq. The stereotype in America is that Chaldeans, Catholic Iraqis, own liquor stores. Many do or did. In Iraq, it’s the same with the Christians who are the proprietors of such establishments.
To continue the Baghdad birthday, I went to a small Italian restaurant and had some meze and a few beers. That was the only time I drank alcohol in Iraq.
Tourist prices or is Baghdad expensive? $57 total.Should’ve gone with the arak
TPOL’s Tip: There are bars in Baghdad but most restaurants are dry.
Overall
It was an indescribable feeling to walk around Baghdad. The personal history, the media’s portrayal, and what it is now all came together and left me speechless.
No Duty Free Wine is part of the Bula! Fiji Hub Trip Report. This post is also part of TPOL’s Travel Lessons where I recount all my travel mistakes for your education.
I had one night at the SheratonFiji before my island hopping of the South Pacific. Not realizing that I would be lavished with bottle after bottle of champagne at the hotel (see We Appreciate Your Loyalty!), I bought two bottles of mid-priced Sauvignon Blanc at the duty-free. I took said bottles to Tonga and did not drink them there. I figured since they made it that far I should take them to Samoa with me. That meant I had to check my bag in Tonga, reclaim it in Fiji, and then check it in again. I immediately regretted this decision when I landed and encountered the longest, slowest immigration queue. If I had no checked luggage, I could have proceeded through the faster transfer line. After over an hour of waiting, I finally cleared customs and retrieved my luggage.
Since my flight to Samoa was not departing until 11:55AM and I had arrived at 6:15AM, I could not check-in for my next flight. While the aforementioned business class lounge is great, Fiji Airport is not. There is nowhere to sit and nothing to do.
Sitting on the floor waiting for this guy’s nap to end.
Finally, I was able to check-in and then board the plane for Samoa. Of course, when I opened the bottles of Sauvignon Blanc in Samoa, I found both bottles to be quite disgusting. Serves me right for my frugality.
