Norwegian Air Plane Carrying 60 Plumbers Had To Turn Around Due To Broken Toilet!

I tell ya, you can't make these things up! I mean, what are the odds that a plane carrying  60 plumbers had to go back due to a broken toilet on the plane?!

"It is correct that DY1156 from Oslo bound for Munich was forced to turn back to Oslo because a fault was found with the toilets on board. The aircraft circled over Hedmark to burn fuel so that it wasn't too heavy to land," Fatima Elkadi, a communications officer with the Norwegian airline told Dagbladet newspaper, as cited by the Local.

But this isn't just the tale of a plane that didn't reach its destination. There's a twist. There were actually some 60 plumbers on the airplane with broken toilets, all of whom were on a business trip with their Norwegian company Rorkjop.

It definitely made for a hilarious story!

Zz.

Making Murtabak

This is at a farmer's market in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. This gentleman is tossing the dough to stretch it (almost like making a pizza). He will then put some filling on it (ground beef, onions, etc.), fold it, and then grill it on the griddle to his right. The item is called "murtabak", and has Indian origin.

Zz.

Random Picture

Interstate-80 bridge across the Mississippi linking Illinois and Iowa.

This was taken on the Illinois side, from the Illinois Welcome Center.

Zz.

You Can't Park Here!

We were walking around the grounds around the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher earlier this spring, when I saw this sign.

I'd say that the sign was quite effective. No one has parked there in a very, very long time! :)

Zz.

Random Picture

A warm, summer day in a quiet, rural Iowa farm land.

Zz.

Five Amazing Cockpit Views

This is an amazing collection of 5 cockpit views during landing approach and the landing itself. It's something most of us do not get a chance to see.











Well, I tell ya, those landings are at least not as frightening as the video of the landings at the old Hong Kong's Kai Tak airport. I would say that that landing would have been memorable but for different reasons! :)

Zz.

The Marvels of Singapore Airport

I mentioned earlier about the amazing amenities and facilities at Singapore's Changi Airport that would put the majority of major US airports to shame. Today, a CNET article are extolling the same praises for this airport.

You can test Microsoft's new Kinect motion controller, sit and rest in front of a 103-inch plasma TV, charge any number of mobile devices, shop for Rolexes, Hermes scarves, expensive Scotch, and the latest best-sellers, even see an exhibit of the 600 daily flights out of Changi, each represented by an individual paper airplane.

And lest I get too rapturous about the bathrooms here, I'd also scoff at your skepticism about this idea: it may actually be worth flying half-way around the world for a shower. For, those staying in the airport overnight can book a room in its transit hotel which, other than being a featureless motel-like experience right inside the terminal (no passport control needed), offers what I say confidently was one of the three best showers of my life. And not only because I'd just spent 19 hours on an airplane to get there.

In short, while I would never choose to spend 18 hours in an airport, I can't think of one where I'd rather do so than Changi. Clearly, the Singaporeans--who are very humorless about things like gum (you can't chew it in the small city-state) and drugs (the immigration form makes it clear that smugglers will be put to death)--want those who have to spend a few hours in their airport to be comfortable, entertained, and have no shortage of things on which to spend their hard-earned dollars (either American or Singaporean).

There you have it!

Zz.

Stinky Passenger Kicked Off Flight

A passenger on Jazz Air was kicked off the plane for having a really bad body odor.

A man on Jazz Air, a regional airline in Canada that also serves U.S. cities, was reportedly kicked off a plane earlier this month because of his strong body odor.

"People were just mumbling and staring at him," said a woman who sat near the man, according to The Guardian, a newspaper in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, where the flight originated on February 6. It was a very uncomfortable situation, she added.

Another passenger described the smell as "brutal."

Just imagine if you have to sit right next to him!

One really has to smell really, really, BAD to get kicked off a plane. I'm surprised he didn't get stopped while going through security! What? We don't have odor detectors? What do you call those damn police dogs? Oh, I get it, those dogs ran the other way when this guy walked through security.

Smart dogs!

Zz.

World's Largest Truck Stop

We travel this stretch of I-80 quite often when we drive between Chicago and Iowa City. So I've seen this truck stop many times. It is the world's largest truck stop, and it has been featured in at least a couple of shows on the Travel Channel.

Strangely enough, I don't stop here very often. In fact, I think of all the years that I've passed by it, I've only stopped there 2 or 3 times. This past trip last weekend, I stopped and finally took a picture of the big sign they have right by the highway.



It is quite large, and I think I've explored maybe about 1/4 of the place.

Zz.

The Old Kai Tak Airport

I posted about the amazing Singapore Changi airport a while back. Well, last week, a friend and I were talking, and we ended up chatting about some of the horrifying airport that we have flown into. The old Hong Kong Kai Tak airport came up right away. Imagine hills and high rise being either along your approach or your take-off, and you get the idea.

In fact, to give you some more visualization of how horrifying the airport approach is, you should look at this video.

I've flown into Kai Tak a couple of times, and it is disconcerting to see people's faces in their buildings looking at your eye level as you're about to land! I'm glad that airport is now gone!

Zz.

Best Airports in the World

A survey of airline travelers has revealed the top airports in the world. Seoul's Incheon airport was voted as the best airport, followed very closely by Hong Kong International Airport, and Singapore's Changi Airport. Not surprisingly, not a single airport in North America made it into the list.

Having flown in and out of Changi Airport a few times, I can certainly understand why it is rated very highly. In fact, the survey revealed that the top 3 airports list could easily come out one way or another since the scores were very close. Changi Airport was just jaw-droppingly gorgeous, with amenities most of us in the US can only dream of. Here are some pictures that I took the last time was there waiting for my flight back to the States.

TV lounge, you say? They have several of these lounges with very comfortable seats, showing everything from movies, to news channels, etc.


There were also several of these quiet and tranquil area for someone to take a nap.


Free internet kiosks.


A very pleasant seating area next to the food court.


More seating area around the food court.


There's a freaking shopping mall right at the gate!


You want a fish pond, you say?


Now, it made for a very contrasting and embarrassing comparison when one left a very modern and efficient airport, and flies into Bradley international terminal at LAX. It looked like an airport from a third world country, with wires hanging out of the ceiling panels, and the area perpetually boarded up under construction (a construction that so far has lasted 10 years?). I'm surprised more Americans are not utterly embarrassed that for many visitors, this run-down terminal is the first thing they see when they arrive in the US.

Zz.

Best Kept Secret of Chicago 1

So periodically, I'll post what I consider as some of the best-kept secret of Chicago that most visitors do not know of, but the locals certainly do. As the risk of changing these things as no longer being secrets by revealing them here, I still think that if I were to put myself in the shoes of these visitors to our great city, I would want to know such a thing.

This series will start with, what else, but food! If you are in downtown Chicago, there are a gazillion places to eat, with as many variety. So I will choose just one particular, narrow niche - food court. It is convenient, there's a huge variety (so that various people in your party can get whatever they like), it is quick, and more importantly, it is CHEAP! But since this is me, no run-off-the-mill mall food court will do. No sireee! There has to be something unique and a wide range of selection to be a food court that I would recommend.

One of the most overlooked food court for many visitors (because it isn't obvious since it is at on the top floor), is the food court at the North Bridge shopping mall. This is the mall inside a building just south of the Chicago river on Michigan Ave, and connected to a Nordstrom. There are many eating establishment in the mall, but the food court itself is on the top level, Level 4. So many visitors to the city probably would not venture into it, much less, go all the way to the top level, but many locals certainly do.

You will not find the regular food court chain here. Many of the vendors at the food court I've never seen elsewhere. The available food choices range from typical burgers, to roast turkey dinner (with the actual whole roasted turkey being carved in front of you), to standard chinese, to japanese noodle dishes and freshly made sushi, etc... etc. In other words, if you are tired of the typical mall food court meals, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the selection (and quality) that you'll find here.

I often go there for a quick lunch, especially when I'm out shopping or just walking along Michigan Avenue. People that I've brought to there have always been surprised that there's a food court up there, and the range of selection that they can get. So if you're in the city next time and want something convenient and fast, check out the food court at North Bridge. And no, I don't work for the mall or any of the businesses there.

Zz.