jani

Introduction

At a squeak over 10,000 miles, this trip is no great shakes when it comes to distance, but there can't be too many places on Earth with a greater level of contrast than its endpoints.

In the left corner, we have the virtually untouristed capital of a filthy rich, rigidly conservative, strictly Islamic absolute monarchy in one of the world's most arid countries: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

And in the right corner, we have a rather less wealthy yet famously liberal, only notionally Hindu and immensely tourism-friendly tropical paradise: Bali, Indonesia.

I'm going to one of these for work, and the other for play, so my esteemed readers are invited to guess which one is which.

As with my previous trip, I'll be splitting this report between Wikitravel Extra and Flyertalk -- the bulk of the story will go here, but detailed flight reviews on FT.

Trip the First: SIN-DXB-RUH-DXB-SIN-DPS

• Singapore
  • SQ494 SIN-DXB Y B777-300 seat 35H
• Dubai
  • SV 559 DXB-RUH Y B777-200 seat 40C
• Riyadh
  • SV 554 RUH-DXB Y B777-200 seat 54L
  • SQ 375 DXB-SIN Y B777-200 seat 59D
• Singapore (2)
  • SQ 946 SIN-DPS C B777-200 seat 15A
• Bali
  • Reviews of a Gourmet Snob: Kafe Warisan, Seminyak, Bali
  • SQ 943 DPS-SIN C B777-200 seat 15D

Trip the Second: SIN-AUH-RUH-JED-RUH-AUH-SIN

• Singapore
  • 9W 017 SIN-DEL Y A330-200 seat 19A

• Delhi
  • EY 211 DEL-AUH Y A340-600 seat 43A

• Abu Dhabi
  • EY 315 AUH-RUH Y B777-300W seat 19C

• Riyadh

(in progress...)