QSuite Style

Linear progressions, one flight to the next, it’s easy as pie! I have a shockingly easy time embracing marathon travel; a blessing given the 38 hour transit time to Kilimanjaro, starting with leaving for the airport at 8am local time on May 26th and arriving in Tanzania at 7:30am local tome on May 28th.

Packing for this trip was, well, it was a nightmare. SO MUCH GEAR! And so much cold weather gear; based on the mountain forecasts we expect our temps on the mountain get as low as 5F and snowing, with over half the time below freezing. I’ve never packed so much stuff in my life; sleeping bags/mats/liners, thick wool socks and jackets, mittens and beanies, body wipes and pee funnels. So much stuff. I am ashamed to admit that my luggage totals over 100 lbs. But when you do the math; it’s really not that bad…

My heart tugged leaving the house and saying goodbye to my sweet angel baby Zeus for the next 16 days but he loves his sitter and I know she’ll take good care of him. But the look when he saw my luggage piled by the door about took me to my knees. My Uber driver was playing a Christian radio station on my way to the airport and when I mentioned it in text to a friend they pointed out that it doesn’t hurt to have another set of powers watching over me on the mountain.

My checked bags and I were both on time to LA (yay!) and the Tom Bradley International terminal at LAX was a breeze to get thru; about ten minutes to check my bags and about 5 minutes to get through security. I have been so lucky that all my recent trips through Tom Bradley International have been a breeze. I do prefer the Star Alliance Lounge over the OneWorld Lounge that I have access to this trip but it served its purpose to keep me fed and help me burn a couple hours before I spent a solid hour walking laps through the terminal to get in some steps before my 15 hr 40 min flight to Doha.

I have been anticipating this flight, my first time flying Qatar Airways and my first time in a QSuite. I was impressed the moment I sat down; with the spacious layout, storage, amenities, and the signature lime mint juice I selected as my welcome beverage. The lime mint juice lived up to all the hype I’ve heard about it and I can’t wait to try to recreate it at home; though I can tell it was heavy on the sugar. Reading the menu made me even more excited; lobster! Lobster tail on an airplane!

My flight attendant, Karna, introduced himself and handed me a warm towel, its floral scent refreshing and lovely without being overwhelming. After the towel had been collected the scent remained and I realized that the box of the Diptyque amenity kit was even scented. My senses were alive and dancing. I get an oddly overwhelming sense of peace as soon as I settle into a luxe business class seat and it had set in before the plane was even done boarding.

Another flight attendant came by to confirm my pajama size and present me with my White Company pajamas and slippers. As soon as the plane hit 10,000’ and I could close my suite door I changed into the pajama pants right there in my QSuite and settled in.

I had let Karna know that I’d like my meal about 90 minutes after take-off and around 7pm he came by to confirm if I was ready and offer me another beverage. Do I know better than to drink champagne when I want to both sleep and remain hydrated? Yes. Did that stop me from giving in and ordering a glass of Laurent-Perrier Grande Cuvée Alexandra Rose 2007? Nope.

He set my table with a white linen cloth and glowing lamp for ambience before bringing me a smoked salmon amuse bouche. Delicate smoked salmon with capers and rye atop some delectable green cream. Yum!!! Then came my starter, poached Spanish red prawns with avocado green apple cream. I am not exaggerating as I tell you that this may have been the best shrimp dish I have ever had. The flavors were mind-blowing perfection; unexpected, unique, fresh, and perfectly balanced. Oh how I hope this is on the menu when I fly home! My Brazilian lobster tail with shellfish bisque entree was as good as any renowned restaurant quality but overshadowed by the exquisite shrimp. I may have a new favorite airline.

I had planned to skip dessert anyways so the sugar didn’t keep me up but even if I had wanted it I was so full after my first three courses that I couldn’t have made room for it. When I went to brush my teeth I let the staff know I was ready to sleep and before I was back to my suite they had laid the bed back with a mattress pad cover and full sized pillow. Instead of dessert I had an edible, chased with a sleeping pill, and managed to sleep a solid eight hours! Eight hours of sleep on a plane! It wasn’t deep sleep but it was sleep and I only woke once, when the turbulence bounced me off of my bed as the plane flew over Iceland.

For my breakfast I opted for a mint tea, fruit plate, decaf oat milk latte, and the “afternoon tea” which included finger sandwiches, scones, tarts, and pastries. It was good but not as amazing as dinner.

Remembering that I had access to the airplane wifi, I finally connected to a tangle of messages from Kyra in our group chat; she had arrived at the airport in Kilimanjaro and could not locate her driver! Our guide service organizer has been radio silence the last few days; already causing us all some stress and this snafu had us all freaking out. Another guide agency at the airport was able to get a hold of someone else at our agency and solve the crisis; Kyra’s driver had her flight time wrong but would be there for her momentarily. Oh thank goodness, for a brief moment I think all four of us freaked out that we may have been taken for a scam!

It wasn’t much longer after my breakfast, which in my soon-to-be local time zone was actually a late afternoon lunch, that the plane began its decent; landing as the sun set over Doha. That was a ridiculously quick and comfortable 15+ hour flight. It’s been 24 hour since I left home and I still have about 14 more hours of transit time to go.

Greeted by the atrium of the Doha airport as I departed my flight, I let my bags balance for a moment to try to snap a picture, barely catching them and myself as they started to tumble down the escalator. Oopsie.

I found my way into the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge, secured my bags in a locker, and was disappointed to learn that the Louis Vuitton Lounge, located within the business class lounge, was limited to the highest tiers of Qatar Airways status holders. Damn it. I consoled myself with some sushi before leaving the lounge to find the Vitality Spa, conveniently located near the giant creepy teddy bear statue and one of the Louis Vuitton stores in the central terminal. And I may have also found a bottle of a new Louis Vuitton perfume scent that I’ll have to pick up on my way back home in a couple weeks.

With a 7 hour layover I figured that an 80 minute aromatherapy massage was a necessary way to kill some time. There is a pool in the spa as well. I’m not much of a swimmer and I had packed my swimsuit in my checked bag but the opportunity to swim in a pool, in an airport, felt necessary to embrace. For $38 I bought a terrible bathing suit at the spa before heading into my massage.

My massage was fantastic but there was no aromatherapy involved in my aromatherapy massage, like none, not even a scented oil. Not even scents to inhale before she started. Nada. However, the fact that Lisa even massaged my tummy made up for it. After my massage I headed into the pool, but was quickly bored and almost as quickly realized that the novelty of being in a pool, in the airport, may not be worth now having to put a wet bathing suit in my luggage. There is a full gym as well but I didn’t have the right outfit for a workout.

After showering at the spa I did a few minutes of exploring the terminal before heading back to the lounge for a small meal before my third and final flight to Kilimanjaro. More sushi, tabbouleh, hummus, and a few bites of lamb tagine. The lamb was outrageously good! For desert I enjoyed a few sips of champagne as I people watched in the atrium below.

Settling in on board my 5hr 50min flight I chatted briefly with the man in the seat closest to me; he was a mining consultant originally from Australia that now lives in South Carolina. I feel like there’s probably an interesting story to his life but my priority on this flight is sleep! With a 1:45am departure time my plan has been to sleep as much as I can to try to get myself fully into my new time zone; 10 hours ahead of home. Even though it’s all Qatar Airways staff and amenities this is an Oman Airlines plane and not as luxe as the QSuite but it would do.

A woman boarded with her triplet sons, I’d guess they are around 9 or 10 years old and her parents. All of them in business class. My head snapped up, pretty sure I had just heard “papa” telling the boys, “No dumbfuckery on this flight!” I turned to the Aussie and he confirmed that I had heard what I thought I had!

I think I’d like to come back and visit Doha sometime, the brilliantly lit buildings and island dwellings look like a magnetic playground below as the flight circled over the water and ascended.

My plan to try to sleep right away was a complete fail thanks to their dumbfuckery. They talked nonstop, yelling to each other in their separate pods, their mother no better, and constantly dinging the flight attendant call button. Around 4am I was tempted to inform them that if they did not shut up I would wring their necks. By 5am, after 3 hours laying there TRYING to sleep amidst their constant noise, I gave up and decided it was a lost cause.

I rang for the flight attendant to let them know I was ready for breakfast and Ronald came bounding to service like an excited puppy. My Arabic mezze of hummus, tabouleh, and Arabic bread, followed by a cheese plate, and ultimately a berry salad, with mint tea and two decaf oat milk lattes with honey hit the spot. The fruit salad was heavenly; fresh and chilled it was what I didn’t realize I needed. Strawberries, blueberries, and tiny cranberries with a light rose syrup made me so so happy. By 5:40am I was feeling awake, watching out the window as the sun rose over Africa, clouds sharp and curled like crashing waves.

Ronald was momentarily embarrassed when I got up to use the lav and caught him doing the chicken dance in the galley. Whatever that man is on, I want some! Returning to my little pod, Aussie was crankily sitting his seat back up, asking, “Did those little fuckers disturb you last night?” I confirmed that he was the lucky one who got some sleep because I got NONE.

As the crew began to prepare the cabin for landing I looked out the window and could feel my eyes widening and my jaw dropping. Holy shit, there she is. Mount Kilimanjaro rising above the clouds. At eye level. Holy shit, this is insane. This is absolutely insane. There is NOTHING like being EYE LEVEL FROM AN AIRPLANE with the mountain you are about to spend eight days climbing to make you absolutely sick to your stomach.