What is wrong with Gulf Air?

Had a most unmemorable flight on Gulf Air. No wonder, this is the only airline from the GCC which almost folded...

• I had to wait for half-an-hour to check-in my luggage despite having only 1 person in front of me. The check-in crew was disorganized and she did not give me a seat-by-the-aisle which she has promised me!
• My first flight from Damascus to Bahrain was delayed for more than an hour. Nobody was around to handle the impatient crowd and an Arab lady almost fainted in the commotion.
• The flight from Bahrain to KL was even worse. It was operated by Jet Airways India. Apparently, the "flight attendant" button was merely a decoration on the console. None of the attendants bothered to respond to calls. In fact, I saw some just walking pass briskly ignoring calls from the passengers. I almost died of thirst trying to get a cup of water from them.
• As we almost reached KL, breakfast was served without drinks. And they started collecting the breakfast even before we dug in. Still without drinks.
• Flight attendants are generally not courteous, especially males. Reminds me of Qatar Airways.

GCC Airlines as ranked by me:

1. Etihad Airways
2. Emirates
3. Qatar Airways
4. Gulf Air

Goods and Bads of Syria

Having spent some months in the Syrian Arab Republic, I believe I can sum up some of the good and bad sides of Syria.

The Good Sides of Syria

1. Untainted - still relatively isolated from the outside world. The country is still untainted with modern development. Makes an interesting visit for those who likes to explore things as it is.
2. Heritage - never did realize the many historical sites in Syria until I visited this country. Definitely a must-see for those who are into ancient civilizations and history.
3. Hospitality - Syrians are generally helpful and they go all out to assist anyone that comes along. Only problem is they can't speak English.
4. Safe - Despite widespread poverty, Syria is incredibly safe with low rates of crime.
5. Scenery - North western Syria is green and beautiful especially in winter/ spring. If you just ignore the Arabic words and rundown buildings, the scenery is exactly like Switzerland.

The Bad Sides of Syria

1. Ignorance - Syrians have been (and pretty much still is) living in a cocoon and is therefore ignorant of the outside world. Many still think that the way things are done in Syria couldn't have been better! This couldn't have been farther from the truth.
2. Food - Arabic food is not exactly rich in diversity and in Syria, you hardly come across food that is not Arabic. Taste one, taste all!
3. Disorganized - Syrians are incredibly disorganized, whether in terms of driving or government bureaucracy. They definitely bring a new meaning to the "tidak apa" attitude of Malaysian civil servants.
4. Disconnected - Telecommunication and internet couldn't be worse in this country. Not to mention many web sites including Facebook, Youtube and "politically-sensitive sites" are banned.

All in all, Syria is nice to visit and holiday in for short periods of time. For a non-Arab, I wouldn't really like to stay too long in this country.

The Long Journey Home

It was a really long journey home from Syria. I woke up as early as 6 AM and I left Jisr Al Shoghour at 7AM. I headed to Damascus and was at the airport by 12 NOON. The queue was not too long but somehow the management of the check-in counters was absolutely chaotic and disorganized. This of course I've learnt to be a trademark of Syrians. Anyway, immigration clearance was smooth and I entered the duty free zone. There is a pathetic restaurant which only serves cheese sandwich. I just grabbed that with a glass of orange juice. Thereafter, I walked around. Nothing much of interest. The flight was delayed by an hour due to late arrival of the airplane. The crowd was impatient and an Arab lady almost fainted while waiting to board.

The airplane finally departed from Damascus at about 4.15pm. By the time we arrived in Bahrain it was dark. There was a sandstorm and everything was dusty. I changed the remaining SYP1000 into Bahraini Dinar. Shopped for some souvenirs and dates. Time flies and by the time I know it, I'm already on board the connecting flight to KL. Gulf Air aircrafts were quite good but I could not say the same for their flight attendants. Their service is horrible and they do not seem to attend to the passengers even after repeatedly pressing the flight attendant button. During breakfast time, they delivered the food minus the drinks. Before we even touched it, they were collecting it back again. I've always thought that Lufthansa was the worst in service but from now onwards the honor goes to Gulf Air. No wonder the airline almost folded some years back.

After a long 8 hour flight, we finally landed in KLIA. It was such a good feeling to reach back home. Bought some stuff at the airport, cleared immigration and customs. Took the taxi and by the time I reach home it was past 11am. Counting back, I spent almost 24 hours travelling from Syria to KL. The journey home was definitely not an easy one!