This is not!

The Beech 400 motor mower engine powered flying stick!



I am back at work now - fresh from a 36 hour trek door to door. It started going from Wanganui to Auckland on a flying death machine. Mum, M&F and the boys came to see me off - and Codes and Ty both delivered an immaculately rehearsed, yet still spontaneously touching, "will miss you" each. Lucca went 'eecckk' - which was sentimental in its own way!

Then I looked out and saw the flying machine. I joked to Mike - "I hope I get an aisle or a window!" Not such luck - on this thing I had bloody both!!! This thing was dodgy - but it got me there.

5 hours or so in Auckland and then I was off to Singapore. I got to check in there thinking I was all a bit calm and worldly wise these days. Then as my boarding pass went through the machine, the inevitable 'beep beep' - "excuse me sir, could you just pop along and see that gentleman in the suit please?" Bollcoks! What now?

"Good afternoon Mr Hornsby - please enjoy your complimentary upgrade to Raffles class". I promised him that I would try...

I have now discovered that I am a Business Class kind of guy - the difference is insane. Less than 20 of us upstairs in seats/beds with four people dedicated to pampering us. Not wanting to disappoint the 'gentleman in the suit', I took full advantage (or more accurately - I took the piss - that was offered - constantly).

The whole experience was very cool and I arrived in Singapore in better shape than I left. The best thing was that it was no drama to stay awake for that whole leg (which was the plan) - so once I got back into cattle class for leg two, I dropped a couple of Imovans and was a gone burger for about 8 hours.

So it is just after 7am Wednesday here and I will be interested to see how long I last today - but the trip back is certainly not the excuse it could potentially have been.

I definitely think I will do Raffles Class on one leg of each journey home from now on - which makes it a pretty good value upgrade for them too I suppose. Singapore Girl - I salute you (which is my way of saying - 'oi, girl - tip a red to enable me!).