And as I get ready to take off from Faleolo International Airport, I began receiving the first images of Fiji from Neeti by WhatsApp and I am excitedly wait to reach Nadi and beginning our exploration of the beautiful islands...
And guess what - Neeti's engaged in some Plane Spotting at Incheon before taking off...
Neeti's flight path...
Stunning views over the Pacific at daybreak...
Landing into a very misty Nadi...
The Korean Air Airbus A330 in the SkyTeam livery...
Traditional Fijian songs welcomed Neeti on her arrival...
A primary school on the way from Nadi airport to our hotel in Denarau. displays the traditional Hindu Om (ॐ) sign...
And that was a good sign of the influence the Indian diaspora had here...
Beach bums in Fiji...
...and Hindu temples, it appears, Fiji has it all! And I can't wait to get there...
I was warmly greeted, Fijian style with "Bula" by a friendly middle-aged stewardess as I boarded the aircraft. She resembled my adorable primary school teacher Mrs Noreen Peters a lot...
As I found my seat, I expected to see Bula on the screen, instead the screen beckoned me to enjoy the "Fiji Time" - a synonym for spending time at an idyllic pace, Pacific island-style...
And the boarding music was very interesting and catchy - the music kept ringing in my ears long after we took off from Hong Kong. And I am sure this amazing tune will stay with me, etched in my mind forever, reminding me of this epic journey...
And just then I spotted the Prime Minister of Fiji, Frank Bainimarama and his wife, Maria Makitalena, being escorted in by security personnel into the business class cabin. So, with a VIP on board, we should be in safe hands!
The flight path would cover 8,228 kilometers and would overfly Philippines and Palau, crossing the Equator...
I strategically chose my seat to view the sunset...
The golden rays of dusk over the Rova motifs make for an incredible sight!
A cloudy evening over the South China Sea...
Fijian immigration cards were distributed...
It's a full moon night...
And the meal I had onboard was by far the best inflight Indian meal I ever had - generous portions of spicy chicken curry and aloo-mattar gravy served with paratha and rice. The gravies were perfectly spiced and absolutely delectable. After the meal, the lookalike of Mrs. Noreen Peters graciously gave a me a cup of hot chocolate as I watched the George Clooney starred The Descendants, before dozing off...
When I woke up, we had already crossed the Equator and we were slightly eastwards of New Britain island of Papua New Guinea...
Free SIM card at Nadi airport!
Approach into Nadi International...
The Rova-styled cowlings look amazing against the clouds...
I heard the Captain say that there was a probability of storm brewing over Nadi later today...
One hour to Nadi and I am catching up on Hong Kong news with front page news on the troubles that the Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive faces...
Overall, this was a wonderful, restful flight, great food, good entertainment - Vinaka vakalevu, Fiji Airways!
The next edition of Up In The Air is here with images from today's flight from Incheon into Hong Kong...
A stunning view of the Korean coastline immediately after takeoff from Incheon...
This is my third flight on a Boeing 767 - the first one was on Air Mauritius in 2005 from Mumbai to Plaisance, and the second one was on Royal Air Maroc from Marrakech to Casablanca a few weeks back...
