Father's Day

JT last night was hot, hot, hot! Man I enjoyed myself! It was the best €200,- I ever spent on a concert ticket. Gerrit, you missed out!

What can I say about the Emirate of Dubai? It is one of 7 Emirates of the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujaira, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain) and also the richest and most modern. That place is so weird. It has everything! You want to go ski in the snow in the middle of the dessert? Dubai is the place to be. You want to go to a tropical beach? Dubai has it. You want to live on an island in the shape of a palm tree? Yep, only in Dubai. You want to live in a place where one doesn't pay any income tax whatsoever? Dubai! Cheap gasoline? Dubai, baby! If you have to shop, do buy in Dubai. I was there for a meeting with the people of the Dubai Sheraton on behalf of Djoser, one of our clients. I was on my own and only there for 2 days, but it was fun. Well, kind of... it was too damn hot! Seriously! But at least I've been there and done that. So that's cool.

This is the Burj Al-Arab Hotel. The highest and the only 7-star hotel in the world

Island in the shape of a palm. - Thanks to Kimberly for this airphoto she shot from the plane on her way to Dubai

What was also fabulous is that I flew with Emirates, the airline of Dubai. I heard a lot of good stuff from this airline, but it is pure luxury! I flew with KLM to Paris, where I had to be briefed and pick up some papers and from there continued to Dubai DXB with Emirates. I flew an Airbus A330-200 from Paris CDG.

Cockpit visit in the 737-800 from KLM at Schiphol. Thanks to Captain de Bruyn for the great conversation and permission



My flight arriving at the gate at Paris CDG

Inflight CDG-DXB on EK457

On my way back staffco booked me on a flight to Amsterdam AMS via London Heathrow LHR, because both KLM and Air France were overbooked.



Boarding my flight to LHR

Inflight DXB-LHR

At LHR I had to connect on British Airways to AMS. The reason for this was because BA codeshares on a few flight to AMS with Emirates (prefix: EK) and therefor I flew with an EK flightnumber all the way to AMS. But when I arrived at the transfer desk at LHR to get my boarding pass for my flight to AMS, the BA Service Agent informed me that I would be upgraded to Club Europe. This is BA's Business Class on European routes on the 737, A318, A319, A320, A321, 757 and 767-300. I was like "Huh?". The girl smiled and read from the computer "With compliments of Mr. Peterson at AMS/KK/BA. Have a great flight Mr. Ryan Mitchell". I had to smile. That Lesley! After all the upgrades and free tickets I gave him on AF and KLM, he was returning the favor. Well, I can't lie... once we did travel for free to London Stanted STN and London Luton LTN on easyJet when he was working for them, but that was a cheap-ass airline with no kind of service, so that doesn't count! Hahahahaha! But thank you very much, amigo. Much appreciated!





Lesley and me on easyJet last year during a city break to London

Inflight on BA LHR-AMS in Club Europe thanks to my buddy

Then there is R. who just did back-to-back Nairobi flights. The 2nd one was a request, but the 1st one was given to him. You see R. hardly flies EUR (EURopean flights) amd mostly does ICA (InterContinentAl). I've wrote this on the blog before... we decided this together in order to keep some regularity in our lives. But every once in a while, when there is a hole in his schedule, crewco plans him on a BIP-week. A BIP week is a week flying only EUR. So R. moaned an groaned, because they filled a 8 day gap, with a BIP week. After calling his RSA agent, the woman said, there was nothing else for him. 2 days later he phoned our buddy Ralph S. and he found him a 3/3 NBO. Yeah, the woman was just too lazy to make the effort to look. So he took it and so he got rid of his EUR and flew ICA.

The second NBO he requested together with a friend of ours Don G. And from what both of them tell me, they had a blast. That's all that matters.

Crew @ Nairobi Intercontinental Hotel

Don and R.

Then of course today is also Father's Day. As the saying goes... "Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad" And my dad is on of those special people.


So today is the day we honor fathers around the world. This lonely planet is filled with good fathers. How do we recognize them? Simple really... they’re the ones who are missed so terribly that sometimes everything falls apart in their absence. They’re the ones who love us, long before we’ve even arrived and in some cases, like mine, long after we have arrived. They’re the ones who come looking for us when we can’t find our way home. Indeed, the world is filled with good fathers. The best are the ones who make the sons and daughters in their lives feel like the best children.

I am very lucky, because I kind of have 2 fathers. Let me explain. My mother married my biological father (Franklin Mitchell) in the '70's and got pregnant with me. Things didn't work out and she divorced him after 1 year, while 7 months pregnant with me. At that time my father was young and irresponsible, so although I do carry his last name he wasn't around often. When I was 6 months old she met my step dad (Junior L.) and I grew up with him and started to call him Dad. He paid for my school, clothes, vacations and gave me unconditional love. He treated me as his own son.... everytime and always. Even after my brother Junior came along, that didn't change. Even when I told my parents I was gay, he never blinked an eye and told me he loved me no matter what. You know what he said? "You're gay? So? You know that it doesn't matter to me and I love you no matter what. So what's your point?" Then he said: "Whenever you get a boyfriend, just know he is always welcome in this house".

I remember when my parents got married after 25 years of being together... that was 3 years ago... he offered me to take his last name. I was touched, but I refused. After 25 years of being 'Mitchell', I didn't want to take on a new identity. He understood.

When I first bought my house, he helped me do everything! I just have to ask and my Dad is there for me.

What about Franklin, my biological father? Well, I do have a relationship with him. We talk on the phone often. He now lives in St. Maarten where he is a fire fighter and whenever he is in Holland he visits me, or if I'm in Aruba, he comes down to look me up. I remain his only child. I've been to St. Maarten a few times as well and we have good times. I never stay at his house though. Always at Cheryl's house in Colebay. That is Lesley's mother. ANd to this day I call him Franky.

But I have one dad and that's Junior. Franklin will always remain just that... Franklin. It strange on how sometimes life goes, huh? So Dad... I would like to wish you a Happy Father's Day. You are the best and I love you.

Dad

To all the other fathers out there I have one piece of advice:
Never raise your hand to your kids. It leaves your groin area unprotected. Later I am off to Dordt for a Father's Day dinner!