mwp2paris

The Great Hong Kong Wing Ding, Part II CX BC NRT-HKG-NRT AA BC NRT-ORD-MCI

Well, after schlepping up and down and up and down and scooting through the transfer scrutiny point which is manned by what appears to be a branch of the Japanese Girl Scouts, I waltzed up to the connection desk for CX where I am known and greeted by name.

Seems my traveling partner who I had sent on an SJC-ORD-NRT routing due to price and VIPOW upgrading issues plus we would travel back together to ORD, had already arrived and sweet-talked her way into her boarding pass for the CX portion of our trip (which we were making together) without the paper ticket (award) which was in my possession and had immediately ensconced herself in the smoking room of the AA AC. But the alert CX staff, who were wonderful, asked for her paper tickets and then issued my BP and away I went with a secured boarding pass for CX505, seat 81A (This would change onboard after a very polite gentleman offered to switch seats with me so my traveling partner and I could sit together). The AC was packed and they were directing people as they checked in towards the BA club which you can access through the AC reception area.

I swung through the AC…it was packed and the smoking lounge was…well...smok’n!!! (and standing room only). I had carried my Port Aransus, TX cap (another trip where my traveling companion owns a condo…3 words says it all…The Salty Dog!) all the way to NRT to make a grand entrance to great my dear friend who was exactly where I knew she would be…entertaining the folks in the smoking lounge.

After a few kisses and hugs, I took a look at the food selection but knowing I was about to enjoy Dinner on CX took a pass on the meager selection. Did enjoy a Gin and Soda, fixed a Bloody Mary for traveling partner, then fought my way into a cubicle to sign into wireless web (1000 yen day pass), got some work done then bid farewell to the still crowded, hot AC.

With our late arrival into NRT, I only had time to swing through the CX lounge and found it to be very quiet and made a mental note to make use of it on the return.

Proceeded down to the departure gate for CX505 and tried to get a look at the beast that would carry us to HKG but it was dark and raining. Boarding started and we made our way down the jet bridge reserved for FC and BC guests and before long I was upstairs and settling into my Old Business Class seat in the bulkhead on the aisle whilst my traveling partner settled into her favorite…the window seat.

11/22
NRT – HKG
CX505 B747-400
Scheduled 6:30 p.m. – 10:25 p.m.


Immediately, a very polite FA was there to gather our coats whilst another came bearing gifts of champagne, apple juice, water, or Cathay Delight. Chose, of course, champagne.

This was not only my first time in CX Upper Deck, it was my first time on CX and a 747 EVER!!!

I can’t speak for sitting downstairs…but upstairs, I felt more like I was on a nicely sized corporate jet. The OBC seats were a bit of a let down because from what I could tell reading the FT CX board, very few planes still have them. But they were comfy and I didn’t let them stop me from settling in to enjoy my CX experience.

I will only offer raves for CX…maybe it was the fact that I had at this point been flying for nearly 18 hours and had nearly 5 to go…maybe it was the 3 hours of sleep I had scratched out (if that), or maybe it was the Pacific Sunrise specialty (see Wine List below for details) that just kept flowing but I loved every minute on board…

I LIKE that when you order a mixed drink, they pour the booze from a bottle, not from a mini.

I LIKE that they NEVER ONCE reminded you that the FAs were there “primarily for your safety.”
That is not to say that both crews I experienced didn’t take their safety demo seriously…they did…but once it was over, they knew what they were there for…to give us CX service that is above and beyond.

I LIKE that you can visually inspect your entrée choices as they are presented on a silver tray atop the cart before making your selection.

I LIKE the little stone shaped salt and pepper shakers of which we purchased a pair each from duty-free.

I LIKE that the Cabin Service Manager came around, greeted us by name, welcomed us on-board, thanked us for our business, and made sure we were enjoying ourselves.


I LOVED the dinner service…menu follows…


The Wine List (this is a separate menu and was the same for all 3 meals I enjoyed on CX)

Aperitifs & Cocktails

Sake, Gin, Rum, Vodka, Martini Rosso, Martini Extra Dry, Campari, Sweet and Dry Sherry, Bloody Mary, Screwdriver

Whiskies
Chivas Regal 12 Year Old, Johnnie Walker Black Label, Jack Daniel’s Bourbon, Canadian Club

Cognac
Hine “Rare and Delicate” Fine Champagne

Liqueurs
Drambuie, Cointreau, Bailey’s Irish Cream

Beer
International Selection (I had a few Asahi on one of the return flights and they also had San Miquel plus the usual suspects)

Champagne
Champagne Deutz, Brut Classic

White Wines
Louis Max Pouilly Vinzelles 2000

Jacob’s Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2001

An aside…On the lunch flight from TPE-HKG, the lovely flight attendant decided I needed to try both of these. I liked both of them for different reasons…the French was crisp and light whilst the Aussie was buttery and full of warm, soft oak…I had a very happy palate!

Red Wines
Vacqueyras Les Armes De Frances 1999

Chateau Haut-Vignoble Sequin, Saint-Estephe 2000

Port
Dow’s Late Bottled Vintagge Port 1995/1996
Specialty Drinks

Pacific Sunrise (LOVED…LOVED…LOVED this!)
A refreshing combination of champagne and Drambuie with the zest of orange and lemon

What a lovely, very adult-tasting drink. In the champagne glass with the strands of zest floating and the little bubbles…well, I slurped down many of these while enjoying the comforts of CX Upper Deck!

Cathay Delight
A kiwifruit based non-alcoholic drink with coconut juice and a touch of fresh mint

I tried this on the breakfast flight as a pre-departure…very frothy and an actual fresh mint leaf on top. It was light and refreshing and a lovely shade of green jade.

Dinner

Seasonal Salad served with Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

Green Tea Soba Noodles

Tuna Tataki, Seasoned Scallop with Fish Roe and Roast Duck Breast


Entrees

Chicken Teriyaki Style
Japanese Rice
Seasonal Japanese Vegetables

Or

Stir Fried Prawn with Sawoo Green Bean
Steamed Rice

Or

Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Tomato and Pesto Sauce
Anna Potatoes
Grilled Zucchini and Baby Carrot

Cheese Board

Fresh Seasonal Fruits

Strawberry Haagan-Daz Ice Cream

Assorted Bread and Rolls (The warm, buttery Garlic Toast was excellent)

Tea and Coffee

Pralines (These were actually wonderful truffles served right from the box…yummy!)


This flight could have gone on forever but before long we were beginning our descent into HKG. A walk and a train ride, a few bows, and we were into the main arrivals hall were I secured some HKG dollars from an ATM and 2 tickets on the Airport Express train into Central Hong Kong and we were on our way to the Grand Hyatt.

I cannot say enough about the efficiency of the Airport train. No stairs, lifts or escalators. You waltz on, 20 or so minutes later you waltz off, walk to a taxi, and five minutes later we pulled into the Grand Hyatt.

The Grand Hyatt…well, the lobby was certainly Grand! It was midnight, HKG time, I had been traveling for 24 hours straight, was just a little giddy and within minutes we were on our way up to room 3114.

A side note…I don’t smoke but my traveling partner does. I had requested a smoking room with 2 twin beds and a Harbor view. They had none, but with great apology, assigned us a non-smoking, twin-bedded harbor view room and said they would immediately send up ashtrays. Which they did.

Is this service or what?

We headed up to the room, entered, and stood for a full 5 minutes taking in the grandeur of the view that was ours for the next three nights….

From the Peak, across Victoria Harbor, to Kalhoon and beyond, the view was breathtaking…and that doesn’t even do it justice. I cannot begin to describe the feeling that I experienced at that point. Amazing…and I’ve seen my 3 daughters born! OK they rank first, but this view…sell my clothes, I’m going to heaven!!!

I slip out of the room for a minute to check out the Grand Lounge. It is a 2-decked facility and our room is right around the corner from the upper floor. I walk in to discover floor to ceiling windows, a dramatic, ultra-posh library feel and go back to drag my traveling partner down to look at it. We can’t wait until the free drinks and food the following evening!

Well, it is now well after midnight, but we decide, since the Champagne Bar is open until 2:00 a.m., there are two barstools with our names on them so I prance through the shower, we dress in our sleekest black and head down.

The Champagne Bar is fabulous. There is a French chanteuse and her combo playing, a circular bar and a wonderful bartender. Of course we close the place (as we are want to do in any bar we are in and will do in this bar all three nights) and retire to our room dizzy and full of anticipation for the next 2 days.

Sunday, November 23, 2003
The Stanley Market

My traveling partner had been to Hong Kong 10 years earlier and had only one thing on her radar screen…shopping…and that shopping started with a stop at the Stanley Market.

We drag ourselves out of bed, hit the Grand Lounge for a fabulous breakfast buffet (dim sum..yum yum), then head to the bus stop just a short walk from the Hyatt.

We catch the right bus, head upstairs and enjoy the ride (somewhat death-defying what with the narrow roads [I love riding on the wrong side…not sure if I would want to drive it], traffic and sheer drops from roadway to sea) over to the charming enclave of Stanley.

Spotless…scrubbed and spotless. That was my first impression of the market area. We shopped around then wound down to the bay front walk which is lined with lovely bistros and cafes. I felt like I was in some hidden Oriental-styled corner of the Mediterranean. It was just beautiful.

Everyone was out with their families. The weather was perfect (no rain for our entire stay and mostly sun with some morning fog which burnt off every day). Had to have a refreshing beverage to celebrate!

We spent the day in Stanley and bussed back (even more exciting since now we are on the side of the road which plunges straight down to the water). The architecture in Refuse Bay (?) is amazing…a great curved/arching tower of condos is just breathtaking in the oncoming sunset.

Found a 7-11 close to our hotel and got some wine and water for the room then headed up for a disco nap followed by evening appetizers and drinks in the Grand Lounge. The spread is quite lavish and there was a chocolate torte on the first night that was wonderful.

Another first on this trip of firsts…we are sitting there enjoying our snacks and drinks…there is a low murmur of conversation from the few other tables that are occupied. Suddenly, I catch sight of a very strong-willed and dramatically make-upped Latin woman standing up from her table (her male escort also stands and nearly runs for the exit), make her way over to a table where 2 dignified gentlemen are having a quiet conversation, and commit the following act…

HER: That is a nice sweater.
HIM: Thank you.
HER: TOSSING AN ENTIRE GLASS OF RED WINE DOWN THE FRONT OF HIS BEAUTIFUL YELLOW CASHMIRE SWEATER…And now it looks even better!!!!! She says!
HIM: You F******, S*********, C********* W***** (yelled as she makes a very fiery, Latin-tinged exit, the air swaying in rhythm to her hips).

Well, the poor staff immediately went into overdrive…there is wine all over him, the Oriental carpets; his partner is in near shock. The wine-soaked gentleman excuses himself and from what I could gather listening to the conversation between the partner and the staff, the fiery wine-thrower’s escort was a former business partner of the now wine-soaked gentleman and evidently the deal went bad and the fiery wine-thrower decided to enact the vendetta.

Made for good theatre!

We did wander over to the Renaissance Hotel which was basically dead after our floor show in the Grand Lounge. No combo playing in their lobby bar. We enjoyed a drink, did some window shopping in the mall that is near the 2 hotels, and then headed back over to the Champagne Bar to listen to a piano player and chat until 2:00 a.m. or maybe it was 3:00…who’s counting?

I do remember trying to call AA at some point to see how much it would cost to extend our stay…thankfully, the AA HKG office was closed or we may have still been there!


Monday, November 24, 2003
The Day of Touristic Sights, Night Market, and a really fun Aussie/Brit couple!

I had a short but determined list of tourist sights I wanted to take in…Victoria Peak, The Escalator, Star Ferry, Big Buddha. We did all but Big Buddha.

Had lunch in the tourist trap which is Victoria’s Peak. It was OK…some Swiss buffet thing where you choose what you want but fortunately equipped with a bar and fabulous views of the Hong Kong skyline.

My traveling companion had her eyes set on more shopping (something about rugs) so we came back down the Peak and found a taxi who we finally got to get us to the “Cat Market” which is supposed to be full of rug vendors.

Well, we wandered around looking at very expensive, museum quality arty stuff, sat and watched a school of elementary kids get out of class for the afternoon (scrubbed, starched, smiling and running) then finally, exhausted, my traveling companion threw in the towel for the rug shops and we hopped a bus back to our hotel.

Well of course, within a block and a half, we begin to pass rug store after rug store…thank God, we stopped shopping 1 block too early or I would have been schlepping rugs back to the Hyatt!

Well, we freshen’d up, hit the lounge for some drinks and goodies, then hit the road for the Star Ferry and the Night Market in Kalhoon.

The sea was a bit rough but the market was worth the trip and I scored everything on the shopping list from the family…Burberry, D&G, and LV bags and t-shirts with cute designs.

After the night market, we headed over to the Peninsula Hotel to check it out. Found our way up to the Felix restaurant and bar which I immediately recognized upon entering. I had watched a whole show on the FoodNetwork about the design and opening of this place.

We landed in the bar which has a lovely view of the harbor back over to our hotel, and amazingly uncomfortable stools.

We were out of there and back on the ferry and soon, of course, on our stools in the Champagne Bar.

Very crowded tonight and a very talky group, the head bartender recognized us, bypassed several waiting guests and escorted us over to 2 seats at the circular bar…wow, I’ve been recognized in HKG!

I could tell the French Chanteuse was not happy that she seemed to be an afterthought for most of the crowd, but my traveling partner and I listened appreciately and gave her several rounds of applause before she called it a night and headed out.

Then, we are talking to this couple…he is Brit, she is Aussie…what a hoot. Turns out they had dinner at Felix. Good thing we didn’t meet up before or my food budget (which was basically nothing since there was always free food upstairs) would have been blown!

But we did laugh and drink until 3:00 or so, took once last swing through the lobby, before heading upstairs to finish off the wine and take in the view of Victoria Harbor for a few more minutes. I did leave 2 wake up calls and set the alarm clock to give us plenty of time to get to HKG and the WING!!!!


11/25 Boo Hoo…Departure Day

I don’t know what it is but when I’m at home, there are days when I’m in my robe by 6:30 p.m. and ready to snuggle into my little bed by 8:00. But on the road, some travel gene takes over. We have had a grand total of somewhere near 10-12 hours of sleep since we have been in Hong Kong and I still wake up just a minute before the alarm and the phone ring. We bathe, dress, and decide to splurge on a taxi back to HGK.

Check in is smooth in the CX FC line. We decide to check our roll-aboards because of the bags of goodies we both now possess. We waltz right through security…I guess it was security…someone smiled and bowed, I walked through a detector, my bags were x-rayed, a heavily armed guard smiled and bowed…where was the hassle, the shoe fetish, the non-stop screaming that we here in the good ole US of A have mistaken for security?

Now the Wing…OK, I’ll admit it. Here is my only mix-up of the trip. We are leaving out of gate 62 so we take the train out to that end of the terminal, then follow the signs to the Wing…somewhere, and I’m not sure where, I realized we have wasted a good 20 minutes because we have doubled back on ourselves all the way to the front of the terminal again…oh well.

So the Wing, the FC section, the Cabanas, the Restaurant have all been talked about here on FT. It is everything they say and I only wish we had more time but, soon, we are off to hike back down to Gate 62 and do a little duty freeing before boarding.

HKG – NRT via TPE
CX545 B747-400
Scheduled 10:10 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Well, we are back upstairs on the 747-400 and YEAH, the NBC seats are present and accounted for.

We settle in and the FAs come around and introduce themselves. The lead immediately falls for my traveling companion and will, upon our departure in NRT, declare on the stair steps down to the main deck that she “Wishes you where my Mother!” Of course my traveling companion is just flattered and there are hugs and kisses all around.

HKG – TPE

The menu for the meal on this 1 hour flight was offered with apologies from the FA that “due to the short flight time, the meal would be smaller than we might be used to.”

Please…they served a meal to the entire 747-400 and I think anyone who was onboard that as recently starved their way around the US carriers was in awe…I know I was (and I’m typing this on an AA flight DFW-SFO, 3 hours and 22 minutes, in FC with NOTHING but a tired FA who can barely drag herself out of the jumpseat to refresh drinks).

BRUNCH

Juice Selection

Fresh Seasonal Fruits


Entrees

Chinese Dim Sum
E-fu Noodles with Straw Mushrooms and Chives
Served with Chili Sauce

Or

Omelet with Parsley
Smoked Pork Loin
Broiled Tomato with Herbs, Button Mushrooms

Assorted Bread and Rolls
Served with Preserves, Honey and Butter (the croissant was warm and buttery and I had to have two)

Tea and Coffee

I, of course, had the Dim Sum and my traveling partner had the omelet which she said was OK.

Before long we were settling into TPE. There was some question about what we should do once we had landed…deplane or remain onboard for the 1 hour stop. After some checking, it was decided we could deplane but we would have to take everything with us. I volunteered to stay on so my traveling companion could deplane and smoke without sherpa-ing everything off then back on again.

Well, it was very interesting to be onboard…3 of the seats upstairs were inoperative for various reasons so folks come on to take care of that. Then the cleaners vacuumed and dusted and so forth;; there was a cockpit crew change so I got to watch all that; finally, the announcement came that the security clearance had been completed so I headed downstairs to check out this enormous beast of a plane. FC is intimate and lovely, main deck BC feels a little cramped due to the low ceiling and Y just goes on forever…I wandered freely around, took some pictures, then heard the announcement “Cabin crew, prepare for customer arrival,” so headed back upstairs.


TPE – HNG

Lunch

Smoked Duck and Mango Salad

Entrees

Chicken Teriyaki Style
Japanese Rice
Seasonal Japanese Vegetables

Or

Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Tomato and Pesto Sauce
Anna Potatoes
Grilled Zucchini and Carrots

Fresh Season Fruits

Assorted Bread and Rolls (again with the warm, buttery garlic toast…you can smell it coming 3 rows away

Tea and Coffee

I will admit I was a little disappointed that both lunch entrees had been featured on the dinner flight a few nights ago…there has to be more than 3 entrees in the repertoire. And no dessert…I just wanted another one of those chocolate truffles!

But there were enough Pacific Sunrises to ease the pain. The entertainment system was great…except that one of the movies was “American Wedding” unedited.

Well, after the first five minutes, I know I was glowing red every time one of the demure, polite FAs approached my seat because I knew full well they could see everything (AND I MEAN EVERYTHING) on the screen…so after the wedding cake incident, I had to switch to Le Divorce. There were about 3 other people watching it (including my traveling companion) and it was the out loud laughing and gasping that gave them away!

Again, this flight went too fast and we settled into a torrential downpour, of course got parked at a remote site so had to schlep through the rain again and before long we were back in the AA AC…less crowded and smoky this time.

I did wander over to the CX club for the free internet access…had some cheeses and a beer from the nifty beer machine in the AC, then wandered down to check out duty free. Costco has spoiled me! Nothing really appealed to me.


NRT – ORD
AA 154 B777
Scheduled 7:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Well, we boarded and settled into our bulkhead seats (9H and J, I think] and immediately saw the challenge before us…tired, frowning FAs. Well, we do charming really well, and suffice it to say, within minutes we had smiles and laughs all around, and by the end of the flight, I had spent 2 hours talking to one of the FAs while sipping sake and green tea and I walked off with 2 bottles of champagne offered as a gift for making their flight so pleasant.

The Wine Menu was exactly the same as JFK-NRT. Refer to “The Great Honk Kong Wing Ding, Part I for details…

Dinner

Appetizers

To Start

An assortment of warm roasted Nuts to accompany your preferred Cocktail or Beverage

Sushi

An assortment of Sushi

Salad

Fresh seasonal Salad Greens offered with a choice of creamy Tomato, Caper, and Olive Dressing or an individual bottle of Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

Bread Basket

Assorted Breads or Japanese steamed Rice

Entrees

Filet Mignon
Tenderloin of Beef complemented by a light Onion Demi-Glace, accompanied by sautéed Yellow Bell Peppers, Zucchini, Roma Tomatoes and Scallions and Parmesan Potato Diamond

Grilled Chicken
Grilled Chicken accented by a Demi-Glace, presented with Chive Mashed Potatoes, a fresh Tomato and crispy Bacon

Grilled Shrimp
Grilled Shrimp and Creole Couscous featured with sautéed Yellow and Red Bell Peppers, Zucchini and a Scallion and Apple Coulis

Done Upon Request

Assorted fine Cheese

Shrimp Vinaigrette
Chilled Shrimp on a bed of fresh Greens and Vegetables, dressed with a warm Red Onion Vinaigrette

Specially prepared Dessert

Dessert

Seasonal fresh Fruit Medley

Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Japanese Dinner Autumn Menu

Appetizer

A selection of Sushi

Main Tray

Kobachi Dish
Shrimp and Konnyaku Salad enhanced by Japanese Vinaigreet

Hassun Dish
Egg Cake with Kimchi presented with grilled Halibut with Saikyo Miso, Maple-Leaf-shaped Fish Cake, barbecued Chicken Skewer and Shimeji Mushroom accented by Shiro Miso

Simmered Dish
****ake Mushroom and Egg Sandwich offered with dried Tofu, accompanied by Tofu Cake, julienned dried Daikon Radish and mini-rolled Cabbage in Ginan Sauce

Entrée
Simmered Yellowtail Fish rolled in Daikon Radish, served with seasonal Vegetables

Soup
Miso Soup with Wakame Seaweed and Tofu

Accompanied by steamed Rice and an assortment of seasonal Pickles


Snack Attack
Please feel free to help yourself to an assortment of snacks in our galley, at any time after your meal.

Midnight Snack

Sliced Breast of Chicken and Celery Salad on buttered French Bread, served with seasonal Fruit

Or

Japanese Soba Noodles


Breakfast

American Breakfast

Fresh seasonal Fruit

Cheese Omelette with Canadian Bacon and potato wedges

Or

Cereal with Yogurt

Warm Croissants, hot Cinnamon Trolls and crusty French Rolls
Preserves and Butter

Express Breakfast

Warm Breakfast Breads and your choice of Beverage

Well, I had the Japanese meal again for dinner (the one out of JFK was better), skipped the snack (but not the sake), and had the Omelette…the croissants were good but not nearly as warm, buttery or flaky as the ones we had had on CX hours earlier on our first Breakfast flight of the day!

The time did seem to go by quickly on this 10.5 hour flight and I did not even open up my Bose headset! Before long we were settling into ORD and we of course park at the absolute farthest gate at the international terminal.

We pranced through Immigration so fast I couldn’t even believe it…I even got a “welcome home” from the polite young lady I interacted with…that was a new one as opposed to the scowls and hisses I usually get.

I nearly needed a medic when I saw our luggage come down as numbers 2 and 3…never, ever have all those premium stickers worked for me…I just thought they meant save best till last but this time it seemed to work.

Customs could not wave us through fast enough and then we are on that train and back to the barking, sweating, silliness of the TSA and then we are in the Flagship Lounge where they have a very nice buffet of tid-bits and all flavors of Grey Goose Vodka so I decide 3 Vanilla Grey Gooses and Diet Cokes will keep me happy and functioning till home.

Well, too soon, our adventure is winding down. Both our flights are delayed slightly, but before long, after a few more hugs and laughs and “when do we do this again” discussions, I make my way out to the gate directly over from the FL door to board the final leg of this amazing journey.

ORD – MCI
AA847 B737
Scheduled 6:38 p.m. – 8:09 p.m.

What can I say…it is domestic FC, it is full, it is hot, I’m going home…wishing I could stay just 1 more day but I’m going home.

Before long we descend into MCI, I deplane and my bag is already there…they had sent it on the earlier flight…so much for bag staying with passenger! In 1 minute I’m out on the curb where I see some parents of a friend of one of our daughters who inquire where I’m coming from and I get to proudly announce “HONG KONG” to which they justly ooh and ah!

Then I see my little one running down the sidewalk, there is the hug and of course the question that always announces my arrival home…


WHAT DID YOU GET ME!!

I’m home.

Unfortunately, my dear traveling companion must wind her way to SJC (in AA FC of course…what are miles if you don’t use them for good?), overnight at the Four Points where I had cashed in some points for her then, charm (I said we were good!) the van driver to take her to the SJC Amtrak station the next morning to catch her train back up to Sacramento…the train was packed with college kids on their way home for the holiday and she couldn’t even get up for a Bloody Mary or a smoke less one of the hapless souls sprawled n the aisle get her seat…welcome home indeed!

THE END…but not for long…

As my dear traveling partner says…once you’ve been “out there” and meet all the other people who are just “out there” you will always be counting the days until you can get back “out there” where the world is a buffet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!!!!!!!!! (credit to Mame)

Eat up…you only waltz thru this grand, green orb of Earth once!

Next on the list…Portugal, Morocco, and wiggling my toes in the sands at the beginning of the Sahara!



[This message has been edited by mwp2paris (edited Dec 18, 2003).]

alanw

Fantastic, just fantastic, mwp2paris.

------------------
-alan in sitges, home of the new, improved Si-Re-Do

rbAA

I the future, I would appreciate if you would refrain from trip reports like this one. Now I have to go back to HK immediately. And take CX and stay at the GH. See what you have done? I had almost forgotten that view from the GH and what fun HK is and can be.

I have to go into San Francisco, have dim sum for lunch and try to plot my escape to HK.


[This message has been edited by rbAA (edited Dec 18, 2003).]

olafman

Nice trip report. It's fun to read a report where someone really ENJOYS travel.

mauld

Fantastic report! I'll be staying back at the Grand Hyatt HKG in Feb, and it has to be one of my favorite hotels in the world! BTW, do you remember which bus takes you to the Stanley market, or where to get it from the Hyatt???

PresRDC

Excellent report. HKG is a great city. Next time, you really should spend a day on Lantau Island and see the Big Budda. It is well worth it.

As a dedicated non-smoker, I am not thrilled about this part. Imagine the poor non-smoker who occupied the room next and had to endure the smell of old cigarettes.

mwp2paris

I hate that stinky stale smell of smoke in my non-smoking room, as well...I was a bit shocked that they so quickly turned a non-smoking room into a smoking room.

My only guess is that they do a thorough cleaning and decontaminating to get the room back to its non-smoking state...now that would be service, too!

mwp2paris

I don't remember the bus number but the fare was around $10.70HKD and you come out the front of the hotel, turn left and go down the hotel drive, cross the street, cut through a pedestrians only drive between two buildings, walk across a large plaza area surrounded by buildings and you will see the row of bus stops all easily marked. Very close and easy. And the stop in Stanley is right at the top of the market.

Just ask the Concierge. They gave us a nice map and wrote it all down for us.

mwp2paris

Plotting is always funner over good dim sum!

Thanks for the nice words everyone...it was fun typing it up and reliving through the whole thing and the fact that folks are taking the time to read and enjoy it is icing on the cake!

rbAA

It certainly sounded fun.

bseller

Two thumbs up on this one!! I really enjoyed your trip report, and it got me thinking that perhaps I should leave early for my mid-Jan HKG run!!

Thanks much for the info mwp2paris!!

Best wishes, Dave

Seat 2A

Great stuff!!

And menu transcripts, too!

mumbri

The report was great - made me decide to use "prancing" more often. :-)

asnovici

This report is a therapy for me! Thank you so very much!!!

I cant wait to get "out there" myself again...

[This message has been edited by asnovici (edited Dec 19, 2003).]

Cygnus X-1

Great report! At HKG, gate 62, you want to look for **The Pier**, not The Wing. The Pier is located extremely close to that gate and is the second of two (2) lounges CX offers. Unlike the Wing (located inside the Gates 1-4 section), the Pier is seperated into two lounges with an escalator going down for each. The Wing's FC lounge is inside it's BC lounge. Did you receive a small directions map at the FC check-in showing all the terminals and the location of the lounges?

Sometimes, depending on the GA, CX will give you a plastic BP holder. I always take mine whenever I travel, slip it into my side pocket and pull it out when not flying CX, just for the memory.

Yes, you have to go back again for another day and not miss the CX FC lounges at HKG. Also, try and get the direct HKG-NRT flights, avoid the TPE stopover. Bummer you got a 744 with OBC! Yikes! I have noticed that it is hit or miss with all the direct flights, no matter the aircraft, HKG-NRT, and NRT-HKG for NBC x OBC. You have to fly NBC on CX!

[This message has been edited by Cygnus X-1 (edited Dec 21, 2003).]