arlflyer

I knew we would get the experts in here soon! Thanks all! What tng is describing sounds like heaven on a plate. Now just need to check the DC suburbs for a place serving this...

dat4life

Author’s note: Sorry for the lack of updates, guys. Work just got in the way. Should have the next couple of sections up over the next week.


Three days in Hong Kong passed far too quickly, in a daze of food, cheek pinching, and a torrent of questions about my marital status, or more precisely the lack thereof. Well, some of us like being a free agent. I enjoy keeping my options open for sure. But that’s neither here nor there, and a topic for discussion on another internet board or a therapist. Anyways, it’s always a good time with my family in Hong Kong, and leaving is never easy. But duty calls…

I originally planned to spend 4 full days in Hong Kong, 3 days in Beijing, 4 days in Tokyo, and 3 days in Sydney. But when my grandparents finally decided to go on their trip back to Indonesia and China, I decided to shuffle my itinerary to spend time with them in China. While I would have loved to be able to stick with my original itinerary, I could always go to Beijing, Tokyo, and Sydney again. But this could very well be the last chance I have to do something like this with my grandparents. So I pulled the trigger on this detour. My new itinerary gave me 3 days in Hong Kong, 6 days in mainland China, 2 in Tokyo, and 2 in Sydney.

I would be meeting my grandparents at their flat outside of Guangzhou. Land based options from Hong Kong to Guangzhou included bus or train, both of which were reasonably priced. Not wanting to miss a chance of logging a flight on a new airline, a new route, and what would be the shortest flight by distance I’ve even flown, I decided to go by air. Several airlines operate between Hong Kong and Guangzhou, including China Southern and Cathay Pacific’s regional subsidiary, Dragonair. I ended up choosing the latter due to cost. For some reason, I couldn’t find anything but full Y fares for the route, so I ended up redeeming 4,500 British Airways Avios for the flight, which was far more cost effective.

Since my flight was at 8AM, I planned to wake up at 5 and leave the hotel by 6 for the airport. I stayed up late the night before doing laundry at the hotel’s coin operated facility, and ended up sleeping past my alarm. I finally jolted awake at 5:45. I frantically threw some last minute things in my bag, and I headed to the Central Airport Express station in taxi not 10 minutes later. One of the nice things about the Airport Express is in town check in, which allows you to check in your bags and get boarding passes without ever going to the airport. There was no line at the early hour, so I was on my way down to train level free of my checked bags and boarding pass in hand.


The first train to Hong Kong International Airport departed from Central Station at 6:12AM. At 6:10, the gates swung open, and I quickly found an empty seat. Right on time, the doors closed and we were off. As with all public transportation in Hong Kong, the Airport Express is clean, efficient, and cheap. My one way trip to the airport cost $90 HKD, and even with the cab ride my total cost for the journey was $130 HKD, far more palatable than $350 cab fare the other night. And it was much quicker too. I alighted from the train at the airport just over 20 minutes after I got on.


Having taken care of the check in formalities in town, I just headed straight for immigration and security. As usual, both were painless, and then it was lounge time! Even though I was flying an economy ticket, I had access to all of Cathay’s lounges thanks to my AAdvantage Platinum (oneworld Sapphire) status. Seeing that one of Cathay’s newer lounges The Bridge, was on the way to my departure gate, I decided to head there. The Bridge is located more or less in the middle the airport, and I’d assume it gets its name from its location: on the bridge between the two terminals. It took about 10 minutes to reach from security. I handed my lounge invitation to a waiting attendant who welcomed me into the lounge.

Since I didn’t time to shower before checking out, I went to the shower attendant to add myself to the waitlist for a shower room before exploring the rest of the attractive lounge. The natural light and earthy tones of the décor made the lounge pleasing to the eye. Tarmac views were quite nice as well. Seating appeared to be plentiful, that said, it was not very crowded during my visit. Obviously, breakfast was served during my visit and consisted of typical hot and cold western and Chinese options, all of which were much better quality than what I ate the past few days at the Holiday Inn Express. I grabbed a bit of dim sum, fruit, and yogurt while waiting.


My pager buzzed just as I finished eating, so I was off to my much needed shower. The shower room was of good size and featured the same new design as the showers in Cathay’s flagship lounge, The Wing. It is certainly more modern and attractive that the previous faux marble and black tile design. The rainfall showerhead was much appreciated, and it ranks as certainly one of my better airport shower experiences, right up there with the showers rooms at the Terminal A Admirals’ Club at DFW. Though that’s were comparison ends as Cathay’s amenities are far better, or at least smelled a lot better than the Dermalogica products American provides.


I emerged from the shower room feeling refreshed. Since I still had I some time to burn, I decided to head one of Cathay’s other lounges, The Pier, which was located a few gates down from mine. Although fairly large, The Pier is a rather unimpressive lounge with its low ceilings and very limited tarmac views. I couldn’t resist grabbing some salty soy bean milk, which is my favorite Chinese breakfast.


Bored, I headed back out to the terminal to do one of my favorite activities: plane spotting. Hong Kong is one of the best airports in the world to do just that. With every flight being an international flight, there is a fantastic variety of different liveries from around the world. And seriously, how cool is it to pass by three gates all of which are occupied by planes heading to three different continents. While most of the long haul departures are in the afternoon and evening, I was still treated to multitude of liveries I haven’t viewed first hand or ones I don’t get to see very often.



The crown jewel of the morning was being able to capture this (not so) little beauty landing and then taxi to its gate.


Eventually, I made my way to my gate, where I found the A330-300 operating my flight being readied for the short hop over to Guangzhou.


Boarding had already begun by the time I arrived at the gate. I didn’t notice any signage or hear an announcement for priority boarding of oneworld elites, so I trudged back to end of the lengthy queue that had already formed. There were several agents moving down the line checking passports and visas. After glancing at the visa, my boarding pass was stamped, and then I queued for a few more minutes before I finally reached the boarding pass scanner.

Dragonair 782
Hong Kong (HKG) - Guangzhou (CAN)
Depart: 8:00 AM
Arrive: 8:55 AM
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
Seat: 44A (Economy Class)

A couple of smiling flight attendants greeted me as I entered the plane and made my walk of shame through the Business Class cabin. No offer of an escort to my seat, as expected, but on that day I could have seriously used one. First off, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been seated this far back on any plane. In fact, it’s probably been a couple of years. And secondly, damn, these A330-300s are long. One could seriously get lost in this. Combined with the shock of seeing more than two seats grouped together, the journey to my seat felt like an eternity. I say all this in jest, of course, but there is a certain stigma associated with flying coach/economy/cattle class here on FlyerTalk.

Dragonair’s A330s are configured 2-4-2 in coach. My seat, 44A, was a window seat on the left side. It was decently padded, and just as important, the pitch and width of the seat was good for a coach seat. It was a very comfortable setup for my short flight, and I even think it would be bearable for a medium to longhaul flight. When I had chosen my seat that morning, the flight looked wide open, including the seat next to me. Alas, it was not meant to be as my seatmate arrived midway just as boarding was wrapping up. After the boarding door closed, the flight attendants came about came through the cabin to distribute a small packaged snack and a bottle of water. While not much, it was far more than what I would get on a similar length flight back in the States, where many a cabin crew cops out with an announcement of, “Due to the short duration of this flight…”


The cabin door was closed on time, and the plane was pushed back shortly after. Other than an Air India Dreamliner, there wasn’t much traffic out and about on the taxiways of Hong Kong International Airport that morning. Light rain began to fall midway through our taxi, so I directed my attention to screen mounted on the seat in front of me. Dragonair’s entertainment system is just a rebranded version of Cathay’s, fittingly dubbed StudioKA. Even the content was exactly to same as on my Cathay flight a few nights before. The screen itself was of good resolution, and provided a very responsive touch interface. I picked a couple of episodes of The Big Bang Theory to (re)watch on this short flight.


No need to hold short or in position that morning, just line up with the center line and go. And go we did. Airbus designed the A330 to be primarily a longhaul aircraft, carrying massive amounts of fuel for the long journey. Our aircraft that morning carried a very small fraction of the fuel needed for a long haul flight, and it showed as we sprinted sprightly down Runway 7R and practically leaped skyward. I managed a quick shot of one of the islands surrounding Hong Kong, before we climbed through the low overcast, which shrouded the Earth below.


Guangzhou’s Baiyun International Airport lies just 84 miles to northwest of Hong Kong, making this the short flight I have ever taken, besting my 164 mile trip from College Station, Texas to Dallas. Flying time was announced as 34 minutes just before takeoff, and one and a half episodes of The Big Bang Theory later, we were descending over Guangzhou. I caught a fleeting glimpse of what looked to be central Guangzhou through a break in the clouds on the way down.


Rain began pelting the aircraft during the latter stages of the descent. By the time we touched town on the runway, it looked more like a monsoon. It was rather short taxi to the gate, and I was off the aircraft about 15 minutes later. While I have visited Guangzhou some years before, this was the first time I’ve flown into there. I was rather surprised impressed by the modern glass and steel look of the airport. Not surprisingly, I passed by numerous China Southern aircraft on my way to immigration. No pictures, as there were signs every 5 feet indicating photography and cell phone usage was prohibited, and there a number of armed policemen dotting the terminal. One of the most valuable lessons one learns living in Texas is that he/she who has the gun always wins. I believe that lesson is applicable here.

Immigration was decidedly a non-event. A dour faced short haired woman glanced at my passport and my visa, typed on a computer for 10 minutes with a superior looking over her shoulder, and then stamped me into the country. It was a bit disappointing given how much heartburn I suffered trying to get a visa. Since I was still working in Dallas at the time and waited to the last minute, I used an agency in Houston to help with the visa process. It’s supposed to be simple. Fill out the form, send everything to the agency, pay the visa fee and put a few bucks in the agency’s coffers, and then my passport with the new visa would be ready in a few days. I used the US Postal Service to ship my passport and paperwork down the agency. I did opt for tracking and next day delivery, but I promptly lost the tracking number. To complicate matters, the postal service apparently does not have the ability to look up tracking numbers. So I called the agency. A lovely sounding young lady answered, put me on hold for about 5 hours, only to tell me she couldn’t find my passport. Oh, crap. I called again the next two afternoons and got the same answer. Ok, now it’s time to panic. I seriously began to ponder ordering an emergency replacement passport, and was about to do so until I got an email from the agency confirming receipt of my passport and processing of my visa application. All that worrying for nothing.

Mainland China has a well-deserved reputation as a “Wild Wild West”. There is no shortage of people looking for quick buck in China, and scams are a dime a dozen. It didn’t take but 5 minutes after leaving the immigration hall to learn that lesson well. My grandparents’ flat is located about 90 kilometers north and west of the airport, near the city of Qingyuan. I was supposed to catch the 10AM bus to the Holyten Hotel in Qingyuan, where I would meet my grandpa. I wasn’t sure where the busses loaded, so I headed to information desk to ask. In what I think is passable Mandarin, I asked the lady at the desk if she knew where the bus departed from. She immediately replied there was no bus. When I asked if she was sure, she made a show of asking a few people. Still no, but she could cut me a deal for a private car for 700 CNY or about $100. Since the wifi signal was spotty in the arrivals hall, I couldn’t make a Skype call to my grandpa, and I figured a cellular call to him would cost about the same. So I reluctantly accepted. The private car turned out to be a Buick Terraza minivan. While not cheap, it was a comfortable ride.

The ride to Qingyuan was interesting, as we passed through a weird mix of modern buildings and dilapidated slums. Of course, there was the never ending parade of overloaded pint sized trucks and scooters. Ah the, scooters. It never ceased to amaze me how people loaded up those poor little things, some of which seemed like it could haul more than a Honda Civic, yet with far less horsepower.


It took over an hour to reach the hotel. My grandpa was already there waiting. He had begun to worry when I didn’t arrive with the 10AM bus, but thankfully, I made it before he went into full panic mode. My grandparents’ gracious neighbor gave us a ride back to their subdivision, where I spent a couple of days before heading out on a little adventure.

dat4life

My grandparent’s flat is in a subdivision nestled in the mountains north of Qingyuan. The isolated location made it a nice and quiet spot to relax. I spent a couple days there before hitting the road again, this time with my grandparents. After I rearranged my trip, my grandpa talked to me about taking a side trip while I was in China. The purpose of the side trip was threefold:

- He thought I would be bored spending an entire week at their flat (right on);
- Qingyuan just got a bullet train, something neither of us have experienced;
- my grandpa wanted to go back to the city of Wuhan, which was the last stop for my grandparents and my dad when they fled China for Hong Kong back in the late 1960s.

I am one of those people who are “up for whatever”, especially when it comes to traveling and seeing new places, so I said, “Sure, I’m down.” That got me a blank stare from my grandpa. “That sounds like a great idea” elicited a more enthusiastic response. I had trouble buying train tickets on the interwebs with my US credit card, so my grandpa purchased the tickets at the station during one of his trips to town. As for the lodging, I was quite surprised to see Marriott had Renaissance property in Wuhan. To boot, it was a Category 2 property which would cost me just 10,000 points a night. I ended up booking two rooms for two nights on points. The 40,000 points spent was far more palatable than the $800 ($200 per room per night) I would have paid.

With a 7:30 AM departure, I went to bed early only to be woken by a text at 2 flipping AM, a hour not fit for man or beast. All of my family and friends in the states knew I was out of the country. It was in the afternoon in the states, so that rules out a drunk text. Maybe it was an emergency. Hmmm… As it turns out, it was a text from work. Thanks guys. Curse automated texting systems…


We were off to the train station a few hours later. Heavy rain clouds built up in the sky during the ride down to the train station. It looked as though we might miss the rain, but it started pouring just as we were pulling into the train station. While there was a large overhang over the entrance to the station, there were barricades and a curb separating it from the driveway. But this is China, and pretty much anything goes. Following the lead of a parade of other cars, we hopped the curb and skirted around the barriers. At least we made it into station dry, important for my grandmother, who wasn’t feeling well. Once inside the cavernous station, we went through an airport style security checkpoint, complete with a boarding pass check, x-ray, and metal detector.


Traveling with the elderly is difficult, and even more so when they have mobility issues. While my grandpa was fine, my grandmother had difficulty walking long distances, making it very slow going. I have traveled with them on occasion back in the US, but mostly to familiar destinations so we were able to essentially plan every step of the trip. This time, we were in truly uncharted territory for us. Playing by ear and taking it slow were the marching orders of the day. We hit our first proverbial bump in the road after clearing security. Just past security were a set of escalators, but the up escalator was out of order. I looked around for an elevator for the better part of 10 minutes, but couldn’t find one and the few people passing by were unwilling help. Slowly but surely, we made our way up the broken escalator. Once at the top, there was large waiting area. I found a couple of empty seats for my grandparents to rest while waiting for the boarding call for our train, which was made just a few minutes later. Our tickets were checked, and then we were allowed onto the massive platform.


At first, we were a bit confused as to where we should board the train. I then noticed plaques with sequential numbers dotting floor of the platform. I figured they indicated car numbers, which was confirmed by a passing attendant. We quickly found the spot for our assigned car, number 7.


All of the sudden, there was loud boom which turned into a shriek as a train passed through the station close to full speed. That made me even more excited for the trip. This was my first long distance train trip, unless you count my 49 mile journey between Union Station in Washington DC and Baltimore Washington International Airport on Amtrak. And to have my first real train trip on a bullet train was pretty awesome. A few minutes later, my wait was over as our sleek train silently glided to a stop on the tracks in front of us.


Holding back a few seconds to allow arriving passengers to pass, we boarded the nicely air conditioned car. A (train) attendant looked up from her iPhone just long enough to give us a nod as we boarded. Yep, just like boarding a plane. As modern and sleek the exterior of the train looked, its interior was downright dowdy. Its seats look as if they had been taken straight off an Air China 707. That said, they were well padded and appeared recently upholstered. Combined with a foot rest, excellent pitch, and a domestic First Class-esque 2-2 configuration, it was comfortable. The car was empty when we board and Qingyuan, so we easily found our seats, 6A for me and 6D and 6F for my grandparents.


A triple ding signaled the doors were closing and we under way seconds after that. The train slowly accelerated until we were clear of station, and then quickly accelerated to 303 kph. There was no sensation of a sudden increase in speed like on a takeoff roll. It was ridiculously smooth and quiet. The speed indicator in the front of the cabin was the only way I could tell we were moving fast. Not long after we left the station, the attendants set up an airline style aisle cart to distribute snack boxes and offered a choice of really crappy tea or instant coffee. I went with the really crappy tea. The snack box was filled with sweet and savory crisps. It was ok, and good enough to tide me over until we reached Wuhan.


Hunger sated for now, I turned my attention to Chinese countryside flashing by my window. When most people think of modern China, they think of the modern skyscrapers of Beijing and Shanghai. Even today, the vast majority of China’s population is still in rural areas and is quite poor. The rice paddies, shanties, and the rundown towns were a far cry from the luxury shops lining many a street in those aforementioned metropolises.


Just over 3.5 hours after we left Qingyuang, we were slowing down for approach to ridiculously smoggy Wuhan. After the train came to the complete stop, we got off and were making our way through the impressive Wuhan station minutes later. Given its central location, Wuhan is the central hub for most of the bullet train lines in China. Hence, its massive size.


I’m sure most of y’all have noticed how big of an avgeek I am. Hell, I’m the guy who would rather fly the 224 miles between Dallas and Houston, than drive. But I couldn’t help but be impressed by the bullet train. What an easy and efficient way to travel. No ridiculous security checks, no need to arrive at the airport early or purchase a ticket ahead of time for a decent price… If only the proposed bullet train between Dallas and Houston would come to fruition… Now that would be a serious game changer.

I couldn’t tell what make or model the taxi was, but whatever it is, it makes a 1990s era Toyota Tercel look like a full size car. I’m not a tall at 5’9”, but I couldn’t help but bang my head on the car when I got in. Needless to say, my grandmother had trouble getting in, but we managed. And it was horrible shape. The engine was vibrating very noticeably, the suspension system was shot 200,000 kilometers ago, and the interior was in horrible shape. Ever heard of regular maintenance? Sheesh. Thankfully, it was a very short ride to the hotel.

Located in the financial district, the Renaissance Wuhan is not ideal for tourists wanting to sight see. But it’s fantastic property with a wonderful staff, making any inconvenience more than worth it. When our rickety taxi pulled up to the hotel, several sharply dressed porters helped my grandparents and I out of the car, grabbed out bags, and lead us to registration desk. An agent immediately greeted us and took my passport and credit card to process our check in. Another agent came by to offer us cups of cold jasmine tea, which was very refreshing. Once the agent checking us in saw my Platinum status in the system, she called over the front desk manager, Jenny, to finish checking us in. Because of my status, one of our rooms had been upgraded to a large corner room. Since that room had two queen beds, that would be for my grandparents, and I would take the adjoining standard king room. Before leaving the US, I called had called the Platinum line and offered to pay for club lounge access for an additional person, as my benefits only included access for two and there were three of us traveling. The agent put a note in my reservation, but Jenny told me she was happy to grant access for one more person without charge. No complaints there.

Formalities completed, Jenny escorted us to our rooms on the 20th floor. Since maintenance had to be called to open the connecting door, she brought us to my grandparents room first so they could get settled and relax. For a hotel outside of the US, the room was on the large side. Furnishings were typical for a Renaissance, which meant everything was functional and comfortable, though not particularly stylish. One of the nice features of the corner room is the windows that wrapped around the majority of the room. Though they weren’t of much use, as it was very smoggy until the day we left Wuhan. The hotel had already placed welcome gifts of a fruit plate, chocolates, and sparkling water were already in the room. Knowing my grandpa’s sweet tooth all too well, I chose a Platinum amenity of ice cream, which arrived just a couple minutes after we arrived in the room. He really enjoyed that.


My room was almost identical, albeit slightly smaller and with a king bed. Here’s a picture for the sake of completeness.


Although there are offerings throughout the day, we only made use of the lounge for breakfast. The lounge is rather large, and furnished with plenty of tables and chairs. The breakfast spread was excellent with a good mix of hot Chinese and Western options, including fried noodles, steam egg cake and buns, congee, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and baked beans. A good variety of cold items were also available, including smoked salmon, fresh fruit, and yoghurt. A selection of breakfast breads was also on offer. An espresso machine was also available, and it was equipped with STEAM WANDS! The barista in me wanted whip up a perfect cappuccino, alas the steam wands were disabled. Disappointing, but I suppose it’s a liability issue. My favorite part of the breakfast spread had to be the wide variety of fresh juices. In addition to the run of the mill orange and apple juice, there was pear, watermelon, pineapple, and peach juice available.


We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Renaissance, which was a small spot of tranquility in a sea of chaos that is Wuhan. What set the property apart is the friendly and incredible professional staff. From the porters, to the front desk agents, to the club lounge attendant, they were all true pleasure to deal with. It was evident that the tone was set from the top as reflected by the front desk manger, Jenny. Even after checking us in, she addressed us by name and made a good effort at small talk each time she saw us around the property. When she learned my grandmother wasn’t feeling well the second day, she immediately offered to run to the drug store or call a doctor. That wasn’t needed; however, her genuine concern and caring attitude were much appreciated. I told her just that when we were checking out, and promised to fill out a survey and post a review on Trip Advisor when I got home. Jenny took it a step further and made me promise not to single her out, but attribute the great service to the entire staff. I readily agreed. Obviously, I would not hesitate to return to this property; however, that would mean returning to Wuhan, something I’m not too keen on as you’ll see in the next installment.

dat4life

Up until when my grandpa asked me if I wanted to go there during my visit to China, I had never heard of Wuhan. For some reason or another, I never got around to do any research on the interwebs leading up to my trip. So I really had no idea what to expect, a rarity in the information age. At first glance, at least or what I could see through the ridiculously thick smog, Wuhan appeared to be just like any other city in China: in the process of modernization and in the midst of economic boom. The streets were teeming with seemingly endless movement and never ending chorus of the put putting of motors and horns.

After settling in to our hotel rooms, we hopped into another dilapidated cab and set out to explore the town. Our first stop was the Yellow Crane Temple.


Tickets cost just 100 CNY, but for 50 CNY more we could purchase a package that included a dinner cruise on the Yangtze River later that evening. We chose the dinner cruise package, and went on our merry way.

One of the things to consider when traveling with the elderly is of course accessibility. At the places we visited in China, overall accessibility is poor. A good example of this is at the Yellow Crane Temple. There were a series of long and rather steep staircases to traverse, but no elevator for any of them. While my grandpa is still fine mobility wise, my grandmother was having some difficulty, but she managed for the most part.

After climbing the first flight of stairs, we finally arrived at the gate of the temple. Upon entering is traditional Chinese garden. While I didn’t care for the aesthetics, personally, it was a rather serene and comforting place.


After spending sometime in the garden, we headed up another steep flight of stairs and then walked for about another 10 minutes before finally reaching the temple.


Legend has it that a man flew off nearby Snake Mountain on a yellow crane, and became an immortal. That prompted the town folk to erect the original Yellow Crane Temple in his honor, around 200AD. The tower was then destroyed and rebuilt numerous times. In 1981, the government decided to relocate the tower to its current location and construction on the most recent rendition of the tower was completed a few years later. While there actually was an elevator to ascend to the observation deck on top of the temple, we felt there wouldn’t be much of view because of the smog. So we ended up just exploring the grounds around the temple.


Working in the banking industry, I’ve dealt with my share of armored vehicles. But at least in the States, I’ve never seen any operator bring along assault rifles for the ride. I found this rather amusing.


Soon enough, it was time to hop on the mini tour bus for our dinner cruise. Spirit Airlines must have taken the cue from this particular tour operator. Describing the seat pitch as “tiny” would be very generous. Thankfully, it was a short ride over to the boat.


I did get to see a bit more of the city on the way.


About 15 minutes later, we arrived at the pier. First thing on the agenda was dinner. As we skipped lunch, both my grandparents and I were rather hungry. Dinner was served buffet style. The spread consisted of noodles, rice, roast chicken, fish, and vegetables. It was definitely more quantity than quality, but overall everything was quite edible. Besides, I really couldn’t complain given the price I paid


After dinner, we headed up topside to get ready to go underway. The heavy smog obscured most of the views. In fact, it was tough to make out the cargo ship moored just a couple hundred feet away.


The view improved as the sun begun to set, and the lights of Wuhan’s skyline began illuminating the sky.


There was a little boy wearing the infamous “split pants” running around on the upper deck. I’ve seen these a number of times during my visits to China. But it’s still a shock to me, and I don’t think I could ever get used to seeing them on a regular basis. Anyways, this said kid was rather well behaved for the most part and at least didn’t bother anyone else.


Back to your regularly scheduled programing….


Overall, the cruise wasn’t a bad value, and the views weren’t half bad after dark. Most of our excitement for the day occurred as we were trying to hail a cab back to the hotel. First thing, we had to cross to the opposite side of the street as it didn’t appear as if any cabs were picking up on the side of the street closest to the pier. A crosswalk was located, but there was no break in the traffic long enough to cross the street at a normal walking pace. And I swear drivers sped up when they saw us in the crosswalk. It was just like playing Frogger without any extra lives, so to speak. Eventually, we made it across, but not after staring down quite a few drivers and a lot of arm waving.

I had observed a several couples successfully hail a cab before we had crossed so I was fairly confident we would be able do the same. Lo and behold, a vacant cab pulled up minutes later. I went and opened the door for my grandparents, but all of sudden these two twenty something year olds appeared out of nowhere and yanked the door out of my hand. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. My grandparents were very tired after a long day, and my grandmother couldn’t walk much longer. I too was at the end of my rope, and I completely lost my cool. I went off on those guys, yelling at them in a combination of Mandarin and English with a generous dose of expletives mixed in there. Of course, they stood there looking amused. That of course ticked me off even more.
The cabbie was worthless in this situation, though I suspect this wasn’t his first rodeo and he just wanted a fare. Anyhow, by blood was boiling at this point, and I instinctively begin balling up my fists. Fortunately, a bystander intervened before the situation escalated further. He told the a-holes step the eff away from the cab, learn some manners and let my grandparents go first.

The cab ride was quick and uneventful, and we were soon back in our rooms for a restful nights sleep.

dat4life

The next day, we ended up not leaving the hotel until after lunch as it was raining. The sole item on our agenda for the day was to visit East Lake Park, which was about 10 minutes away from the hotel by taxi. It was more or less a typical city park with little touches added for tourist.


While there was a break in the rain, it was still quite misty out. So we opted to pay an extra 100 CNY for a tour of the grounds via a covered electric cart. Note, this was strictly a driving tour and no narration or even paper guides provided.


The ride on the electric cart only took about 30 minutes. It wasn’t anything special, but at least I can say I have been to the park. Upon return to the starting point, we walked toward a pavilion not far from the entrance. My grandparents had spotted what looked to be a couple taking wedding pictures in the pavilion and wanted to check it out. Turns out, there were 6 couples taking pictures there. No idea why anyone wanted to take pictures in the foul weather, but at least they all looked happy.


Of course, my grandmother took the opportunity to ask when she would be attending my wedding. Fortunately for me, a sudden downpour saved me from having to answer, but it was temporary respite from having to answer. You see, my family has been asking that question and when they can expect grandchildren for a couple of years now. After all I’m fast approaching the ripe old age of 28. *sarcasm intended* My dad, in particular, has been fairly persistent in asking those questions. Though, he usually quiets down when I tell him I can give him grandchildren anytime he wants, though that marriage thing might be a good while longer. Back to your regularly scheduled trip report….

We first took refuge under a souvenir tent, but the vendor booted us after she realized we weren’t there to buy anything. The rain had slacked off by then, but we decided to just head back to the hotel as it looked like more rain was on the way. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple. Despite numerous “on duty” taxis that passed by, not one of them stopped for us. So we ended up taking a city bus, which dropped us off just a block away from the hotel.


By the time we got off the bus, the rain had once again intensified. Unfortunately, we didn’t have an umbrella and the bus stop was across the street from the hotel. To make matters even worse, the street in front of the hotel was a major thoroughfare. There was skywalk to make crossing the street much safer, but that required climbing a steep flight of stairs. My grandmother would have troubled managing these stairs even in dry conditions, let alone the rain slick state the stairs were currently in. Slowly, but surely, we did make it up the steps and back down. Midway through crossing the skywalk, a girl (lady?) came up behind us and used her umbrella to help keep my grandparents dry. She walked us back down to the street level and to the entrance of our hotel. I couldn’t thank her enough. It was one of the few friendly acts we experienced in Wuhan, and we certainly grateful for it.

After drying off and resting for awhile, it was time for dinner. Using a Chinese version Yelp, we located a seafood restaurant not too far from the hotel with good reviews. This time, we had no issues getting a taxi both ways, though we did give an extra wad of cash to the cabbies to compensate for the short ride. When in Rome…

Though thoroughly lacking in ambience, the restaurant turned out to be fine but not exceptional for the price. The food wasn’t great, but it did the trick. Afterwards, we called it a night and headed straight back to the hotel.


The next day was a complete 180 degree turn from the previous two days, weatherwise. The rains of the previous day seem to have lift much of the heavy smog coating Wuhan, and brought some sunshine and bits of blue skies as well. It looked like we were in an entirely different city.


Since our train back to Qingyuan left in the early afternoon, we just took a leisurely breakfast and a walk in the hotel’s immediate vicinity.


While many of buildings and structures in Wuhan looked new and modern from distance, we noticed a surprising number of things that were in disrepair up close.


A nearby policeman saw me take the last two pictures, and asked me not to take anymore like that. Not wanting to risk being sentenced to the gulag, I refrained from taking anymore pictures of the buildings that were in disrepair.

Sure let’s park up on the sidewalk. And why not block a fire hydrant while you’re at it.

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Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to finished packing, and then hailed a cab back to the train station. Of course, our cab was equally as crappy as the others we took in Wuhan.


It was a short ride back to the train station, which was a very impressive structure.


My grandfather had received our boarding passes at the time of purchase, so there was no need to check in again. So we cleared the airport style security checkpoint located at the entrance of station, and entered massive modern terminal. And just like any airport, the terminal was filled to the brim with shops and restaurants.


Since we still had some time before departure, we hung out in the waiting area in the terminal building and grabbed some snacks. About 10 minutes before departure, we were allowed on to the platform.


The return journey to Quingyuan was much like our outbound.


After a comfortable and painless 3 hours, we alighted at the Qingyuan station where my grandparent’s neighbor gave us a lift back to the subdivision through grueling rush hour traffic.

Overall, it was very enjoyable trip. After all, I got to spend plenty of quality time with my grandparents, and explore a place that I’ve never been to before with them. As far as the city of Wuhan goes, I’m glad I went, but I won’t be rushing back. That said, it was real treat to have the opportunity to see what it is really like in China outside of the glitz and glamor of Beijing and Shanghai.

dat4life

I still had a couple of days with my grandparents after returning from Wuhan. As I mentioned earlier, my grandparents’ flat is located in a subdivision the mountains north of Qingyuan. The subdivision itself was quite nice but isolated from the outside world. In fact, there is only one road that leads to the subdivision. While I prefer city living (or more precisely suburban living), the isolated location was quite enjoyable and was a welcome reprieve from the noise and congestion of Wuhan and Qingyuan.


The downside of being so isolated was the limited number of immediately available services. There is a grocery store onsite but their inventory was limited to very basic necessities. So my grandfather would make the trek into to pick up groceries about once a week, using the regular bus service that ran regularly between the subdivision and Qingyuan. Our cupboards were rather bare as we were gone for a few days, which necessitated a trip to Qingyuan for groceries. I offered to go with my grandfather to help carry groceries, since it was quite a hike from the flat to/from the bus stop. The trip into town was uneventful. It was drizzling when we left the subdivision, which became a downpour by the time we made it into town.

Our return trip was far more eventful. Rain was still coming down hard as we were pulling away from Qingyuan. Despite the less than ideal weather conditions and heavily worn tires, our driver was going at it like he was on a Formula One track up a winding mountain road. More than a few moments on the drive were hair raising, and a few more were borderline panic inducing especially going around some of the sharper curves. I breathed a sigh of relief when we finally exited, but my feeling of relief was short lived when we came to screeching halt just a few thousand feet from the subdivision entrance.


Well…this isn’t good. The one and only road into subdivision was impassable. Just dandy. Understandably, our driver decided to wait it out on the side of the road. We passed time watching cars, trucks, and motorbikes rev up their engines and try to push across this stretch of road. Most of them didn’t make it more than 50 feet before stalling out. Fortunately, rain had tapered off which allowed the water to drain a bit. Actually, make it a good bit. The water level had dropped several inches, making the road passable for many larger vehicles, including our bus. But our driver refused to go, and wanted to wait it out some more. Of course, the rain picks up again and soon the water started to rise again at a fairly rapid clip. Naturally, our driver decided then it was time to give it go. We made maybe a quarter of way through the watery passage, before the driver decided it was too risky and pulls over to what he thought was higher ground. And of course, it starts pouring again and high ground the bus was parked wasn’t so high any more.

By this time, 2.5 hours had elapsed since we exited the highway and the water level continued to rise. My grandfather and I were beyond frustrated, so we began talking about possibly just walk back to bus stop. And why not? At this point, we were about a mile from the bus stop, where we could catch the inter-subdivision bus. As far we could tell, the flood water extended just about 1000 feet from our present position. The subdivision was built on higher ground, so theoretically we should be in the clear once we cleared this stretch of road. So we grabbed our bags and made a run for it.

What we didn’t expect, and in hindsight we should have expected, was the debris and sewage in flood water. This certainly wasn’t the most pleasant walk in the rain I’ve experienced, but we made it through. At the time of writing (nearly a year later) we’re both alive and kicking, so no ill effects from walking through that nasty water. Definitely not how I expected to spend the day, but it was certainly a memorable experience. I was especially proud of my grandfather that day. He might be 80 years old and battling cancer, he definitely still has trademark strength and determination.


And of course the saga of the storms didn’t end there, as a lightning strike had knocked out the water pump for the subdivision later that evening. A temporary fix was made, but that only provided intermittent water service. I spent the next day, which was the last day of my visit with my grandparents, helping them fill up buckets with water, while there was service, to make sure they had enough in case the outage was prolonged. Fortunately, full service was restored shortly after I had left for the airport.

Soon it was time to resume my journey. My flight wasn’t leaving Guangzhou until after midnight; I didn’t need to leave until at least the early evening. I would once again catch a ride with my grandparent’s neighbor. After I loaded my bags into her Chinese made BYD SUV, I said good-bye to my grandparents. I would be seeing them again in just a couple of weeks when they returned to the States.

Since she was visiting family near Guangzhou anyways, my grandparent’s neighbor had graciously offered me a ride back to the airport. While I was very appreciative of her generosity that night and throughout my visit, her driving skills were maddening to say the least. Despite light traffic, it took almost 3 hours to cover the 120 kilometers to the airport as she was unwilling or unable to drive more than 60 kilometers per hour. The drivers sharing the road with us that evening shared in my frustrations, and expressed them with a lot of honking, even for Chinese standards (which is saying a lot) and arm waving (the rough equivalent to the ubiquitous one finger salute back home).

Slowly but surely, we eventually pulled up in front of the cavernous international departures terminal of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport just before 9 PM. The check in area was abuzz with activity as check in opened for the late evening bank of flights. Signage was a bit lacking, so I spent the better part of 10 minutes hunting for the Asiana check in counters, which were tucked away in the corner of the opposite side of the terminal I was dropped off at. Unfortunately, check in wouldn’t open till 10PM as my flight was not scheduled to depart until just before 1AM. So I found an empty seat and killed time by surfing the web and catching up on some work email.


Check in opened at exactly 10PM and not a minute sooner. The agent who processed my check in looked like he was all of 15. He seemed rather cold at first, probably due to his perception of a language barrier, but he warmed up a bit as soon as figured out I spoke some Mandarin. While the agent had no problem tagging my bags all the way to Tokyo, he hit roadblock issuing my boarding pass. He explained the computer was asking that I present my frequent flier card. As I mentioned before, I booked this ticket using my grandparents’ miles. Neither of them were remotely close to being elite, so neither had any sort of frequent flier card. It’s been years since I’ve seen cards made for general members. Anyways, I explain this to the agent, he still reluctant to hand me boarding passes without a card. He managed to flag down a passing supervisor after a few minutes of wrangling. At this point, I was on my phone trying to find out how much a last minute ticket to Tokyo costs, just in case thing go seriously pear shaped. After some more back and forth, the supervisor relented and let me fly because I was using a “free ticket” anyways. Relieved and boarding passes in hand, I sprinted away front the counters before they could change their mind.

Next up was a gauntlet of security, immigration, and customs. First up, was a boarding pass check and then a security checkpoint. Both of those were painless enough, but everything came screeching halt once I reached the huge line at the immigration. While there was a line for First and Business Class passengers, no controls were in place to prevent ineligible passengers from using the premium line. So both lines were equally as long. It took nearly 40 minutes to reach the immigration officer, who took her sweet time reviewing my departure form. After she filed away my form, I thought I was off scot-free; but wait, she handed back my passport and directed me to the huge line at the customs. Fortunately, I spotted a lane for those with nothing to declare to the far side of the line, which no one seemed to notice, and was through in seconds. One last hoop to jump through was to get stamped out of the country, which was done at another different checkpoint. Bureaucracy at its finest, folks.

Asiana, along with several other airlines, uses the Plaza Premium Lounge for their premium passengers. It was located at the end of a long corridor lined with depressing looking duty free shops. I was admitted after presenting my lounge invitation. First order of business was a shower, as I didn’t have one all day due to the aforementioned water issues. An attendant led me to a shower room that was cramped, stuffy, and lacked a working lock. But it did have good water pressure, a welcome sight after the last 24 hours. Refreshed, I checked out the rest of the lounge. While it was on the large side, the lounge was very crowded thanks to the number of late night flights. A variety of drinks as well as hot and cold food was available, but it was of poor quality and not at all very appetizing. There was a large number of staff out and about in the lounge, but they seemed overwhelmed and it showed with many a dirty dish strewn about the lounge. The saving grace of this lounge was fast and free wifi, which I utilized for much of much of my visit. About 45 minutes before departure, I left the lounge and made the lengthy walk to my gate.


An Airbus A321, decked out in Asiana’s simple but elegant livery, was waiting for me at the gate. I’ve hitched ride on every variant of the A320 family, even on the somewhat rare baby brother A318. But the A321 has eluded me in my travels, as American has only recently taken delivery of the variant at that point in time. I was quite pleased to be able to check off one more item on my avgeek bucket list.


Asiana Airlines 356
Guangzhou (CAN) – Seoul (ICN)
Depart: 12:55 AM
Arrive: 5:10 AM
Aircraft: Airbus A321-100
Seat: 2B (Business Class)

Boarding began not long after I got to the gate, and I soon found myself greeted by a couple of smiling flight attendants as I stepped onto my first A321. Though this was my first flight with Asiana, I’ve read enough trip reports to know to expect the bland color scheme that awaited me on aboard. The Business Class cabin was equipped with 16 seats, similar in width and pitch to that of First Class seats on US carriers. But Asiana saw it fit to equip their seats with foot rests, which made a significant difference in comfort especially on this short red eye flight. Slippers, headphones, a bottle of water, and a blanket were already were already on each Business Class seat.


After taking a few long swigs of water, I conked out just before the cabin door closed. The next thing I know, we’re at cruising altitude and I’m staring at this sticker.


The moving map function indicated we were less than 40 minutes from landing, so I figured the odds of getting anything more than a drink were slim. Man, was I wrong. Mere minutes later, a passing flight attendant offered to fetch me a drink. I ordered a glass of water, which she promptly returned. She then asked if I would like something to eat as we still had just enough time before landing. The options were an omelet, chicken, or scallops and rice. I was rather hungry having skipped dinner the night before, so I ordered the scallops. Despite the time constraints the flight attendants gave me the full treatment: a hot towel, linens laid on the tray table, and a refill before my meal was served. Not bad at all.


What was in front of me was a full dinner with a cocktail shrimp appetizer, entrée, and one of my favorite desserts, tiramisu. The shrimp was decent, but not as good as what American used to serve on some their longer mid-con flights. The scallops dish was piping hot and a delightful combination of sweet and tangy. The rice tasted freshly cooked, not something warmed in an aircraft oven. The flight attendant also warmed some bread for me. While I was getting full, I felt bad turning it down so I took a roll. Of course, the tiramisu was absolutely delicious. Though I was served not long before landing, I never felt rushed by the crew. My meal tray and table setting was removed just as 10 minutes until our flight crew announced landing.

Soon enough, we were beginning our final decent into foggy Incheon International Airport. Touchdown was smooth, and the taxi to our gate was short. The jet bridge was promptly attached after our captain shut ‘er down, and I was on my way, thanking the excellent crew on my way out. Fortunately, we had parked at a gate close to immigration, so it was a short walk. Unfortunately, there was already a huge crowd at immigration, and the lines were slow moving. But it was a good thing I arrived at immigration when I did, as a large group of Americans joined the queue shortly after. I overheard one of the adults in the group wonder aloud if this was the correct line for foreign passports. After listening to them trying to figure it out for a few moments, I turned around told them that it was the right line. Then woman who started the conversation complimented me on my English and asked where I was from. Not wanting to pass up a chance to have a little fun with her, I told her I was from the great Republic of Texas. She didn’t quite get it, and one of her companions jumped in and said, “ Honey, he’s holding an U.S. Passport.” Oy, Cue the geographically and historically Americans challenged jokes. All kidding aside, I ended having a pleasant conversation with several members of the group. The group turned out to be the 8th grade class of a middle school in Maryland. It was their end of the school year class trip. I wish I had trips like that back in middle school days, but I certainly didn’t envy the adults having to herd a group of 50ish tweens around a foreign country. I’m sure that would probably rival herding cats.

I had intentionally planned a longer layover in Seoul with the intention of doing a bit of sightseeing. My original plan was to join one of the free city tours offered by the airport. But I procrastinated booking the tour and it was full by the time I got around to doing it. So I just decided to head into the city myself. Though Incheon International Airport is a good haul away from Seoul, there are several convenient options available to get to the city center. While busses were substantially cheaper, I decided go with the train as it was quicker and I didn’t have a lot of time to spare.

After storing my carry on and exchanging some good ol’ U.S. dollars to Korean won, I headed to the train station, which is located just beneath the airport. I purchased a ticket through one of the intuitive kiosks, dotted throughout station. After a short wait, I boarded an impressively clean and comfortable commuter train. A beautiful lady, dressed in what like looked like a Korean Air flight attendant uniform, came around to check tickets and then we were off.


I stepped off the train into the massive Seoul Station about 45 minutes later, and found my way to the subway station. It was rush hour when I arrived, so the station a hive of activity with people dashing every which way. Fortunately, the line at the ticket kiosks was short, but when it was my turn, the kiosk threw a hissy fit and refused to go into English mode. I don’t know if she was frustrated with me or just wanted to help, but the little old lady behind me tapped on the shoulder and asked, “Go where?” As my Korean is pretty much non-existent, I pointed on the map where I wanted to go, she tapped on the machine for a few moments, counted out my money for me, and handed me the ticket with a quick bow and a smile. I thanked her profusely before going on my way. The subway itself was what you expect for a major Asian city: modern and very clean.


My destination was the Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was just quick ride from the Seoul Station. The palace was still closed when I arrived, so I just took a walk around the grounds.


The ticket office opened a few minutes before the palace grounds open, but there was already a good-sized line formed. By the time I purchased the ticket, the doors to the palace were opened.

The palace dates back to the late 14th century, and served as the seat of power in Korea for many years. Over the years, much of the compound was destroyed in various conflicts, most recently during the Japanese annexation of Korea in the early 20th century. Obviously, the palace has since been restored, and looking good in the present day.


Someone was having trouble navigating those steps.


I would have liked to visit the National Palace Museum of Korea; however, after taking the tour of the palace it was already nearing 11AM. Since I wouldn’t have much time to really take a good look around, so I decided to head back to Seoul Station than risk losing track of time and missing my flight. After another quick hop on the subway, I took a walk around the immediate area of Seoul Station in search of vittles. After all, my last meal was on my flight to Seoul some 5 hours ago, and what’s a visit to Korea without sampling some Korean food.


I stumbled on to this little restaurant that smelled fantastic a few blocks away from the station. Though they didn’t have much in the way of an English menu, there were enough pictures on the wall for me to discern what the restaurant served. The owner didn’t speak much English, and I didn’t speak much Korean, but I knew enough to order what I wanted: soon dae guk and bimbimbap.

First up was the banchan, all of which were fantastic save for the crab gills, which were far too salty.


Soon dae, Korean blood sausage, is one of my favorite Korean dishes. In this iteration of the dish, it was served in light but flavorful broth. Absolutely delicious, though I wasn’t prepared for how big the portion was.


The bimbimbap was excellent as well.


All together, my meal cost just 12,000 KRW or about $11. Quite the bargain for a great meal in terms of quality and quantity. After paying, I walked around some more, to work off that huge meal, before heading back to the airport train station.

Much like the Airport Express stations in Hong Kong, Seoul Station has check in counters located in the station. I decided to get my onward boarding pass from there, instead of waiting until I got back to the airport. The agent was bewildered that I was connecting through Seoul and not originating from there. She typed furiously for a couple of minutes with a furrowed brow, before calling a colleague over. With a little teamwork, they managed to print out my boarding pass. The first agent handed it to me with a smile, and told me to go to immigration. Eh? Immigration, you say?

Though puzzled, I followed the agent’s instructions and headed through a glass door next to the ticket counters. Sure enough, it was a small immigration office. I handed the lone officer my boarding pass and my passport. After a quick glance, he stamped my passport, gave me a slip of paper and explained it would allow me to use the diplomatic channel for immigration and security. But for all intent and purposes I had effectively exited Korea. Interesting, as the train to airport drops off landside and one can easily wander off.

Arriving back at the airport a little over two hours, I headed back to baggage to storage to pick up my carry on.
It cost 6,000 KRW or about $5.40 USD, quite the bargain. And now onward to immigration, where indeed I could use the diplomatic channel. The immigration officer there glanced at my passport and waved me on through. Security was a non-event, and before long I found myself in Asiana’s spacious and attractive lounge. Greeting me at the entrance of the lounge was a large scale of model of an Asiana A380, which they would take delivery of a few short weeks later.


An agent noticed me snapping a picture of the model, and offered to take a picture of me with the model. I agreed. Afterwards, she quickly checked me into the lounge. The lounge is quite nice physically, with nice views of the tarmac. With respect to food, options were limited to a few cold dishes, sandwiches, and hot noodles. The selection of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, was actually quite extensive. I opted for a shower first to freshen up from my already long day, before grabbing a bottle of water and setting up in one of the many seating areas to edit pictures.


About an hour before departure, I packed up and went for my usual pre-flight walk. I don’t think I could find better airport on this planet to walk around in. The terminal was huge, airy, and visually pleasing with plenty of natural light and marble floors. There was the usual gauntlet of duty free luxury shops and restaurants, but there was plenty on offer for those of us who prefer more intellectual stimulation. The Korean Cultural Center has a large presence at the Incheon International Airport, and even maintains a museum on site. They also put on performances around the airport, such as the traditional Korean dance I enjoyed watching on my walk. It was an interesting and very colorful spectacle.


The gates area at Incheon airport had to be some of the nicest looking I’ve ever seen. The natural wood colored flooring, potted plants, and the interesting artwork almost seemed out of place at an airport, let alone a gate area. It was very impressive, compared to dumps we call airports in the U.S>


Asiana Airlines 106
Seoul (ICN) – Tokyo Narita (NRT)
Depart: 3:25 PM
Arrive: 5:20 PM
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 Combi
Seat: 9K (Business Class)

Though a three cabin aircraft operated the flight, it was sold as a two cabin flight. I could have easily had a First Class seat assigned, albeit with Business Class service, especially with the light load. But I had bigger fish to fry. In fact, it was the reason I decided to take this flight and forgo a few extra hours exploring Seoul. Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to fly on the Boeing 747 on multiple occasions. After flying in the true pointy end of the Queen of the Skies on my earlier Narita to Hong Kong flight, there was still one more thing I have yet to experience aboard the 747: the upper deck. This flight would be my opportunity to do so, and it would mark my first flight on a combi aircraft of any type.

Upon inspecting my boarding pass, one of the flight attendants directed me to turn right and to go up the staircase to the coveted upper deck. Score!


Another flight attendant greeted me at the top of the stairwell and led me to my seat, 64K. I asked if I could take a few pictures of the cabin, which she happily agreed to accommodate and scurried off. My seatmate, who boarded before me, was not enamored with my picture taking and asked to be reseated as soon as the flight attendant came back around. There were only 7 of us on the upper deck, so plenty of room to spread out.


Business Class seats on our 747 were of the older angled lie flat variety, but they were still comfortable and more than adequate for our sub 2 hour flight to Tokyo. The IFE screen was of good size and decent resolution, the interface was intuitive enough. Headphones, menus, and slippers were distributed shortly after I boarded.


While boarding wrapped up ahead of schedule, there was a slight delay with the loading of cargo, so we ended pushing back a few minutes late. By that time, it began drizzling. Rain was coming down pretty steadily by the time we reached the runway. After a Royal New Zealand Air Force 757 took off, we lined with the centerline, rumbled down the runway, and lifted off into the gray sky. Our take off roll was shorter than I ever experienced on a 747, which was probably due to our light load.


Flight attendants were dinged out of their jump seats well before we even entered the overcast, and immediately went hard at work on preparing for the meal service. Tokyo Narita Airport lies just 783 miles from Seoul, which is about the same distance between Dallas/Fort Worth and Chicago O’Hare. While most flights of this length in the U.S. would rate nothing more than a bag of chips or a perhaps a choice of a tiny salad or stale sandwich, Asiana saw it fit to provide us with full luncheon service. Service began on the ground with printed menus, which detailed the three meal choices, a Korean option, Japanese option, and Western option. All three options looked good on paper, but in the end I decided on the Korean option, which was bimbimbap. Menus were collected immediately after orders were taken, and unfortunately I didn’t photograph or transcribe the menu.

Post take off drinks were delivered about 10 minutes after orders were taken. I decided against an adult beverage as I was feeling a little off. Instead, I went with orange juice. I enjoyed that while I explored the content of the entertainment system. There was a decent variety of TV shows and movies available for a short to medium flight. But for longer flights, most people would find the entertainment options to be a bit lacking, especially compared to likes of Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines. Since I’ve seen just about all of the sitcoms episodes available, I decided on watching Elementary. While I’m a pretty big fan of police dramas, in particular Criminal Minds, I never really got into Elementary]. I did find it to be rather entertaining, and began watching it a little more regularly after this flight.

Table linens were laid about 15 minutes later, which was followed quickly by meal trays and top off of drinks. The contents of the tray were nicely presented with a large bowl of beef and vegetables and a smaller bowl of steamed rice. It was certainly a treat for the eyes as well as the taste buds. I was also pleased to see a fairly large serving of Korean spicy paste on the tray as well. I put that to good use as I mixed it liberally with the rice and beef in the large bowl. Though it wasn’t as good as the bim bim bap I had a few hours earlier, it was still very good and hit the spot. Due to obvious space limitations, the banchan served wasn’t half as extensive as one gets in just about any Korean restaurant, but it was good.


Just as I was finishing up the main course, coffee and tea were offered. I chose green tea, which was poured from an elegant, polished, long handled tea por. Very classy. The fruit offered for dessert consisted of a small piece of apple and pineapple. While lacking in quantity, it was excellent in terms of quality as it was fresh and ripe. Trays were cleared promptly afterwards, and refills were offered. The flight attendants remained active even after the meal service, making regular round around the cabin and offering refills frequently.


I managed to squeeze in one more episode of Elementary before we began our decent. At that time, flight attendants came around to tidy up the cabin and distribute landing cards along with pens. Soon, we were doing laps over the outskirts of Tokyo against the picturesque of the setting sun. We were released from the holding pattern 10 minutes later and made our approach into Tokyo Narita International Airport.


The main gear thumped down gently onto the runway. Spoilers up, reverse thrust, easy on the brakes and we were soon turning off onto the main taxiway. We had a lengthy taxi ahead of us, as the gate we were assigned was clear across the other side of the airport. Fortunately, there was plenty of eye candy along the way to keep me occupied in addition to some rather familiar tao;s.


We waited a couple of minutes for the jet bridges to be attached, and then we were off. I thanked the great crew on the way out, and made the 20 miles hike down to immigration. Just kidding. It was more like 19 miles. Anyways, the lack of air condition usage combined with the humidity in the terminal made for a less then pleasant walk, but I suppose there are worse things.

Immigration and customs were uneventful. After clearing both, I headed to the ground transportation desks. Per threads here on FlyerTalk and elsewhere on the web, the most cost effective method to my hotel was Friendly’s Airport Limousine Bus. I found their desk easily and purchased a ticket for their shuttle to the Shiodome area, which set me back about $35, if memory serves me correctly. I had missed the last shuttle by just a few minutes, so I ended up waiting 45 minutes for the next one. And exactly 45 minutes later, the bus was pulling out of the bus stop with me seated in the last row.

dat4life

Narita is a good haul from Tokyo proper, so it took over 40 minutes before we reached the city limits of Tokyo. My hotel, the Conrad Tokyo, was the third stop on the route. We reached it a little over an hour after leaving the airport.


Naturally, just about every American on the bus got off with me. A platoon of bellmen descended and offered assistance with baggage. I declined, grabbed my bag, and hurried into hotel to beat the rush. Another bellman greeted me as entered the building and directed me to a waiting elevator, which would take me to the lobby on the 28th floor. I was immediately greeted by yet another bellman as I stepped off the elevator. He insisted on taking my bag for me and then led me over to lone agent at the check in desk.


The agent greeted me warmly, and took my passport and credit card to check me in. I would be staying 3 nights, using two stay certificates from the sign up bonus for my Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve card for the first two nights and 95,000 Hilton HHonors points for the third night. After checking me in, the agentwent over my benefits as a Hilton HHonors Gold VIP, which included breakfast daily, complimentary pressing service, free wifi, and an upgrade to a larger bay view room. Formalities complete, the bellman, who was waiting patiently on the side with my bag, escorted me to my room on the 50th floor. He did offer to demonstrate the features of the room, but I was more interested in getting to sleep ASAP.

I was rather impressed with my room. It was much larger than I expected for a hotel room in Tokyo, and the décor was rather eye pleasing. Even the bathroom was massive. There were plenty of power outlets located around the room, and all of the furnishings were in good repair. Most importantly, the room was quiet, and the bed was comfortable.


A welcome gift of chocolates and incredibly delicious cinnamon dusted nuts was already in the room. The nuts were replenished daily, which was greatly appreciated as it made for a great snack.


The room boasted a great view of Tokyo Bay and the Rainbow Bridge.


I took advantage of the wifi, which was more than adequate in terms of speed, to Skype some folks back in the States before going to bed. The bed was comfortable and I was asleep in no time. I woke up with a head cold the next morning. Since I wasn’t feeling any better after a shower and a few cups of tea, I went back to bed hoping to sleep it off and then still have enough time to do some sightseeing. The next time I woke up was 5PM. I hated to waste a day, but all of the traveling finally caught up with me and I really needed to rest and reboot. I ended going back to sleep and waking up feeling better and refreshed the next morning.

The first order of business was breakfast. Thanks to my Hilton HHonors Gold status, I could partake in the buffet served at Cerise, one of the hotel’s restaurants. The spread was extensive, featuring both western and Asian options, and the quality was satisfactory. After filling up, I left the hotel to go explore.

Having just come from China, the first thing that struck me was the lack of ambient noise. Drivers weren’t honking their horns maniacally, and people actually followed the rules of the road. While crossing a busy street in China was an adventure, things were decidedly more serene in Tokyo as drivers actually stopped at red lights and pedestrian actually obeyed the crosswalk signal. What a novel concept.


First stop was Hamarikyu Gardens to visit the famous 300 year old pine.


I’m not a cat person, but even I though the cats running loose in the gardens were beautiful.


The gardens actually border Tokyo Bay.


I purchased a ticket for a river cruise, as I figured it would a good way to see the city.

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We passed by Tsukiji, which was impressively massive. I planned to go there for the famous tuna auction the next morning.


This boat was definitely not made for people taller than 5’10”.


The end of the line was in Asakusa. I ended walking around there for a few hours.


I stumbled onto the beautiful Sensoji temple, which was well worth the visit.


I headed back to the market area to find a place for some lunch. I found a place with an unagi set special, which came with tempura, rice, and a few pieces of sashimi, for 4,000 yen. It was good.


I rounded out the meal with a green tea pastry from one of the street vendors. It too was delicious.


Next up on the agenda, was a visit to the Imperial Palace. I was able to find a subway station relatively quickly. While Japan is one of the more technologically advanced countries in the world, transactions for the most part are old school as most establishments shun plastic in favor of old fashioned paper currency and coins. The subway was no exception. None of the ticket kiosks or counter positions accepted credit or debit cards. With the help of a very friendly employee, I was able to purchase ticket to Chiyoda, where the imperial Palace was located. Just like its counterparts throughout Asia, Tokyo’s subway system was clean and efficient.


I arrived at Tokyo Station in about 30 minutes. It was a short walk to the Palace.


Of course, I arrived at the palace gate to find it closed.


While I was disappointed, I did take some solace in walking around the surrounding area, which appeared to be a business district. It was really cool to experience the ebb and flow of a Tokyo rush hour. While people were rushing around me, they all made it seem so effortless, if that makes sense. Quite fascinating, really. Eventually, I hopped back on the subway, and headed back to the hotel.

After a workout in the hotel’s well equipped gym, I was ready for some dinner. I knew that I wouldn’t likely have a whole lot of time to for a sushi breakfast after my planned visit to Tsukiji the next morning, so I figured now would be as good of a time as any to grab some good sushi. The concierge recommended Azure, which was a restaurant in the vicinity of Tsukiji. A quick check of Google Maps showed the restaurant was about a 20 minute walk from the hotel. So I has the concierge book a reservation for me, and off I went.


Somehow, I took the wrong turn and ended up in the complete direction of where I was suppose to be. Short on time to make my reservation, I hailed a cab, which got me to the restaurant with time to spare. It turns out, a reservation wasn’t needed as I was the only one at the sushi bar that evening. Service began with deliciously strong green tea and a scented hot towel.


I ordered a 9 piece sushi set. First up, was the red snapper. Delicious.


That was followed by quick kill shrimp. As the name implies, the chef literally plucked a live shrimp from a tank. The shrimp’s head is removed as was the rest of the shell. The head was then grilled and served later, and the meat is served nigri style. It was weird at best and I can’t say I enjoyed it, but at least I’ve tried it.


The fatty tuna was also excellent.


It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I rather enjoy sea urchin. This was no exception.


The clam was good.


The quick seared tuna was phenomenal. I ended up ordering several extra.


The meal cost about $65. Not cheap, but considering how fresh the fish was, I thought it was worth it. I had a nice chat with the chef on the difference between sushi in the U.S. and in Japan. While I enjoy Americanized sushi, I absolutely love the simplicity of traditional sushi.

After dinner, I walked around a bit in the surrounding area before heading back to the hotel to turn in for the night.


I really enjoyed my visit fast and furious visit to Tokyo. While I did get to see a good bit, there’s still so much to see and do in Tokyo. I’m definitely looking forward to visiting again.

dat4life

On my last morning in Tokyo, I planned to go to Tsukiji fish market to watch the famous tuna auction since I had to be up somewhat early for my flight anyways. Now, I get up pretty early to head to work on most days. But waking up at 3AM on vacation is whole different animal. In summary, it plain sucks. Eventually, I managed eventually to extricate myself from the comfortable bed. Unfortunately, it was raining cats and dogs when I got outside. So I decided to head back to bed and catch a couple of extra hours of sleep. Waking up for good at a little after 6, I had time for a workout in the hotel gym, and a light breakfast before checking out.

My flight was departing from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, which is much closer to the city, so I decided to take a cab instead of a bus. A bellman sprinted to the street to flag down a cab for me, and then sprinted back to where I was standing so he could help me load my bags. Not that I needed help, but I still appreciated the gesture nevertheless. Out of habit, I tried to tip the bellman, but he turned it down with a smile and said, “Not here in Japan.” Fair enough. When in Rome…

It was just before 9 AM when my cab eased away from the hotel driveway and into the tail end of the Tokyo rush hour, which was much worse than I had expected. But I had plenty of time to make my flight, so I wasn’t worried. Besides, I was comfortably seated in the back of my cab, enjoying watching the hustle and bustle going around me. Comfortable…. That’s not a word typically associated with cabs in much of the world, especially in the United States. But every cab I set foot on in Tokyo was uniformly clean, comfortable, and in excellent repair. To boot, they all had a handy charging station in the back seat, which consisted of a 15 pin Apple proprietary connection, a micro USB connection, as well as a USB port for all other devices. Impressive, and it’s something I could really get used to.


We arrived in front Haneda’s international hall about 45 minutes after leaving the Conrad. I checked the information screen after entering the terminal to find where the Thai Airways were, but it wasn’t listed. I did spot a bunch of Star Alliance airlines’ counters to my far right. Figuring Thai would be located among them, I headed over there. As it turns out, Thai’s check in counters were located on the opposite end of the building. Go figure.

I hoofed it over to there, and quickly located Thai’s counters. There was a staff member guarding the First Class line. After I presented my itinerary, she warmly welcomed me and ushered me the whole 10 feet between the entrance and the counter. While Thai does have a website, it’s more or less worthless. Check in online? Only for select departure cities. Select seats? Forget about it. So at the counter, I requested seat 1A for both my Tokyo to Bangkok and Bangkok to Sydney flights. While the agent was able to assign me 1A for the first segment, she was unable to unblock the seat for the second. No big deal, I can take care of that in Bangkok.

After handing over my boarding passes, the check in agent introduced me to my escort, who was a cute Japanese girl about my age. We walked briskly toward the security checkpoint, where she undid one of the rope barriers and led me toward the diplomat/crew security and immigration lane, We separated for a brief moment while I went through immigration, but she found me as soon as finished with the officer. She then announced that we were going toward the ANA Suites Lounge. On the way, we made small talk, mostly about my time to Tokyo.

It was a short walk to the lounge, which was located one level above departures. No need to present my boarding passes here, as my escort marched me straight past the reception desk and settled me into the lounge. After asking if I was comfortable no less than half a dozen times, she was finally satisfied and told me that she would return 10 minutes prior to boarding to fetch me. The lounge was alright. It gets its name from the rows of “suites” taking up most the lounge, not very different in size from those found in First Class on many an airline. While that size is great on a plane, I felt rather claustrophobic on the ground, probably due to the taller dividers. Also, the seat in the cubicle wasn’t very comfortable. I did notice some seating near the windows on the way in, but there weren’t any empty seat available. Give me an American Airlines Admirals Club or even an empty gate area over this any day.


I only had an hour or so until boarding, so it wasn’t such a big deal. But I wouldn’t want to stay in this lounge much longer than that. A staff member came by a little while after I sat down with hot towel and a menu. Since I wasn’t hungry, I just ordered a glass of still water and sipped on that for the duration of my visit. It was topped off regularly. I passed time by working on this trip report (hard to believe I know). My water was refilled regularly. Soon enough, my escort returned. I quickly packed my things and got the heck out of there.

And this is when things got a wee bit awkward. As I mentioned earlier, my escort and I made small talk on the way to the lounge. We chatted some more on the way to the gate, which was literally the very last one in the terminal. So we had plenty time to talk. At first it was fairly normal stuff. Where I was from; how often do I travel; and why I was going to Sydney. Then our conversation went on a rather personal tangent. She started asking about my profession, which was fine by me. Then the conversation somehow evolved to what my salary was, my age, whether or not I was currently attached. Whoa Nellie. Most people would have been annoyed or even angry. After all, a boundary or two was just crossed. I, however, was more amused than anything. That was more or less the standard line of questioning my grandparents used on one or two of my girlfriends. I suppose this turnabout was payback. So I humored her. To be fair though, I also learned a good bit about my escort. (Ok…so it was just slightly strange writing that last sentence) She was a Tokyo native and was presently studying at an university. At 24, she was just a couple years younger than me and hoped to be a teacher after she completed her studies.

We continued chatting until we reached my departure gate, where the gate agents just posted a 15-minute delay of boarding. Though she offered to wait with me, I thought it would be a bit weird for her to be “forced” to hang out with me, so I thanked her and politely sent her away Besides, the conversation really died down toward the end of our walk, and I’m more than capable of passing those extra 15 minutes in the terminal without assistance. I think…


Thai Airways 683
Tokyo Haneda (HND) – Bangkok (BKK)
Depart: 10:35 AM
Arrive: 3:05 PM
May 27, 2014
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400
Seat: 1A (First Class)

It was a quite a hike down a corridor and then on to one of the longest jetbridges I’ve ever set foot on, but I eventually reached door 1L. There was no one to greet me as I entered the aircraft. No big deal as I knew where I was going, though it was noteworthy nevertheless. I made the coveted left turn toward the sanctum of this gorgeous 747-400’s nose, which would be my home for the next 6 hours. It was immediately apparent why no one was at the door greeting passengers. Both of the First Class flight attendants as well as one of the Business Class flight attendants was helping the one of the elderly couples, who had preboarded, get settled in. One of the flight attendants immediately looked up when she heard me coming and said, “Good morning, right this way”, gesturing to my seat, 1A. I was the last piece of the puzzle as it was just the three of us upfront this morning.

After I stowed my carry on in the overhead bin, I took my surroundings. The aircraft operating my flight was equipped with Thai’s older First Class product, which still featured lie flat seats but offer far less privacy than their newer First Class product. On the flip side, the lack of dividers made for a far more spacious and airy feeling, which I prefer. Seeing the cabin color scheme in person did not improve my opinion of it. It’s still somewhere in between “meh” and downright “fugly”, though it may inched a bit toward the “fugly” side. At first glance, the cabin appeared to be clean though there was plenty of signs of wear and tear all around the seat trim.


As y’all can see, the cabin is rather dated. Reinforced by the prominent pull down projector screen in front of the cabin and the 90s era IFE hardware. That said, the seat was very comfortable and everything worked fairly well.

One of the flight attendants came to welcome me aboard as I settled into my seat. She informed me of our flying time of 5 hours and 25 minutes and apologized for the delay. Apparently there was an issue with paperwork, but it was all sorted out and we should arrive in Bangkok on time. The menu and the wine list for the flight presented then. The flight attendant also explained that lunch would be served after take off and there would be a snack service about 30 minutes prior to landing. The other First Class flight attendant soon followed with a bottle of Dom and glasses on a tray. I gratefully accepted, and enjoyed several glasses while we waited for the final preparations for departure to be completed.


Doors were shut about 20 minutes past scheduled departure time, and we pushed back a few minutes after that. One by one, our four engines rumbled to life and we began our long taxi to the active runway. After passing by an Asiana A330, we held to allow a smart looking Cathay 747-400 to pass. The route to the runway we were assigned was interesting, as we taxied through what appeared to be an alley between hangers, which were probably not more than a few hundred feet away on either side of our aircraft. While some may bemoan such a long taxi, I certainly didn’t mind since it gave me plenty of good plane spotting opportunities, which was dominated by ANA 787s.


After a solid 15 minutes, we finally reached the runway, and held short to allow that same Cathay 747 in front of use to take off. I was beyond giddy, as my vantage point allowed me take a bunch of great pictures and even a video of its take off roll unobstructed.


We taxied into as soon as the Cathay 747 rotated off the runway, but held presumably for spacing purposes. The engines spooled up and we were soon gathering speed down the runway. While not quite as sprightly as its younger sibling, the 777, our older gal still had plenty of “get up and go” and rotated off the runway with out any fuss. The landing gear was retracted shortly after leaving terra firm. It was strange hearing whirring and thumping go on behind me, but I think I can definitely get used it. Our departure route took us over Tokyo Bay, but unfortunately I only caught a brief glimpse of it before the low clouds obscured my view. Conditions soon improved as we crossed the coastline and went “feet wet” over the Pacific Ocean. It was quite the spectacle seeing all of the cargo ships steaming to/from Japan.


I just happened to look up from the window momentarily, when I caught a glimpse of something in the corner of my right eye. So I turned to look and was rewarded with a view of Mount Fuji’s peak poking right through the cloud cover. At this point, we were still climbing and the seatbelt sign was on. But since the ride had been smooth up to that point, I thought to heck with it, and unbuckled my seat belt to slide over to 1K for a better shot. What I didn’t count on was that the flight attendant jump seats were positioned so that they could see everything on that side of the cabin. One of the flight attendants eyes widened as soon as I came into view. I’d imagine if I were on an US airline I would probably be tackled by an air marshal and spend the rest of the flight in cuffs for my little stunt. But none of them said a word to me and I got the pictures I wanted, so I’d say it worked out pretty well.


After I returned to 1A, I decided the give the entertainment system a whirl. I knew going in that the entertainment system on this version of Thai’s 747 wasn’t the most modern. The pop up screen is the smallest I’ve ever used in a premium cabin, and the system certainly was not the fastest nor most responsive but at least it worked. After browsing through the surprisingly decent selection, I settled on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. I can’t say I’m a terribly big fan of the movie itself, but I’m more than willing to watch anything with the lovely Jennifer Lawrence in it.

Not long after I started the movie, a flight attendant came by with amuse bouche, which consisted of chicken yakitori and a scallop skewer. Both were delicious and went well with a couple of more glasses of champagne. A couple of refills later, the flight attendant asked if I had decided what I wanted for lunch. As where did I shove that menu again? Oh yeah, here it is.


Since I had breakfast nearly six hours prior, I was feeling hungry. Both the appetizer and the soup sounded very appealing to me, so the only decision I really had to make was for my main course. The only option that sounded remotely interesting to me was the prawn dish, so I just went with that. My table was set up a few minutes later with a crisp white tablecloth as well as salt and pepper shakers, a butter dish, a couple of glasses, and a bread plate.


The first course was served not long afterwards, along with a personal bread basket, which was lukewarm at best. Another flight attendant followed with a tray of hot and crisp garlic bread, redeeming Thai in the bread department. The duck terrine was very good and the accompaniments fresh. My plate was cleared not long after I finished and was quickly replaced by the soup course. Snails are not among my favorite foods by a long shot, but I can eat it without gagging. However, I absolutely loved this soup. The flavor was perfect, not too salty like many airplane soups, and it wasn’t too creamy. The snails themselves were tender and not at all rubbery.


The soup course was also cleared quickly after I finished, and the main course soon followed. The presentation of the main course was excellent, foreshadowing how great the dish would taste. It was the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, and the shrimp was perfectly cooked. I asked for another serving of rice to I could enjoy every last bit of the sauce.


I was then offered dessert, which I declined, but I did order the fruit and cheese plate to round out lunch. It was served with a glass of port. Overall, service was fine. For the most part the cabin crew was attentive. Refills were offered with each course, and as I mentioned earlier each course was cleared quickly. But then the next course was presented within seconds of the previous course being cleared, making lunch feel a bit rushed. Our flying time was nearly 6 hours, definitely more than enough time for leisurely lunch.


After my cheese plate and table setting were cleared, I finished up Catching Fire and napped for a bit. The seat might be old, but it was perfectly comfortable for a quick snooze. When I woke up, there was a little over 2 hours until we landed in Bangkok. So I fired up the IFE system to find something else to watch. Though the system maybe about 10 generations behind the newest IFE system, it still featured a pretty good content library. I was quite surprised to find that Sum of All Fears was available. I enjoyed the movie when it was released back in 2002, but haven’t watched it again since. Might as well watch it again now.

A little under an hour before arriving in Bangkok, the flight attendants came around with the snack service, which consisted of Haagen Daz ice cream. Simple, tasty, and impossible to screw up. The cabin was then tidied up, and we were soon descending over the dark green Thai countryside.


We did a few loops over the outskirts of Bangkok before touching down rather firmly on the runway. At the time of travel, there was still a good bit on unrest in Thailand. Because of that, I was wondering if I would see interesting during decent and approach into Bangkok. But I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.


Suvarnabhumi was very clearly Thai’s territory, if all of the royal purple tailed aircraft parked around the airport were any indication. Still, there were a few aircraft belonging to airlines I’ve never heard before on the ground.


One of the things I was most looking forward to while flying Thai Airways was their famous ground services, having vicariously experienced them through many a trip report here on FlyerTalk and elsewhere on the interwebs. So when I spotted a lovely Thai lady holding a sign with my name on it on the foot of the jet bridge, I could truly act like I had been there before. Well…because I have. More or less. Anyways, I didn’t take two steps on the jet bridge when the lady smiled and said, “Mr. dat4life, please follow me.” As another agent met the couple who shared the nose of the 747 with me, it quite easy to deduce who I was. The agent led me to a waiting golf cart, where the older couple was already seated, and then the driver sped us all of 300 feet to the transit security checkpoint. After clearing security, it was a short walk to Thai’s Royal First Lounge.

Upon arriving at the lounge, the first order of business was to sort out the seating issue on my flight to Sydney. I explained to the agent at the reception desk that the staff at Haneda was unable to change my seat from my originally assigned middle seat to my desired 1A. The agent tapped at the computer for the better of a minute, looking perplexed while doing so. That’s never a good sign, but I agreed when the agent told me to enjoy the lounge while she sorted it all out. I was then led to one of the living room areas, where I was handed off to yet to another member of the staff who had a cold towel and a glass of water waiting for me.


A food menu and list of spa services was presented as well. Since I was still full from lunch, I asked for the next available performance. Thai’s First Class passengers are treated to a 60 minute spa treatment. Available treatments included up to a full body massage, which would take up the entire 60 minute time slot, or a selection of other less time intensive treatments. So I went with a 30 minute neck and shoulder massage and a 30 minute lower leg message.

Naturally, a shower is required prior to all spa treatments. I was lead to a very nice large shower room, For those of you toiletries aficionados, L’Occitane toiletries were provided. I was clean as a whistle 20 minutes later. Since I had a bit of time before my treatment, I headed back to my room to check my work email and take care of some housekeeping items. Hit a little snag as our IT department had a little meltdown as someone (me) was logging into the network from Thailand. A couple of texts and a 10 minute Skype call was needed to resolve my access issue. Fortunately, wifi in the lounge was fast and reliable and in the end I got my issue resolved. So it ended up being a rather productive layover.

The agent who was helping me with my seating issue made an appearance with my new boarding pass just before my appointment time. 1A had unfortunately been assigned already, but she was able snag me the very last window seat in the cabin, 3K. Good enough. She then led me across the hall to the spa. I filled out a basic health questionnaire, and afterwards was taken to a treatment cubical. The masseuse arrived a few minutes later and immediately got to work. We made small talk throughout my treatment, and ended up running about 10 minutes overtime. I wasn’t sure as to what the tipping etiquette was, but since the treatment itself was excellent and she was a pleasure to talk to, I gave the masseuse $20. After a few minutes in a relaxation minutes in the “finishing room”, as the masseuse called it, enjoying cold tea and sweets with a nice view of the tarmac I headed back across the hall. Feeling a bit hungry, I ordered a tom yum gai soup and fish cakes to tide me over until dinner on board my flight. They were both quite good.


I passed the remainder of my time in the lounge editing pictures, and sipping on water. About 45 minutes prior to departure, I began packing my things to head to the gate. A passing member of the staff saw me, and poked his head in to tell me not to worry as someone would fetch me when it was time to board. Over 20 minutes ticked by, before an agent popped into my little sanctuary. “Mr. dat4life, we’ve been waiting for you at the front of the lounge. We must leave now.” When someone is supposed to “fetch” me, I expect have to find that someone myself. At any rate, small potatoes.

I hurriedly threw my belongings back in my carryon and followed the agent to the front of the lounge, where an annoyed looking couple, whom were also on my flight, was waiting for us. The husband grew even more huffy when he realized the agent was taking me as well. As we exited the lounge, the agent said that there no golf cart available so we had to walk quickly. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I got a cart for what would have been a walk of a few hundred feet when I arrived in Bangkok, but no cart for what turned out to be a very long walk. The aforementioned husband on the other hand, almost snarled at the news. Calm dude…it’s only a golf cart.


We reached the gate with plenty of time to spare. During our walk, I had overtaken the couple slightly and reached the passport check point a few steps before they did. But just as I was about to hand my boarding pass to the agent to be scanned, the couple caught up with me and the husband thrust their boarding passes in front of mine and waves them at the agent. The agent was taken aback, but she quickly regained her composure and calmly reached over and took my boarding pass, scanned it, and handed it back with me a smile. I couldn’t help but smirk as I thanked the agent, and walked past the fuming couple into the jet bridge.

Thai Airways 475
Bangkok (BKK) – Sydney (SYD)
Depart: 7:00PM
Arrive: 7:30 AM+1
May 27, 2014
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400
Seat: 3K (First Class)

The purser greeted me at the door, and invited me to turn left after a quick glance of my boarding pass. I was quite excited to see that a last minute equipment swap had resulted in an aircraft with the new First Class configuration operating flight, as the old configuration was shown on Expert Flyer as late as that morning. Naturally, I got to a picture snapping. Though the cabin was mostly full by the time I boarded, everyone remained in their seats allowing me get a few decent cabin shots.


The lighter purple and brown color scheme was far less offensive than the royal purple and dark brown color scheme of the old configuration. Also as you can see, there’s far more usable storage space as well.

Amenity kits, pajamas, and slippers were distributed not long after I boarded. I changed into the pajamas right away. They were quite comfortable and breathed well, a huge plus on a long flight. The case the pajamas came in was also rather nifty as well.


After I returned to my seat, champagne was offered and accepted. Just like my last Thai flight, on offer was the ubiquitous Dom Perignon vintage 2004, which I enjoy. I received a couple of refills as well, effectively killing the bottle. Hey, it would be a shame to let all that champagne go to waste.

Push back occurred a couple of minutes late, but with favorable winds an on time arrival was still anticipated. As the safety video played during the taxi out, the purser came around to introduce himself to each passenger and wish us a pleasant flight.

We had a fairly quick, taxi and the take off queue was rather short. About 10 minutes after we pushed backed, we rumbled down a good chunk of the runway and gracefully climbed into the night sky. We couldn’t have been more than a few thousand feet off the ground, when the flight attendants were dinged out of their seats. They immediately got to work preparing for the dinner service. Before long, I was enjoying yet another glass of champagne served with nut and raisin mix. An amuse bouche of chicken with lemongrass soon followed. The nuts were somewhat stale, but the chicken was rather tasty.


Dinner orders were taken a few minutes after drinks were served. I had pre-ordered the lobster thermidor for my main course a few weeks prior. The flight attendant taking orders confirmed my requested meal was loaded, but I could order something else if I didn’t want it anymore. Hmmm…

Unfortunately, I forgot to record the wine list.

The pork curry actually sounded quite good, but the flight attendant informed me all of the pork curry dishes were spoken for. Understandable, as the orders were taken from left to right, front to back. All of the other mains were available though, but none of them sounded all that appealing. So I stuck with the lobster thermidor.

While I waited for dinner service, I fired up the entertainment system for something to watch. The upgrade in seats also rated a huge upgrade to the entertainment system. Screen is many times the size of the one found in old configuration and of much higher resolution. The user interface is modern, and more intuitive. And of course, there was an even wider variety of contect available. I settled on Argo, which I thought was quite good. However, I was pretty disappointed with the creative liberties the writers took with the actual events the movie was based, when I looked it up after the fact.

About 10 minutes after orders were taken, tablecloths were laid, settings were presented, and the bread basket were delivered. At the same time, the caviar cart began racing around the cabin. Of the airlines I’ve flown up front on before this flight, none of them used carts to serve caviar. So I was looking forward to experience cart service for the first time. Unfortunately, instead of an elegant the service is best described as cafeteria style. “Do you want caviar?” Plop, plop, plop. Repeat. That said, I did appreciate the crew trying to get the meal service done as fast as possible on this short red eye flight.


The caviar was of course tasty, but the blinis were cold and stale. When my caviar plate was collected, the flight attendant informed me that they also run out of the duck terrine for the next course and offered me the prawns instead. Not that I had a choice of anything else, so I accepted. It was alright.


The soup course was up next. It was watery and bland. I left it mostly untouched.


My main course of lobster thermidor was delivered as soon as my soup course was cleared. It looked quite promising at first. The presentation was quite nice; however, when I cut into the lobster, I realized it was quite dried out. Actually, everything on that plate was dried out and bland. I did finish it as I felt bad about wasting food.


I was stuffed, so I wasn’t in the mood for the dessert. But I did have a fruit plate. While fresh, the fruit wasn’t that ripe.


The table setting and the last of my dishes were soon cleared. Coffee and tea were then offered. I ordered a green tea. I also asked the flight attendant make up the bed to beat the post-meal rush, as it appeared as if the most of the cabin was still eating dessert. I headed to lavatory to freshen up while this was done.


The seat does convert into a lie flat seat of reasonable size and comfort. Bedding was rather basic, consisting of just a thin mattress pad, a pillow, and a comforter. But it looked great to me. Not having much sleep the night before, I conked out almost immediately after my head hit the pillow.


I slept soundly for over 6 hours, waking up to sounds and smells of breakfast being prepared in the gallery. A quick glance at the flight map showed we were just over 90 minutes away from Sydney. A flight attendant passed by a few minutes later and asked if I wanted something to drink. I went with orange juice. The cabin lights came on just as the flight attendant returned with my juice and a glass of water. I was a little disappointed that the orange juice was from concentrate and not fresh squeezed.


Another crisp white table soon materialized as the flight attendant returned to setup my table for breakfast. I better have another look that menu now.


I decided to just have the fruit plate and the soufflé. For the most part, the fruit was fresh, though the presentation was a bit lacking as the grapefruit was still wrapped in plastic wrap.


The soufflé, like more of the food I’ve had on the flight, was bland. However, the sides were tasty, and the presentation was quite nice. I cracked open my window shade, and enjoyed watching the sunrise. Though the food wasn’t all that great, it was filling and the sunrise was gorgeous, making for a rather pleasant meal.


We began descending not long after breakfast dishes were cleared. Our routing took us flying past Sydney to the south and turning back to the north flying parallel to the coastline. Those of us seated on the right side of our aircraft were treated to great views of the Australia’s rugged coastline against the backdrop of the rising sun


Another turn to the southwest taking us over Botany Bay for our final approach. The landing gear was lowered as we were making final course corrections to line up with Runway 16L. After another firm touchdown, we had a moderately long taxi to our gate.


Despite the early hour, the airport was buzzing with activity as many aircraft were being ready for another long day of work.


We had to wait several minutes for the jet bridges to be attached. During that time, the cabin crew realized they forgot to distribute the fast track immigration forms in flight, and gave them to each passenger then. Good thing they remembered, as the lines at immigration were very long with multiple long haul flights arriving around the same time. The fast track line was empty, however, and I was through in about 15 minutes. Checked bags were already on the belt by the time I cleared immigration, and I was soon on a train bound for Circular Quay.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience on Thai Airways. Onboard, both the food and service were both hit or miss, but definitely more than satisfactory. As far as the hard product goes, both products I experienced were comfortable and functional, though I would prefer the offerings to be more consistent. Now the ground services… I enjoyed the massage, and Thai’s Royal First Lounge at Bangkok was great as well. But as far as the escort service goes, I personally don’t find much value in that. I can easily find my way around the airport and keep track of time without help of a handler. I wouldn’t hesitate to fly Thai again, but I wouldn’t go out of my way fly them.

dat4life

Author's Note:I've had these latter posts more or less ready for sometime now. Never got around to posting them Well...better late never, right?

An Adventure Down Under

The train ride from the airport to Circular Quay took slightly less than hour. After arriving at the Circular Quay station, the hotel was short 10 minute walk away. The weather could not have been more pleasant with clear skies, plenty of sunshine, and temperatures in the upper sixties.

I booked my two night stay at the Sydney Harbour Marriott at Circular Quay using 40,000 Marriott Reward points per night.
The cheerful agent, who checked me in, informed me I had been upgraded to a partial Opera view room thanks to my Platinum status; however, the room was not ready at that time. She was able to offer me a standard city view room if I wanted a room right away. I was desperate for a shower after my long flight from Bangkok, so I declined the upgrade.


The room deviated quite a bit from the standard Marriott motif. On one hand, it was nice to see something different. But I really didn’t care for how blue everything was. That said, the room was clean, the bed was comfortable, and the price was right. I really can’t ask for anymore than that. After a shower, a short nap, and several cups of coffee from the concierhe lounge, I was ready to explore Sydney.

I had a lot of ground to cover, but not much time. So I decided on the Hop on/Hop off bus tour. Not cheap at ~$30, but it brought me to all of the sites I wanted to see, including Bondi beach. It also convenient as the Circular Quay stop was just a block away from my hotel. A bus pulled up just as the stop came into view. I bought the ticket from the driver, and took my seat on the upper deck. We pulled away from the stop a few minutes later. Before heading out toward Bondi Beach, we did a loop around downtown Sydney.



Sydney is home to one of the oldest Coca Cola signs in the world, and of course the oldest in Australia.


After weaving out the Sydney suburbs, we hit the highway.


We reached Bondi Beach about 30 minutes after leaving the city. Since I hadn’t eaten since breakfast on plane, the first order of business was food. There were plenty of eating options, and all of them were equally dead. So I just headed for the closest pub. I couldn’t leave Australia with sampling some local foster, Australian for beer! Or so we’re told in the States. Since I really had no idea where to begin, I just asked the waitress to bring me her favorite. I’ve had great luck with this method in many different locals, so it was certainly worth a whirl here. She soon returned with a Crown lager, which was fine though not particularly memorable.


As for food, I decided on the kangaroo burger. Can’t say I was crazy about it, but it’s something I can’t readily get in states. It was fine, tasting like a sweeter version of beef.


After lunch, I went across the street to the beach. Weatherwise, it was a good bit chillier than my typical day on the beach. But the endless sunshine and clear skies still made my visit rather pleasant. The beach itself was beautiful, with fine sand and blue water. Compared to your run of the mill beach in the U.S., it was very clean.


While Bondi Beach was nice, what I actually wanted to do was to walk the famous trail to Coogee Beach. It didn’t disappoint, with plenty of wonderful views.


I walked around 3 miles before turning back. It felt like nothing given the weather and the fantastic views. To reward myself and balance out the walk I stopped at Movenpick, which was right next to the bus stop, for a treat. The ride back into Sydney was just a pleasant as the ride out.


I hopped off right back where I started the tour at Circular Quay. After freshening up a bit in my hotel room, I headed back out to explore along the harbor harbour front.


Some famous building.


I might have heard about this monstrosity too.


Feeling beat, I hoofed back to the hotel to get some rest. By the time I reached my room, I was feeling super lazy, and didn’t even want to head up a few floors to the Club Lounge to grab a bite to eat. So I just ordered room service. Quite the crime, I know, especially in a great foodie city like Sydney. But I just couldn’t find the motivation to drag my lazy self out of the room. Afterall, I had arrived on a relatively short redeye flight that morning, and I spent the entire day exploring.

Motivation soon arrived along with my $30 club sandwich. After placing the room service tray on the desk, the nice young chap who brought up my food, proceeded to ask why the hell was I eating ctappy hotel food and holing up in my room when I was in a city like Sydney. I should note, he said this in the nicest most professional way possible. Anyhow, he was absolutely right and that gave me the kick in the rear to get going again, after wolfing down my crappy sandwich.

The aforementioned chap suggested I head back out to the harbour front and check out the world famous Vivid Festival. My first thought was that it was an adult film festival, but the chap dashed my hopes by explaining it was more of a music and arts festival. I have to admit, the harbour front did look pretty damn cool in Technicolor.


I walked around for the a little over an hour enjoying the sights and sounds before calling it a night. I awaken not long after drifting off by the shrill blast of the fire alarm. That jolted me out of bed in record time. Just as I was getting my passport and wallet out of the room safe, a rather soothing Australian accented voice came on the intercom to advise all guests to stay put and await further instructions. Well…do I wait until some mystery person tells me to get out of dodge, all the while the building is burning down around me, or do I take matters into my own hands? I didn’t smell any smoke and the door still felt cool, so I stayed put. After what felt like an eternity, the mystery person came back on intercom to give the all clear. I took a peek out of the window afterwards, and saw a number of fire trucks assembling outside of the lobby, so obviously it was a false alarm.


I did manage some solid sleep that night, and I woke up early enough to enjoy sunrise over the famed Opera House. It was quite the contrast between the hustle and bustle of the evening hours, and the stillness of the early morning.


After stretching my legs for a bit, I headed back to the hotel and hit up the club lounge for breakfast. The selection was pretty good with some hot items along with your typical continental selection. On the docket for my second day in Sydney was to join a day tour of a wild life preserve and the Blue Mountains. I had booked the tour through the hotel, and paid about $100 AUD for it. Not too bad as the tour group was pretty small, and included a bus, a tour guide for the entire day, snacks and lunch.

The bus arrived promptly at 9AM, as promised. Since the Marriott was the last pick up of the morning, we headed onto the highway toward the Featherdale Wildlife preserve, just outside of Sydney.

It isn’t every day I get to get up and close with these little fellas. There were ice cream cones filled with the kangaroo’s feed available for a few bucks.


Koala? Check. Kangaroo? Check. Emu? Check. Ok, now I’ve officially been to Australia.


More kangaroos and wombats.


It was pretty awesome seeing this bad boy up close. I can’t imagine many places in the US be willing to utilize such a thin barrier between the guests (i.e. the cash flow) and a lean mean eating machine.


After finishing up at the wild preserve, we headed out to Lincoln Rock, an out look at the edge of the Blue Mountains.


Lunch was next on the agenda, and we were bussed to a nearby town Wentworth Falls where we would be treated to a “delicious chicken lunch” at the local country club. While lunch was included in my tour package, I opted to hop off at downtown with some folks who purchased the package without lunch as I’ve never been impressed with country club food anywhere.


Wentworth Falls was certainly a nice, quite, quaint little town. There weren’t a lot of eating options, but I stumbled across a little café that looked really promising.


The daily special on offer was an open faced lamb liver sandwich on brown bread, topped with bits of crisp bacon, caramelized, and a sunny side up egg. It was absolutely fantastic, and I was sure glad I skipped out on that standard lunch.


After I ate, I took a walk around town to stretch my legs. I was joined by an American family, whom was also on the tour and opted to skip lunch, from Minnesota. I’m not going to lie, after a couple of weeks of being abroad, I was sure glad to hear a familiar accent.


The tour bus picked us up a short time later and headed to the Three Sisters visitors center.


Our tour guide mentioned the rock formation named after a Aborigine legend in which three sisters were turned into stone to avoid being married off to men they didn’t want to marry. I did a little Googling later that night, and found many on the interwebs believed that the legend was pure bovine feces, which might very well be the case. Nevertheless, the formation itself was pretty cool looking. It was a pleasant 10 minute walk from the visitor’s center to the base of the formation.


After another short bus ride and a cable car ride, we arrived at Katoomba Scenic Railroad, which is the world’s steepest railroad.


The train itself is cable driven, and the tracks are set at an angle of 52 degrees. That said, the ride is very short, carrying riders a few hundred meters down to base of the valley.


Got another glimpse of the Three Sisters on the way down.


After disembarking from the train, there was a walkway that led to an old abandoned coal mine.


Passing the mine, the walkway took us down all the way into the rainforest at the base of the valley. On the way, I struck up a conversation with one of the other members of the tour group. She and I were probably the youngest in the group so we really hit off, but we were seated on opposite sides of the bus so we hadn’t interacted until now. She had a fascinating background, being of Indian and South African decent, and had done a fair bit of traveling herself. Naturally we chatted about that for a bit, and she mentioned she had been to US a few times, including a trip to Texas to visit her relatives. As it turns out, her relatives lived in the very same suburb of Houston I was moving back to. Quite the small world which got even smaller, a couple of minutes later. After talking a bit more, I realized one of her cousins was a coworker of mine from my college job. Pretty crazy to make such a connection over 8,000 miles away from home.

With good company and fantastic scenery, walking the 2.4 kilometer trail felt like nothing.


Another bus ride later, and we were dropped off at a dock where a waiting boat would take us down Parramatta River and eventually to Circular Quay. Dusk was falling as we boarded the board, which made for a rather picturesque backdrop for our little cruise.


After disembarking at the pier at Circular Quay, I headed out with my newfound friend for an evening of fun.

dat4life

I called it a night at a somewhat respectable hour since I still had a good bit of packing to do. So I bade my new friends farewell and headed back to the hotel. Packing took awhile as it took some serious engineering to fit all the stuff I had accumulated during my journey in my bags, and well, I took a good chunk of time cursing myself for accumulating so much stuff. At any rate, I eventually finished. Try as might, I just could not fall asleep that night as I was far too excited about the next day. And rightfully so, it would be a big day for me in many respects. I would finally get to fly the world’s first super heavy for the first time, and do so in style. While quite not quite as sexy as Singapore Airlines’ Suites Class on their A380s, Qantas’ First Class product was excellent by all accounts, and I was quite excited to be able to fly Qantas for the first time.

I gave up on getting any shut eye at about 4 AM, and got ready to head to airport. Not wanting to mess with the train at that hour, I took cab to the airport. Traffic was light, so it only took a little over half an hour to reach the airport. The cab ride cost $45 AUD, and as I paid the friendly driver reminded me there was no need tip down under. While I certainly don’t mind giving a few extra bucks for good service, I did appreciate his candor. Once inside the terminal, I quickly located the First Class check in area.


Formalities were completed efficiently. I did ask the friendly agent if it were possible to through check my bags to my Cathay Pacific flight, but she was reluctant to do so given as my flight was the next day. Not a big deal, but it would have been nice. After handing over my boarding pass and fast track pass, the agent have me directions to the immigration and wished me a pleasant flight.

Though I followed an Emirates crew through immigration and security, the process was still pretty quick and I found myself entering the famed Qantas First Class lounge just a 10 minutes after getting my boarding pass. Though I’ve seen quite a few pictures of them, the living wall and the old fashioned mechanical departures board was still a sight to behold.


An agent greeted me as I came within earshot of the reception desk and then welcomed me into the lounge after a quick glance at my boarding pass. He urged me to have a spot of breakfast as the restaurant had just opened up for the day. Don’t mind if I do. He then led me to an empty table in the restaurant area, where a friendly waitress took over offering me a menu and to fetch me a drink. I ordered an orange juice, which was promptly delivered. As for food, there were too many enticing options, though I finally settled on muesli followed by smoked salmon eggs benedict.


Both dishes were absolutely delicious. The smoked salmon benedict, in particular, was amazing. The English muffin was crisp, the salmon was of high quality, the eggs were perfectly poached, and the hollandaise sauce was creamy and tangy. I can still taste the dish now, more than a year later. It was truly fantastic.

Thoroughly stuffed, I decided to check out the rest of the massive lounge. This was truly the coolest lounge I’ve ever been to. The design of the lounge was pretty unique. The dividers in the lounge were designed to resemble struts of a wing. While super comfortable and certainly luxurious, the lounge didn’t feel at all gaudy. On a more practical matters, there are plenty of seating and great views of airport operations as well as Sydney skyline in the distance.


My couple of hours in the lounge felt like nothing, between the wonderful views and the relaxed yet attentive service. But boarding time was fast approaching, so I packed up and headed to gate, which was located just a short walk from the lounge. There I found the whale jet being readied to take me a couple hundred other fortunate souls to Hong Kong.


Qantas Airways 127
Sydney (SYD) – Hong Kong (HKG)
Depart: 9:50 AM
Arrive: 5:20 PM
Aircraft: Airbus A380-800
Seat: 3K (First Class)

Boarding hadn’t quite begun when I got to the gate, but I was allowed to board after the gate agent took a glance at my boarding pass. There were several flight attendants milling around the door of the aircraft, all of whom looked a bit surprised as I came into view. Instead of sending me back, they rolled with it and spring into action. After taking a look at my boarding pass, I was led to my seat by a flight attendant who introduced himself as Scott. He explained he would be taking care of me through out the flight, and offered to bring me something to drink. Well then, I think we’ll get along just fine then. I asked for a glass of champagne and explained that I would be taking a lot pictures. That wasn’t a problem at all. So I went ahead and got really happy with my camera.

My initial reaction to the cabin was wow. I really liked the subdued colors and the layout of the cabin. While many on FlyerTalk enjoy enclosed suites, I prefer the airiness of an open layout. Despite having been around a few years now, everything in the cabin seemed to be still very well put together.


Scott returned with a bottle of Pol Roger Sir Winston Church Hill 2000 as I was wrapping up my photo shoot. The fine champagne was then elegantly poured into a proper long stemmed champagne flute. As I mentioned before, I can’t really tell the difference between Dom or Krug, but I sure as hell can tell the difference between good champagne and Korbel’s. This was definitely good champagne. It was served with a small ramekin of almonds, which were rather tasty.


Scott and I then chatted for quite awhile, as it turns out he was quite the aviation geek too. When I told him this was not only my first flight with Qantas but my first A380 flight, he got quite excited and offered to bring me for a cockpit visit after we landed. Obviously, I gratefully accepted. We chatted until a young family came aboard with a 5ish year old boy and a baby girl, and Scott went off to help them get settled in a row or two behind me.

With a light load that morning, boarding wrapped up rather quickly, but not before I down a couple more glasses of champagne. This was of course done with done with the help of Scott. Other than the lady seated in 2K, no none else in the cabin had ordered bubbles on the ground. Scott was insistent I finish off the bottle, or it would be no good by the time we got airborne. Don’t mind if I do.

After we climbed through 10,000 feet, I went to work playing around with my seat. As I mentioned earlier, the seat faces away from the window, but it can swiveled be toward the window in flight. The IFE screen is located next to the window making it necessary to swivel the chair in that direction in order to view the screen. However, when I pushed the button to swivel the seat, the motor swirled but nothing happened. I tried several more times to no avail. Scott dropped by a few minutes later and tried to get the seat to work, but no dice. He apologized profusely and offered to move to the seat across the aisle, which was a perfectly acceptable solution.

The cabin service manager dropped by a few minutes later to apologize and promise they would look into problem. It really wasn’t a big deal to me. These things do happen, and fortunately there were spare seats for me to move to. No harm, no foul.
After settling into my new seat, I went back to work exploring the IFE system. The system was loaded with an impressive variety of movies, TV shows, and music. There were a number of interesting selection, considering the fact we were on an airplane.


I settled on watching House of Cards, a TV series that I have heard great things about but never had time to watch. Fortunately, the entire first season was available, so I was able to start from the beginning.

A few minutes after I settled into my new seat, Scott came around to see if I wanted something wanted to drink and when I wanted to each lunch. “More champagne perhaps, Mr. dat4life?” Another glass of Pol Roger would be nice. As to lunch, let’s hold off on that for a bit. Scott returned a few minutes later with another glass, bottle, and ramekin of salted almonds. After pouring me a glass, he left me alone for a bit to peruse the menu, which reads as follows:


There was tasting menu available, which was just a selection of items from the main menu.


Last but not least, the most important part of a properly balance diet, here’s the drink menu:


As you can see, the menu was quite extensive, and everything sounded pretty good to me. In the end, I decided on the tasting menu with the toothfish main course to take the guesswork out of it.. Scott offered me a refill on my champagne. Very tempting. But I wanted to try the wine pairings with my meal, so I exercised some self-restraint and went with orange juice instead.

My orange juice arrived along with the canapés not long after I ordered. These were delivered by the other flight attendant who was working First Class. She introduced herself as Irene, and explained that she and Scott would be work together to take care of me since. She apologized for not coming by earlier to introduce herself. No worries. And besides, I noticed she was busy helping the young family I mentioned earlier.

The canapés were very tasty, and the orange juice tasted fresh though a little too tart for my liking.


Just minutes after I finished the canapés, Scott came by to clear the plate and glass, and Irene followed to setup my table. A crisp white tablecloth was laid on my tray table; silverware was laid along with a bread plate, butter and sea salt. Next, my first wine pairing, an Australian white, was poured and bread was offered.


The carrot and thyme soup was the first course served. It was delicious and without doubt the best soup I’ve ever had on a plane. The wine went well with it, and the warm and crusty bread was a perfect accompaniment.


Up next was the salad course. Oh man, I still have dreams about it. This salad was one of the best I have ever had in the air or on the ground. The vegetables and tuna were very fresh. And the dressing… It was sweet with a big spicy kick. Absolutely awesome. I liked it so much, that I nearly licked the plate clean. A Riesling was poured for this course, and it too was excellent.


There was a nice lull between when the salad course was cleared and when the main course was presented. I know I have used quite a few superlatives describing this meal service, so bear with me because I’m going to drop a few more. The toothfish was flavorful, hot, moist, and flaky. The crust gave the fish another element of flavor and really added to the overall texture of the dish. The pan fried polenta was also delicious. This was without the shadow of doubt the best main course I’ve eaten on a plane, and one of the better ones I have eaten anywhere. Period.


After I finished the main course, I was ready to cry uncle and pass on the rest of the tasting menu. But Scott talked me into having dessert. I wasn’t too keen on the dessert on the tasting menu, so I went with lemon curd tart instead. Dessert was served a glass of port, which was good. But dessert itself was fine, though not great.


Completely stuffed, I asked Irene if it were ok if I took a walk around the plane. It wasn’t a problem at all. I did a couple of laps from nose to tail from the lower deck to the upper deck. It was pretty cool to be able to climb stairs while in flight, and the novelty of doing that hasn’t worn on me yet. I have to say, Qantas did a great job out fitting their whale jets. There was even a little drink and snack bar for economy class. The Business Class lounge, located in the forward section of the upper deck, was basically just a small seating area. I can imagine it could be fun for socializing, though it was empty when I passed through. That said, it’s not remotely in the same league as the onboard bar on Emirates’ A380 or even the snack bar on American’s 777-300ER. There were barriers set in place between cabins, presumably to stop people from traversing between their ticket cabins. However, none of the flight attendants hesitated to unlock those barriers for me when I explained I just wanted to take a walk.

Afterwards, I returned to 3F and settled in to watch some more episodes of House of Cards. For those you unfamiliar with the series, it’s a political drama centered on the House Majority Whip Frank Underwood (played by Kevin Spacey). Frank was passed over for a nomination for Secretary of State by an incoming President, whom Frank was instrumental in getting elected. The series delves into the dirty underworld of politics, and does quite the masterful job of it. I managed to knock out two episodes while waiting for and during lunch, and fired up the IFE system to watch some more.

A couple of episodes later, there was a scene with… Well… let’s call it an adult themed situation. Not a big deal, right? Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed some movement. I looked in that direction and saw it was the son of the aforementioned young couple, and his eyes were just glued to my screen. I’m not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but I sure as hell don’t think this was suitable for a 5 year old to watch. So I decided to find something else to watch. Thankfully, I exited out of that House of Cards, before his mother came to grab him. She was apologetic, but really it wasn’t a big deal. You can’t keep a 5 year old kid still for long.

I spent a couple of minutes browsing through the IFE library again before settling on Frozen. Yep, you read that right. Frozen. Let me explain. My family is a big Disney family. As a kid, we made many treks over to Orlando to visit their theme parks, and we owned just about every Disney movie available. I out grew most it by the time I hit my teenage years. Though, I will admit I still enjoy visiting the theme parks, and my parents still maintain season passes for the entire family. Anyways, while I out grew Disney, my younger sisters have not yet. So when I went home for Christmas in 2013, I was greeted by my sisters and their friends shrieking “Let it Go”. And I didn’t just run into this at home. It was everywhere. Also, my sisters asked me for a stuffed Olaf for Christmas that year. When I went to the Disney store at our local mall, they were actually back ordered for 45 days. For a stuffed snowman. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Naturally, I was curious to see what the fuss was all about, but I didn’t have the chance to do so until now. I’m not going to lie, I actually found Frozen to be entertaining and well done for the most part.

As I was finishing up the movie, Scott dropped by to see if I wanted something else to eat as they would have to close up shop in less than an hour. I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I could eat again. Not wanting to pass up a chance to try the famous Qantas steak sandwich, I ordered that. My table was setup a few minutes later with another tablecloth and set of silverware. The sandwich followed shortly. It was actually pretty disappointing. While the bread was perfectly toasted and the steak wasn’t overcooked, the sandwich was very bland.


When Irene came by to clear my plate, she was concerned as I only a few bites. She offered to remake me another sandwich more to my liking, but I declined. She then asked if she could make me something else. I asked for some fruit, and she replied they didn’t have it on the menu but she’ll try to put something together for me. She returned a couple minutes later with this work of art.


All of the fruit were fresh and ripe, and it was the perfect way finish off the flight. I struck up a conversation with Irene when came to clear my tray table. She was curious about my background, as though I looked Asian and had a common Chinese last name, I didn’t sound or act the part. I couldn’t help but laugh, because I get asked that a lot, and explained my parents were first generation immigrants to the US and I was born and raised there. It turns out her background was similar to mine as her Taiwanese parents had immigrated to Australia, where she was born and raised. We also chatted a bit about of state the airline industry, and how tough it is to survive in the current environment. She remarked that is was because of nice paying customers like me, that Qantas is still staying afloat. I stifled a laugh, and just smiled. Upon hearing I was hearing that I lived in Texas, she remarked that she was quite excited about the Sydney to Dallas route switching over to the A380 as she hadn’t been to Texas before. Curiously, she asked if there was a Costco near DFW airport. Apparently, Costco also has stores in Australia as well, and memberships are good on both continents. The difference was that things were much cheaper in the states, so many crew members stock up at Costco on North American trips.

By the time we wrapped our conversation, it was time to stow everything for landing. I took this opportunity to pop into the lavatory and change back into my street clothes. We were well into to the decent when I returned to my seat. I decided to move back to my original window seat for landing. The cabin service manager dropped by to say thank you, and asked if I enjoyed the flight. I made sure to put in a good word for both Scott and Irene, as they were both fantastic. He apologized again for the non-functional seat, but quite frankly the rest of the flight was so great that it didn’t even matter.

Scott dropped by a short while later to confirm the captain was fine with me visiting after the flight, and instructed me to meet him in the forward galley after the seatbelt sign was switched off. Soon we were descending over Hong Kong island, on a rare clear day. Naturally, I had put my camera in my carryon bag, which was in the overhead bin. We were so far into the decent that I didn’t want to risk getting up to grab it. That said, it would difficult taking pictures from the seat since it was located so far from the window.

Landing was just as serene as our take off in Sydney. Just a slight bump when the landing gear touched down onto the runway, and the quiet rumble of the thrust reversers. Just as the captain promised pre-flight, we had a short taxi to from the runway to the gate, so he was 2 for 2 on the day! Normally, I would be dreading this moment as the flight was coming to an end. But I could not have been more excited that day. Once the engines were shut down and the seat belt sign was turned off, I practically jumped from my seat, yanked my bag from the overhead, and sprinted to the forward galley leaving the bewildered lady in 1K in my wake.

As promised, Scott was waiting for me in the galley. The cockpit door was unlocked from inside a few minutes later, and I was able to enter. The Captain greeted me at entrance, and invited me to take as many pictures as I liked and to hang out at his seat for a few minutes. I can’t even begin to describe how excited I was. The only thing that would have made it better was if we were on board a 747, but I’ll settle for an A380.


I had a nice chat with both the Captain and the First Officer, before going on my merry way. I made sure to thank the crew for their hospitality on the way out.

This was without a shadow of doubt, the best flight I have ever flown. The seat and the rest of the hard product were great and all, but it is nothing without a good soft product. And Qantas really delivered on both fronts. It certainly didn’t hurt that the food was great, though what really made the flight great was the fantastic crew. Scott and Irene were attentive and professional, and at the same time approachable and personable. They truly took time to get to know each passenger, and really tailor their service to each individual’s preference. I definitely would go out of my way to fly Qantas again. Now, if only they would release more award space on the Sydney to Dallas route. I’m sure that would go a long way in improving their final condition!

dat4life

I was surprised to see the immigration hall nearly empty as I had deplaned after everyone else. Though, I wasn’t complaining as I was through in minutes. I ran into the cabin crew at baggage claim, and thanked Scott and Irene one last time for a wonderful flight. After I grabbed my bags, I raced to the Airport Express station and jumped onto the waiting train. Exactly 24 minutes later, I arrived at Central Station in Hong Kong, and grabbed a cab to the Conrad Hong Kong.

The Conrad is my favorite hotel in Hong Kong. It’s conveniently located, just above Admiralty Station which allows for easy access to the MTR. And they treat elites very well. As a Hilton HHonors Gold, I have always been upgraded to an Executive Level room and granted access to their excellent lounge. Prior to the great Hilton HHonors devaluation of 2013, it was quite the bargain at 50,000 points per night, especially compared to typical revenue rates of over $400. An award night post-devaluation costs 80,000 points, which isn’t great but it’s much better than spending cash. I checked my reservation on Hilton’s website the night before and was happy to see that I was upgraded to an Executive Level Mountain View room.

I arrived at the hotel about 20 minutes after I left the Airport Express station.


Fortunately, there was no line at the front desk, and I was quickly checked in. The friendly clerk confirmed my upgrade and reviewed my elite benefits for the stay, which included access to the Executive Lounge (since I was upgraded to an Executive Level room), complimentary internet access, complimentary pressing for two garments, and free local calls.


My room was located 57th floor. While I have received upgrades to Harbour View rooms on past stays, I was upgraded to a Mountain View room this time. Both room types were exactly the same with respect to the size of the rooms and furnishings, with only difference being the view.


A welcome gift of fresh fruit and chocolates was already in the room.


The view from the Mountain View room was still pretty nice. This picture was taken the next morning.


After dropping off my bags and freshening up, I headed down to the MTR station and caught the subway to Quarry Bay to meet my family. We had a nice time at dinner, and afterwards my cousins and I headed to the Peak. It’s been years I have been there, and this would actually be my first time going at night. The view was phenomenal.


I would have loved to hang out longer, but I was totally beat after a long day and there was that thing of not sleeping the night before. So I headed back to the hotel and fell asleep almost immediately.

I did sleep in a bit next morning, but I eventually dragged myself out of bed since I had a few things to do the before my late afternoon departure. First up, on the agenda was meeting fellow FlyerTalker and Trip Report forum legend Short Hair Francis for breakfast. ShF was kind enough to come all the way to the Conrad to meet me up. We had breakfast at the excellent Executive Lounge, which had one of the most extensive lounge spreads I’ve ever seen. Of course, the view didn’t hurt either.


We spent the next couple of hours swapping stories and experiences, about miles and points of course. Afterwards, I checked out and caught a cab to the Airport Express station to check in for my flight and free myself of my bags. I then hopped on the MTR to Causeway Bay to say good bye to my cousin and run a couple of errands.

dat4life

I wrapped up my errands by 1PM. With nothing else to accomplish in Hong Kong, I decided just to head to the airport. It was another quick ride on the MTR from Causeway Bay to Central Station, and then a long hike to the Airport Express station. I just missed a train as I arrived on the platform, but nothing to fret over as trains run in 10 minute intervals. I ended up making it to the airport just before 2PM.


Since I already got my boarding passes at the Airport Express check in, I headed straight for immigration. There was a long line for foreign passport holders, but it moved at a good pace. As usual, security was quick as there was no need to take off belts, shoes, or light coats. Just the laptop, walk through the metal detector and you’re done, no muss no fuss.

Cathay Pacific’s North America bound flights typically depart from the lower gates. My flight that day was departing from gate 4, which was located across from The Wing, Cathay Pacific’s flagship lounge. While I have visited The Wing several times before, this would be my first visit after the renovations in 2013. I thought of The Wing as an excellent lounge before, though I did like the new more modern look. After walking all over creation in hot and humid Hong Kong, a shower was badly needed. No Cabanas were available, though there was an open shower room. Beggars can’t be choosers. Anyways, the shower did the trick, and I emerged refreshed and ready for my upcoming 14 hour flight.

I still had sometime left before boarding, so I set up shop near the champagne bar. A smiling waitress and asked if I wanted anything to drink. I didn’t want to start my alcohol consumption until I was on board, so I just ordered a glass of water. A few minutes later, I was joined by a couple of guys wearing wife beaters, gym shorts, and flip flops. Classy. Of course, their classiness didn’t just end with their attire. They whipped out their smartphones and began yakking loudly. In between their loud phone conversations, they found time to bark out orders at the poor waitress. I didn’t have long before boarding so I escaped to the relative calm of the gate.

As with all US bound flights from Hong Kong, an extra security check point was set up in the gate area for liquid check. While annoying, it went pretty quickly and at least agents doing the check were polite. After clearing the security checkpoint, I had just enough time to snap a quick picture of the aircraft operating our flight before First Class was invited to board.


Cathay Pacific Airways 882
Hong Kong (HKG) – Los Angeles (LAX)
Depart: 4:35 PM
Arrive: 2:20 PM
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 1K (First Class)

Having been fortunate enough to fly Cathay Pacific in First Class before, I was quite familiar with the routine. As usual, the inflight service manager and a flight attendant were at the door to greet passengers. I was handed off to flight attendant Maggie to escort me to my seat after a short glance at my boarding pass. Once at my seat, Maggie asked if I would like a drink to start off my flight. Naturally, I ordered champagne. While I was waiting for my drink, the other First Class flight attendant, Grace, came by and introduced herself. No, not the same Grace that was starred in the "Day in the Life of a Flight Attendant”, but this Grace could definitely give the more famous Grace a run for her money. Maggie soon returned with a bottle of champagne and a glass. After setting the glass down by my seat, the bottle was properly presented, opened, and poured with an elegant flair. Grace dropped by again a little while later to offer pajamas and amenity kits.


In an effort to revamp First Class menus, Cathay now serves an amuse bouche before departure. On offer was smoked salmon with some sort of jelly. It was quite good.

As boarding was wrapping up, the passenger seated behind me in 2K showed up and made his presence known in the cabin immediately. He was dragging along his massive carryon bag with one hand, and with his other hand, he was clutching a McDonalds bag and a Starbucks Venti Passion Tea Lemonade (hey, once a barista, always barista). The obnoxious smell of fast food quickly permeated the cabin. Very clearly a stereotypical American. Still, the cabin crew didn’t miss a beat getting him settled in.

Just before we pushed back, our captain got on the horn and welcomed us aboard and announced actual flying time of just over 13 hours. We pushed back on time, and were fortunate enough to have a short taxi to the runway. As is the norm in Hong Kong, there were plenty of plane spotting opportunities during taxi out.


After a landing Cathay A330-300 cleared the runway, we taxied into position and began our take off roll on Runway 24L. Pver 7,000 feet of runway later, we rotated off of the runway and climbed rapidly into the wild blue yonder.


Headphones were already in a compartment at my seat. As this particular aircraft was not equipped with the refreshed First Class cabin, the headphones offered were Cathay Pacific branded instead of the Bose Quiet Comfort headsets. While not quite as good as the Bose, it still did the trick.


I fired up the excellent StudioCX to find something to watch. The downside of traveling so much in a short period of time is that the content of most airline entertainment systems is pretty much the same. After some searching, I settled on some episodes of NCIS I haven’t seen before.

Like just about every IFE system out there, StudioCX crams a commercial (or two) down your throat before showing the selected content. Back on my Cathay flight in 2012, the commercial du jour was for Scotts Tower in Singapore. Now , I know it’s possible to fast forward through the commercials, but I really didn’t mind that Scotts Tower commercial for some reason. In fact, I found it YouTube after I got home, and watched it a couple of times. Maybe it was the music. Yeah! It was the music. Ridiculously catchy. Seriously, sing with me. “In a world full of possibilities…”

Anyways, this year the commercials du jour were for Bank of Japan and Bank of Singapore, both of which were pretty lame. So fast forward it is!

About 20 minutes after take off, Grace came by to offer drinks. I went with a Johnny Walker Blue on the rocks. Hey, last flight of the trip. I might as well live it up a little! Grace returned with my drink along with a ramekin of warmed cashew nuts. If only watching Gibbs and team at work was this much fun every week…


Dinner orders were taken a short while later. Having not eaten since breakfast, I decided to have dinner straight away. Unfortunately, I seem to have misplaced the menu after the flight, but Cathay’s menus are rather consistent with a Western option (typically steak and a pasta) and a Chinese option.

Not surprisingly, pretty much everyone wanted to eat right away as our flight departed close to dinner time in Hong Kong. Despite the heavy workload of organizing a multi course meal for six people, who ate at different paces, Grace and Maggie seemed relaxed and unrushed. And of course, service was impeccable as expected. My table was set up about 20 minutes after my order was taken, along with Cathay’s signature bon appetite card.


As always on Cathay Pacific long haul flights, the first course upfront is caviar. I started this fantastic trip with a very nice caviar service onboard Japan Airlines, I might as well end it with another caviar service onboard Cathay. The presentation of the caviar course has changed significantly since I’ve last flown Cathay, and is much more elegant in my opinion. But I did miss the smoked salmon of the old set up. Regardless, it was a very special treat and I enjoyed every bite. Instead of toast points and potatoes, blinis are now served with caviar. The blinis was soft and fresh, unlike the ones I was served onboard Thai Airways.


The soup course was served next. The cream of mushroom soup was good, with a generous serving of mushrooms in the soup.


The salad was fine.


While many on this very forum and around the interwebs don’t care for Cathay’s western main courses, I rather like them. Though, I do tend to eat whatever that’s put in front of me, so take my opinions with a grain of salt. A third western main course option was added with the aforementioned revamp of the First Class menu. From what I can tell from reading others’ trip reports, the option tends to be seafood. On offer on my flight was a sea bass dish, which is what I ordered. It was kind of like a chopino, but with just sea bass. The portion of the sea bass was very generous. Overall, I enjoyed the dish.


I was rather stuffed at this point, so I asked for green tea. Maggie returned with a pot, and I sipped on that while watching another episode of NCIS.


Disappointed I had turned down the cheese course, both Maggie and Grace dropped by several times to convince me to have dessert. I finally gave in and ordered the fresh berries. Unwilling to serve it to me on a bare tray table, a new tablecloth was laid by Grace before the berries were served. They were indeed fresh and ripe.


I wasn’t very tired after dinner, but I knew I had catch some sleep on the flight if I wanted to avoid jet lag. So I asked for my bed to be made. I went into the lavatory to change into the provided pajamas, while Grace was taking care of that. Cathay had recently begun offering PYE pajamas instead of the traditional Shanghai Tang ones. While it was of good quality and a good name brand, I didn’t like the Shanghai Tang pajamas as they didn’t breathe well and I didn’t care for dressing up like a Chinese emperor. The PYE pajamas were lightweight, breathed well, and just a bit more stylish.


While Cathay doesn’t have the newest First Class product out there, the seat is still one of the widest and most comfortable in the sky, And of course, a couple of nice thick pillows, a mattress pad, crisp sheets, and a duvet doesn’t hurt either. Despite not being all that tired, I conked out and slept for a good 6 hours. I woke up with just over 5 hours outside of LAX. Grace made a round through the cabin not long after I woke up and asked if I wanted something to eat. Despite eating that huge meal just over 6 hours earlier, I was feeling hungry. So I ordered the fish ball noodle soup along with the Hong Kong style egg tarts. They were both decent.


While snacking, I settled on watching Dallas Buyers Club. Well… not quite my couple of tea. Actually, it wasn’t my cup of tea at all. But I did finish the movie, and I must say that Hollywood’s resident Longhorn did a marvelous job in it. If only he could do something about those lame Lincoln commercials. ..

After finishing Dallas Buyers Club, I watched a couple more episodes of NCIS before switching over to Elementary. Before long, I could hear the quiet clinking of dishes in the galley, followed by smell of breakfast being prepared. It was certainly a bittersweet moment, as it indicated that my fantastic flight and my trip was coming to an end.
Grace dropped by to take my breakfast order.

One of unique things about Cathay’s long haul breakfast is having eggs prepared any way your little heart desires. I missed out on that my last Cathay long haul, as I chose the Chinese option for some reason. So I was quite keen on the western breakfast option. I ordered scrambled eggs with all of the trimmings.

One last time, my tray table set with a white tablecloth, condiments, and more silverware than I use during a typical week at home.

First up was the fruit starter. I asked for just orange juice, which was the good stuff and not from concentrate. Grace also brought a glass of the mango smoothie, because she thought I might like it. Well it did sound good, but I gotta cut calories somewhere, right? Oh screw it, I’ll just hit up the gym think about going to the gym when I get home


My main course was delivered about 15 minutes after my starter was cleared, a nice pace in my opinion. The eggs were a bit runny but still good.


I asked for a cup of coffee to round out my meal. Grace returned with the coffee and another glass of orange juice. After refilling my glass no more than 20 times during the meal, I guess she figured out I really like OJ.


To beat the pre-arrival rush, I immediately went to change into my street clothes after finishing breakfast. After I returned to my seat, the purser came to my seat to thank me for flying with Cathay Pacific and also asked if I would be willing to fill out a survey about the flight. I happily obliged. When I finished, we had just overflown San Francisco and had less than an hour before landing at Los Angeles. Since it was fairly clear for the most part, we were treated to some nice views of the California coastline.


As we were making a right turn to fly the base leg into Runway 24R, those of us seated on the starboard side of the aircraft had a pretty good view of downtown Los Angeles, or what we could see of it through the smog.


At that point, I switched to belly cam on the IFE system to get a pilot’s view of our landing at LAX.


After we had cleared the runway, the captain came on the horn and announced we had been assigned a remote gate. Great if you’re flying First Class on Lufthansa arriving into Frankfurt or Munich. Not so great anywhere else in the world. We were deplaning from door 2L, so I caught a glimpse of the mess seat 2K made during the flight.


I thanked Grace and Maggie for the wonderful flight on the way out. I have to admit, it was super cool deplaning via airstairs, especially with the low humidity and mild temperatures in. That was very welcome after a day in hot and muggy Hong Kong. The bus ride wasn’t so cool. As soon as the bus was packed to gills, the doors were slammed shut and we were off to the terminal. Thanks to Global Entry, immigration was a breeze and I got to jump the massive line at immigration.


Cathay’s First Class is definitely not the newest or the flashiest. No there’s no Mercedes ride to the aircraft or an onboard shower. Heck, I even have to walk from the lounge to the aircaft BY MYSELF . *shock horror* But it holds a very special place in my heart. After all, it was the very first international First Class cabin I’ve ever flown in. Cathay isn’t the best at any part of the First Class experience, but they do everything very well which makes for a very pleasant experience.

dat4life

Like any good millennial, I’m fairly tapped into social media. Naturally, I posted on Facebook as soon as I landed that I was back in the good old US of A. I got a text message from a friend as I was walking down the airstairs, asking if I was really at LAX. It turns out, she was flying home to the Midwest after visiting family out on the left coast. As luck would have it, she too was flying American so we made arrangements to meet post security.

It was a bit of a walk from very nice Tom Bradley International Terminal (did I seriously just write that) to Terminal 4, where American operates from. But the weather was fantastic, so the walk was pretty pleasant. Since I was able to pull a mobile boarding pass, I just headed straight to security, which I zipped through thanks to Pre Check. I met up my friend after clearing security. Since I arrived on Cathay Pacific First Class, I was eligible to use American’s Flagship Lounge and bring a guest along.

It’s been a little while since I’ve been to a Flagship Lounge. While definitely not one of best airlines out there, I actually like them. They’re quiet, spacious, and offer a pretty decent selection of vittles and beverages. What more do you need?


After a much needed shower, I spent the next couple of hours chatting with my friend. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen her, so we had plenty to catch up on. Eventually, it was time for us to go, me to the Eagle Nest to catch my final flight to Houston and my friend across the hall to catch her flight to Chicago.


It’s been awhile since I’ve flown from the LAX’s infamous Eagle Nest. American has sure put some work into it, and it is infinitely better than before. At that time, the Admirals Club in the nest was still under construction.


American Eagle 3650
Los Angeles (LAX) – Houston Intercontinental (IAH)
Depart: 7:15 PM
Arrive: 12:15 AM+1
May 31, 2014
Aircraft: Bombardier CRJ-700
Seat: 2A (First Class)

I had arrived at the gate just as boarding was called from my flight. Boarding wrapped up quickly as the load in both cabins were light. There were 4 empty seats in First Class. I can’t recall the last time I’ve seen that on a domestic flight.

We pushed back on time had a fairly quickly taxi to the runway.


As is the norm for most east bound departures from Runway 24L at LAX, we flew a couple minutes on the runway heading over the Pacific for a few minutes before turning the south to hug the coastline until passing Long Beach, where a final turn to the east was made.


I enjoyed nice views of the sunset as we climbed out.


Service began with drinks and mixed nuts, which were unceremoniously plopped down on my drink tray.


Dinner was a choice of stuffed chicken or a steak salad. I chose the steak salad, which was served just a minute or two after I received my drinks and nuts. Ok then… The salad was actually pretty good, and the beef rather tasty. A small slice of apple pie was offered for dessert, which was good.


It soon became apparent why the flight attendants were so eager to such a hurry to complete the onboard service. After trays were cleared hastily cleared, the flight attendant working First Class plopped herself down in empty 1D and was soon joined by her cohort who set up shop in 1C. They proceeded to ham it up there for the remainder of the flight, nary an offer of a refill or a even trash run. My water glass sat empty for the duration of the flight. Cathay Pacific, this certainly is not.


The good news was that we were nearly 40 minutes early thanks to a brisk tailwind. As the captain made his final descent announcement, the flight attendants finally got up and secured the cabin for landing.

The bad news was that it took nearly an hour for bags to finally arrive at baggage claim, negating any time savings of our early arrival.


It had been a fantastic trip, but I was sure glad to be home.

While I am kicking myself for not posting the last few sections in a timely manner (18 months… c’mon man), it did afford (a lot) more time to put this trip in perspective, especially with the events that transpired over the last 18 months. Whether it comes to my career, my personal life, and using points and miles, I like to plan ahead in pretty much every aspect of my life. In fact, I’ve planned future trips while I’m in the middle of another trip. What I don’t do well is focusing on what is in front of me.

When I had planned this trip, I saw it to be a way to use my points and miles effectively and, of course, go to a few places I hadn’t been before. Looking back at it now, it turned out to be so much more. Like I’ve said before, I consider myself to be incredibly lucky to be able to travel as much as I do. But I was even more fortunate to be able to share part of this trip with my grandparents, who have both since passed. When I was younger, my grandparents used to take me on trips all the time. I didn’t do a very good job of reciprocating as I got older and was able to afford to do so. This trip was really my first and only time for me to give back to my grandparents, and I was glad to be able to do so. My biggest lesson learned from all of this is to slow down and appreciate the present, and not look ahead as much, and most importantly cherish the people in my life, because you never know what will happen.

Anyways, thanks for reading (all two of you that are still with me). Hope to have my next report up soon, and it will NOT take a year and a half for me to finish that one!

reuthermonkey

Awesome, awesome report. Looks like it was quite a trip, and the opportunity to fly so many 747's in a row is just great. Thank you for sharing!

adampenrith

very enjoyable TR

a couple of points

In Australia it would not have been an ostrich but an emu - the emu and the kangaroo are on our coat of arms, a bit like me coming to the US and referring to the US Eagle as a magpie or sparrow.

Your boat trip looks like it was on the Parramatta River which flows into the Sydney Harbour - it also looks like you boarded the boat at Olympic Park jetty which is at the end of Hill Rd Wentworth Point.

Georges River is much further to the south feeding into Port Hacking South of Botany Bay