A Whirlwind World Tour: 42,339 miles in nine days (SQ, EK, TG F & LH C)
Feb 6, 2017, 9:44 am
#46
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Very nice indeed stevie! Hope you enjoy the rest
Thanks SFO777! I came to the OC so next lunch is on me in San Diego.
Stay tuned Justin Case. Plenty more to come!
Happy to share. Thank you SKYEG.
Happy to share. Thank you SKYEG.
Feb 6, 2017, 9:44 am
#47
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Feb 6, 2017, 12:17 pm
#48
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: anywhere and everywhere
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Then, I felt sane....and then, the crushing workload (which I'm taking a 5 minute break from to peruse FT) reminded me that if I go away for 17 days....I'm going to be working from coffeeshops...in Sydney...in Cape Town...in...oh hell, I have to go!
Feb 6, 2017, 5:11 pm
#50
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: SD, CA, USA
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You're probably a fixture on their Instagram now. Maybe you can negotiate some royalties if they use you in a campaign... at least negotiate for some free Dim Sum whenever you visit.
OK, stop judging my shirt! I swear I forgot I was wearing it. Seriously. So it order by pointing at menu photos and as I am getting settled in I take my pullover off which gets the waitress smiling. It wasn't until the cook came out to take a picture of me did I realize what was so funny [me]
Feb 7, 2017, 1:02 am
#51
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Geneva, Dubai, Paris
Programs: Disillusioned Cent
Posts: 1,880
So enjoying this, Madone59! 
Epic itinerary, superb choice of flights, wonderful photos, a great narrative with my kind of humor and last but not least, even a philosophical thought:
The more I live the more I discover that the things I'm enjoying most aren't necessarily the result of a logical, or even a conscious thought process.
Well done! ^
Epic itinerary, superb choice of flights, wonderful photos, a great narrative with my kind of humor and last but not least, even a philosophical thought:
Well done! ^
Feb 7, 2017, 10:57 am
#52
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: 6km East of EPAYE
Programs: UA Silver, AA Platinum, AS & DL GM Marriott TE, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,582
An afternoon with Cathay Pacific
Down the elevator, into the shuttle and back on the move I went. I was very excited to fly Cathay Pacific for the first time and to explore some of their legendary lounges in HKG. Not having any large luggage to check and not wanting to miss any first class je ne sais quoi Cathay may have in store for me at check in (which was zero) I skipped the city ticket counters and went right for the airport express train.
Not having flown Cathay before I wasn't sure if there was some special first class check in area beyond this but when I asked if there was fast track security and was told "No" I knew I was at the right place. Regular CX fliers - is this it? If so Cathay get's no first class check in style points
I did make the decision to ditch my bag as this single segment to HND was going to be one of my last chances not to drag it behind me for a while so free of the wheeler my backpack and I headed for security.
A little plane spotting while walking to the lounge
The Pier!
This lounge is beautiful!
The dining room is so cool. It's new, it's classic, it's warm, it's relaxing. As I was being seated I expected to see Don Draper and company at a corner table in a cloud of cigarette smoke.
The Bar. I think a lot of people would call the selection underwhelming for a first class bar these days but the selection is ample. Also they have Singleton 12 which is one of my favorites so they "Had me at hello."
The menu
Details
Rosé - yes please.
One last bowl of wonton's in Hong Kong
Crčme brűlée for dessert? Yup!
Full of bubbles, shrimp, and burnt cream - let that combination soak in a little while - I headed out of the dining room in search for a little quiet time. The cabanas were full so I opted for a quiet rest room while I waited for my massage.
I inquired about getting a pot of tea in my room and was told tea was available at the bar
. I am sure it WAS available at the bar but I got to be honest I was aiming for someone to bring it to me. Swing and a miss! Did you see the dark wooden tray on the bench in the last picture? I bet you didn't even notice it - well I used it to bus my own tea service and you can too.@:-)
Great plane spotting
I call this one: pensively Dan
My shallow err' deep deep reflection was interrupted by the abrupt buzzing my pager - it was massage time! Having put a few miles on my feet this morning I figured a foot massage would be the perfect way to relax and get me ready for a full day of walking in Tokyo tomorrow...nope. From the moment it started I wanted it to end. It turns out all I really wanted was to soak me feet in some warm water and be on my way but instead a little woman with meat tenderizers for hands worked me over for 15 minutes; oh and did I mention I'm ticklish?
Done with my massage I limped to The Bridge as it was closer to my departure gate
A peak inside the bakery
A stop at the long bar
A few minutes before boarding I headed out of the lounge and over to gate 35 which was a short walk away.
Again the first class cabin was used to board both business and first so both my photographing and my soaking in these fantastic seats were a little spoiled by all of the loving side eye I received as fellow passengers walked by.
Champagne - absolutely!
The lead flight attendant introduced herself to me and let me know that she would be overseeing the whole first class cabin this afternoon. Today was a light load of only three passengers.
The menu
So much to see on our way out!
Hong Kong style milk tea and snacks to start
Ready to dine
The lentil soup was up first and was very good
Followed by the beef which was....you know....the same piece of red meat we all get when ordering the western meal
A sweet treat
After three hours and 25 minutes of very relaxing moving watching and eating we were in Japan. There isn't much to report here as it was not a full long haul first class experience other than I really liked the seat and absolutely want to fly Cathay again on a longer flight. Hopefully a little JFK-HKG is in my future??
Welcome to HND
Up next: 20 hours in Tokyo
Not having flown Cathay before I wasn't sure if there was some special first class check in area beyond this but when I asked if there was fast track security and was told "No" I knew I was at the right place. Regular CX fliers - is this it? If so Cathay get's no first class check in style points
I did make the decision to ditch my bag as this single segment to HND was going to be one of my last chances not to drag it behind me for a while so free of the wheeler my backpack and I headed for security.
A little plane spotting while walking to the lounge
The Pier!
This lounge is beautiful!
The dining room is so cool. It's new, it's classic, it's warm, it's relaxing. As I was being seated I expected to see Don Draper and company at a corner table in a cloud of cigarette smoke.
The Bar. I think a lot of people would call the selection underwhelming for a first class bar these days but the selection is ample. Also they have Singleton 12 which is one of my favorites so they "Had me at hello."
The menu
Details
Rosé - yes please.
One last bowl of wonton's in Hong Kong
Crčme brűlée for dessert? Yup!
Full of bubbles, shrimp, and burnt cream - let that combination soak in a little while - I headed out of the dining room in search for a little quiet time. The cabanas were full so I opted for a quiet rest room while I waited for my massage.
I inquired about getting a pot of tea in my room and was told tea was available at the bar
. I am sure it WAS available at the bar but I got to be honest I was aiming for someone to bring it to me. Swing and a miss! Did you see the dark wooden tray on the bench in the last picture? I bet you didn't even notice it - well I used it to bus my own tea service and you can too.@:-)Great plane spotting
I call this one: pensively Dan
My shallow err' deep deep reflection was interrupted by the abrupt buzzing my pager - it was massage time! Having put a few miles on my feet this morning I figured a foot massage would be the perfect way to relax and get me ready for a full day of walking in Tokyo tomorrow...nope. From the moment it started I wanted it to end. It turns out all I really wanted was to soak me feet in some warm water and be on my way but instead a little woman with meat tenderizers for hands worked me over for 15 minutes; oh and did I mention I'm ticklish?
Done with my massage I limped to The Bridge as it was closer to my departure gate
A peak inside the bakery
A stop at the long bar
A few minutes before boarding I headed out of the lounge and over to gate 35 which was a short walk away.
Again the first class cabin was used to board both business and first so both my photographing and my soaking in these fantastic seats were a little spoiled by all of the loving side eye I received as fellow passengers walked by.
Champagne - absolutely!
The lead flight attendant introduced herself to me and let me know that she would be overseeing the whole first class cabin this afternoon. Today was a light load of only three passengers.
The menu
So much to see on our way out!
Hong Kong style milk tea and snacks to start
Ready to dine
The lentil soup was up first and was very good
Followed by the beef which was....you know....the same piece of red meat we all get when ordering the western meal
A sweet treat
After three hours and 25 minutes of very relaxing moving watching and eating we were in Japan. There isn't much to report here as it was not a full long haul first class experience other than I really liked the seat and absolutely want to fly Cathay again on a longer flight. Hopefully a little JFK-HKG is in my future??
Welcome to HND
Up next: 20 hours in Tokyo
Last edited by Madone59; Jan 20, 2019 at 1:12 pm
Feb 8, 2017, 6:01 pm
#56
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: 6km East of EPAYE
Programs: UA Silver, AA Platinum, AS & DL GM Marriott TE, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,582
20 Hours in Tokyo
I can not start this section without first thanking CPH-Flyer. He made my one evening and one afternoon in Tokyo come together - literally. From helping me plan my trip right here on FT to meeting me for dinner and showing me around the following day his help and generosity held this Japan stop together!
Japan is beautiful, but I bet you knew that. I knew that and I had never been. Everyone's told me Japan was beautiful, and all of the photos [I've seen] showed me Japan was beautiful but I never had any desire to go. Not being lined with sun soaked tropical beaches Japan was never on Molly's travel radar - which is how we ended up in Thailand twice - so it had fallen off of mine. I never didn't want to go to Japan, it just never worked out that I went. Japan is not a cheap country to visit, and it has a very competitive travel market so my mistake fare and mileage run hunting were never going to deposit me in Tokyo so when the opportunity came up to add it to this trip I pounced.
On the train from HND to Tokyo Station
Excluding my positioning flights to and from LAX this whole trip came together with four award tickets one to Hong Kong, one to Tokyo, one to Dubai and one to Los Angeles via Cape Town. Japan only got added to this trip after the Singapore and Emirates travel was booked. While bending the limits of the now dead United Airlines multi-city award rules I saw a first class seat on ANA from Tokyo to Frankfurt - great, right?! Well unfortunately that ANA flight was a red-eye that left me with 9 or so hours in Frankfurt before taking Lufthansa south to Dubai. Because LH now primarily flies two cabin to Dubai I'd have no F lounge or more importantly FCT access on that long layover so I kept tinkering. More on the tinkering later - but now you know why I am in Japan.
Flights booked and hotel planned all I needed to do was get from Haneda Airport to Tokyo Station and walk to my hotel. luckily I had gotten great instructions from CPH-Flyer who would be meeting me at the hotel. The walk from the station to the CourtyYard is under 1,000 yards, and really not a bad one. I am not sure I'd want to make it with checked sized luggage but after doing it once going back and fourth to the train station was very easy.
As mentioned in the Marriott thread this hotel is the bottom four floors of a office building. Check-in is on floor four, and I was staying on floor two. Apparently they don't see too many Marriott platinum's because the agent who checked me in enthusiastically told me about my upgraded corner room. Thanks Marriott! I headed back down to two to deposit my things and I was on my way.
Look a real ringing alarm clock!
The hotel rooms are separated from the elevator corridor by a glass security door which requires your room key. This keeps the floors extra quiet. Even my corner room which was two floors above a major street was silent. If staying in New York City is a symphony of horns and sirens than staying in Tokyo is a orchestra a pleasant quiet. Because I went right out for dinner and then left quickly the next morning I didn't have much interaction with this property but I'd definitely stay there again.
The famous Shibuya crossing
Sign holding frogs
Safety men
Dinner time!
Is there such thing as noodle love at first slurp? I think so.
With another hour of walking and a warm bowl of noodles in me it was time to sleep. Let's not forget I had woken up to watch the sunrise many many hours ago in Hong Kong. This nights sleep was probably the best hotel sleep I got on the whole trip. This room was so dark, and the bed was so soft when my head hit the pillow I was out; hard.
When I woke up my feet were no longer trying to succeed from my legs and I was ready for another day of exploring but the bed was to comfortable to leave so I stared out the window for a while....
....seriously I think I lay buried in this bed an additional 30 or 45 minutes before finally getting moving. CPH-Flyer met me at the Courtyard and we started our light speed tour of Tokyo with a little walk to a train station and trip to a city park.
We hopped off the train for a second at Hamamatsucho Station so I could see Manneken Pis. He's all dress up for Chinese New Year - chicken and all
The bullet train went past
After a little more time on the train we arrived at a fantastic little park for a stroll
'Broken' bridges so spirits can't cross
Luckily I found my way
Details
We bid farewell to the park and headed back out onto the street towards the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building's observation deck.
Ducking in and out of streets on our journey this one stopped me in my tracks. With the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in the background I could have stared down the street for hours.
We got to the top of the tower one observation deck with no delay and the scale of Toyko hit me. Jeremy Clarkson once said "Italy is God's racetrack, Canada his pantry, Germany his workshop and this [Burma] his garden" while overlooking the vast lush green landscape. I walked off the elevator and immediately pressed my nose to the glass "It looks like God spilled lego's everywhere"
As it was nearing lunch time and I was going to try to make the 2:33pm airport express to Narita it was time to find some food and start wrapping up this great tour. Unfortunately the Katsu place CPH-Flyer wanted to bring me to was jam packed so we opted for some tempura. Boo hoo we're having tempura and I'll have to come back to have the Katsu...twist my arm
I'm told locals eat the tail. Yum!
An amazing lunch that turned into many rounds of tea had us pushing the clock. I still had to get a ticket for the Narita express, get my bag, check out and get back to Tokyo Station. Cue Sinner Man by Nina Simone and the rushing montage! We took the subway back to Tokyo Station and got my other train ticket on the way out - thanks for the speedy help CPH-Flyer but English would have been nice
To say I ran would be an understatement. We hit Tokyo Station around 2:00pm. I have message from CPH-Flyer at 2:11 when he dropped me back at the CourtYard with instructions on how to get down to the airport express platform and at 2:24pm I texted him that I had already packed and run back to Tokyo Station
. I may have been sweating and out of breath but you know what else I was - on that train! before I knew it I was back in transit and Japan was whirring by.
I love that the trains tell you your exit's relation to the escalators and elevators
Narita!
Checking in with Thai Airways was a little funky because they agents could not comprehend why I would want to fly 12,000+ miles to get to a destination 4,900 miles away. Luckily I had the map of the trip on my phone and was able to explain that I booked this specifically to enjoy it. After a lot of confused looks I finally had my boarding passes and was on my way.
And to you as well!
Thai was departing from gate 46 which was and the end of the terminal near the ANA lounge so I had a great opportunity to see some planes while I walked over.
I went up four flights from the train to check-in, down one after security for passport control and now up another four. How tall is this airport? I arrived and was guided to my seat in the Suites lounge
View from the lounge
Look what just arrived!
Cheers to you Thai A380
I ordered a little bite from the noodle bar. Pasta, red sauce and crab - wonderful!
I didn't take too many pictures because I never got completely comfortable in the surroundings. I just kept feeling like I was being observed or judged. The lounge was about 2/3 full and it's not like I was on my phone or blabbing away to someone next to me. I did a little re-arranging of my bag took my jacket off and put it away, organized my backpack a little too but I felt that everything I did was disturbing the entire lounge. Hey, maybe it is because I ran to get the Narita Express, waited in a hot station, was in a warm lounge that I had to trek through Narnia to find and stunk or something but I did not feel like I belonged.
Boarding has been delayed 15 minutes
First to board^
Up next: The Long way to Dubai
Japan is beautiful, but I bet you knew that. I knew that and I had never been. Everyone's told me Japan was beautiful, and all of the photos [I've seen] showed me Japan was beautiful but I never had any desire to go. Not being lined with sun soaked tropical beaches Japan was never on Molly's travel radar - which is how we ended up in Thailand twice - so it had fallen off of mine. I never didn't want to go to Japan, it just never worked out that I went. Japan is not a cheap country to visit, and it has a very competitive travel market so my mistake fare and mileage run hunting were never going to deposit me in Tokyo so when the opportunity came up to add it to this trip I pounced.
On the train from HND to Tokyo Station
Excluding my positioning flights to and from LAX this whole trip came together with four award tickets one to Hong Kong, one to Tokyo, one to Dubai and one to Los Angeles via Cape Town. Japan only got added to this trip after the Singapore and Emirates travel was booked. While bending the limits of the now dead United Airlines multi-city award rules I saw a first class seat on ANA from Tokyo to Frankfurt - great, right?! Well unfortunately that ANA flight was a red-eye that left me with 9 or so hours in Frankfurt before taking Lufthansa south to Dubai. Because LH now primarily flies two cabin to Dubai I'd have no F lounge or more importantly FCT access on that long layover so I kept tinkering. More on the tinkering later - but now you know why I am in Japan.
Flights booked and hotel planned all I needed to do was get from Haneda Airport to Tokyo Station and walk to my hotel. luckily I had gotten great instructions from CPH-Flyer who would be meeting me at the hotel. The walk from the station to the CourtyYard is under 1,000 yards, and really not a bad one. I am not sure I'd want to make it with checked sized luggage but after doing it once going back and fourth to the train station was very easy.
As mentioned in the Marriott thread this hotel is the bottom four floors of a office building. Check-in is on floor four, and I was staying on floor two. Apparently they don't see too many Marriott platinum's because the agent who checked me in enthusiastically told me about my upgraded corner room. Thanks Marriott! I headed back down to two to deposit my things and I was on my way.
Look a real ringing alarm clock!
The hotel rooms are separated from the elevator corridor by a glass security door which requires your room key. This keeps the floors extra quiet. Even my corner room which was two floors above a major street was silent. If staying in New York City is a symphony of horns and sirens than staying in Tokyo is a orchestra a pleasant quiet. Because I went right out for dinner and then left quickly the next morning I didn't have much interaction with this property but I'd definitely stay there again.
The famous Shibuya crossing
Sign holding frogs
Safety men
Dinner time!
Is there such thing as noodle love at first slurp? I think so.
With another hour of walking and a warm bowl of noodles in me it was time to sleep. Let's not forget I had woken up to watch the sunrise many many hours ago in Hong Kong. This nights sleep was probably the best hotel sleep I got on the whole trip. This room was so dark, and the bed was so soft when my head hit the pillow I was out; hard.
When I woke up my feet were no longer trying to succeed from my legs and I was ready for another day of exploring but the bed was to comfortable to leave so I stared out the window for a while....
....seriously I think I lay buried in this bed an additional 30 or 45 minutes before finally getting moving. CPH-Flyer met me at the Courtyard and we started our light speed tour of Tokyo with a little walk to a train station and trip to a city park.
We hopped off the train for a second at Hamamatsucho Station so I could see Manneken Pis. He's all dress up for Chinese New Year - chicken and all
The bullet train went past
After a little more time on the train we arrived at a fantastic little park for a stroll
'Broken' bridges so spirits can't cross
Luckily I found my way
Details
We bid farewell to the park and headed back out onto the street towards the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building's observation deck.
Ducking in and out of streets on our journey this one stopped me in my tracks. With the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in the background I could have stared down the street for hours.
We got to the top of the tower one observation deck with no delay and the scale of Toyko hit me. Jeremy Clarkson once said "Italy is God's racetrack, Canada his pantry, Germany his workshop and this [Burma] his garden" while overlooking the vast lush green landscape. I walked off the elevator and immediately pressed my nose to the glass "It looks like God spilled lego's everywhere"
As it was nearing lunch time and I was going to try to make the 2:33pm airport express to Narita it was time to find some food and start wrapping up this great tour. Unfortunately the Katsu place CPH-Flyer wanted to bring me to was jam packed so we opted for some tempura. Boo hoo we're having tempura and I'll have to come back to have the Katsu...twist my arm
I'm told locals eat the tail. Yum!
An amazing lunch that turned into many rounds of tea had us pushing the clock. I still had to get a ticket for the Narita express, get my bag, check out and get back to Tokyo Station. Cue Sinner Man by Nina Simone and the rushing montage! We took the subway back to Tokyo Station and got my other train ticket on the way out - thanks for the speedy help CPH-Flyer but English would have been nice
To say I ran would be an understatement. We hit Tokyo Station around 2:00pm. I have message from CPH-Flyer at 2:11 when he dropped me back at the CourtYard with instructions on how to get down to the airport express platform and at 2:24pm I texted him that I had already packed and run back to Tokyo Station
. I may have been sweating and out of breath but you know what else I was - on that train! before I knew it I was back in transit and Japan was whirring by.I love that the trains tell you your exit's relation to the escalators and elevators
Narita!
Checking in with Thai Airways was a little funky because they agents could not comprehend why I would want to fly 12,000+ miles to get to a destination 4,900 miles away. Luckily I had the map of the trip on my phone and was able to explain that I booked this specifically to enjoy it. After a lot of confused looks I finally had my boarding passes and was on my way.
And to you as well!
Thai was departing from gate 46 which was and the end of the terminal near the ANA lounge so I had a great opportunity to see some planes while I walked over.
I went up four flights from the train to check-in, down one after security for passport control and now up another four. How tall is this airport? I arrived and was guided to my seat in the Suites lounge
View from the lounge
Look what just arrived!
Cheers to you Thai A380
I ordered a little bite from the noodle bar. Pasta, red sauce and crab - wonderful!
I didn't take too many pictures because I never got completely comfortable in the surroundings. I just kept feeling like I was being observed or judged. The lounge was about 2/3 full and it's not like I was on my phone or blabbing away to someone next to me. I did a little re-arranging of my bag took my jacket off and put it away, organized my backpack a little too but I felt that everything I did was disturbing the entire lounge. Hey, maybe it is because I ran to get the Narita Express, waited in a hot station, was in a warm lounge that I had to trek through Narnia to find and stunk or something but I did not feel like I belonged.
Boarding has been delayed 15 minutes
First to board^
Up next: The Long way to Dubai
Last edited by Madone59; Jan 10, 2018 at 4:26 pm
Feb 9, 2017, 5:14 am
#57
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Germany
Programs: Some
Posts: 11,505
Feb 9, 2017, 7:34 pm
#58
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: 6km East of EPAYE
Programs: UA Silver, AA Platinum, AS & DL GM Marriott TE, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,582
DanielW the trip was awesome and hanging with you guys was a blast! The photo you took came out great - more on that soon everyone!
Coming soon Flame3601! The EK flights were great.
Thanks gpeso8! I'm getting it out there as fast as I can.
. I use my eBags Professional backpack and my pelican 1510. For this trip I left the Pelican at home because of the weight and took my wives Swiss gear bag. Thanks TOMFORD!! But instead can I have the furry one???
