Part 6 – A fresh start to 2012, Taipei, Taiwan


The Second Section of the trip report covers Part 6 – 7 which is The January family vacation, Jan 1 – 4 (HKG-TPE-NRT-TPE-HKG).

Just like eightblack, family vacations I think brings out the best and the worst out of everyone in the family.
Me – Everything premium please, the more the merrier, First Class over Business
Mom – Just make me comfortable but affordable, no coach over 3 hrs preferable
First Class, whatever? No alcohol for me and hardly eat anything. Lie Flat Business will do
Dad – You do everything, you plan everything, Whatever don’t bug me. Make sure its First or Business and have people serve me. You better be marrying a girl before coming to me was my old family motto for Dad

This trip was a long time waiting, mom had long for a family trip to Japan. And sadly, I’m never have enough days in Asia to spring 1. This year, I had 1 month off during winter break, saved 3 days of mileage running later in the week.
CX runs a HKG-TPE-NRT route, and take advantage of a <24 hr connection in TPE. I get to visit TPE since I’ve never been there and I agree to open the mileage bank for a Japan trip.

Family gets a CX J HKG-TPE-NRT and CX F NRT-HKG on AA miles,
I went and got some AS miles via a 40% bonus sale and got a CX J HKG-TPE-NRT-TPE-HKG ticket, needed the later TPE stopover for another ticket

Jan 1, 2012 – Sunday
CX 564 HKG-TPE 1:15pm – 2:55pm (744/J)

After another HKG NYE DO, seems to be the only time to HKG gang seems to be less busy. It was great to meet Friendly Skies, wolf539, kchika and percysmith as well meeting kaka again.
Sadly for 2012, I’ll be in North America for NYE courtesy of the Burmese Junta.

Like other 2 class service, if flight is served by a 3 class planes on CX, first come first serve for CX Diamonds/OW Emeralds among others. And I manage to get the family out of the house by 9:30am on New Years Day, and get to HKG by 10:30am.
Originally assigned 11A, 12A, and 14A on a 744, check in at the First Class counter and with some supervisor input, managed to get 1A, 1K, and 2A on a 744 for the family.


Travel on New Years means the airport was just DEAD…..
And so was the CX Wing F lounge, which will be one of the last time I transit there before the upcoming renovation. Definitely gonna miss the cafeteria for the next 9 months or so.

Here’s for remembering the old CX F Wing Lounge, with X-mas decoration






Like most family trips, dad is simply bored with a drink and a newspaper, I go lounge hopping and taking photos and mom goes shopping, everyone is happy and we meet back just prior to boarding.

I went to tour the cabin a bit which I did enjoy but the Wing will always have my heart in HKG <3
Around 12:20pm, got back to the Wing and got the entire family to walk out to Gate 64.

Cathay Pacific Airways Boeing 747-400


CX 564 to Taipei and continuing service to Osaka Kansai


*1st flight, 501 Miles flown this year
Cathay Pacific Airways 564
Hong Kong to Taipei Taoyuan
1:15pm – 2:55pm, 1 hr 40 min flight
Business Class (First Class Cabin), Seat 1A
Food – Lunch
Equipment – Boeing 747-400

It’s been such a long time since I’ve been in a CX First Class cabin, its always a nice surprise to see an old friend







F cabin ended up being 7 out of 9, with the family up in 1A, 1K, and 2A, a lady in 2K, a Japanese couple in 3A, and 4A and a Chinese kid in 4K.
Still, this provided a very comfortable 1 hr 15 min flight to TPE.
Flight was on time with takeoff from 26L. Crew sprang into action very quickly on this short leg with the meal service

CX 564 Lunch

Starter
Fresh seasonal fruit

Main Course
Wok-fried Kurobuta pork in sweet chilli sauce steamed jasmine rice and Chinese vegetables

Pan-fried ling fish with lemon butter, braised beans, roasted fennel and spinach

Dessert
Steamed meringue on vanilla sauce

Tea and Coffee

Had the pork this afternoon despite a good brunch at the Wing.


Wish I can find the translations but I hated those Chinese vegetable

And hopefully CX can change its AVOD policies, limit all those extra videos shown at the beginning of the flight. On a TPE flight, you can barely watch anything, I probably had 20 mins max after the meal service and prior to prepare the cabin for landing.
And others might criticize me on this, neither myself nor my mom enjoyed row 1
Guess we both are a bit claustrophobic, my dad however prefers row 1, next time he can have it.

A very speedy immigration as I found in later months in Taipei as well and it’s the first time I’m here since? When I was 10 y.o? Can’t remember
Took a couple mins to figure out to figure out the various bus which took us to the Grand Hyatt, thankfully the family was here a couple months ago on a TPE turn.
With the 1 hr bus ride plus the wait for the bus itself, it was around 4:45pm before getting to the Grand Hyatt Taipei.

Grand Hyatt Taipei




Part 6 Continues Below