UA 804 SIN NRT 0700 1440 772 20B Ch9^

Check-in was a model of Singaporean efficiency.

I didn't get upgraded, oh the heartbreak. I'd thought of
upfaring to a Q, but unheeding of common sense I chose to
save a couple hundred dollars and stuck with my W, with
this sad result.

So no Silver Kris for me. Instead the SATS lounge beckoned.
Truth to tell, it is much better than the old one - reminds
me of the United Club in Hong Kong, with a substantial open
area, fairly attractive in the impersonal glass and metal
way. Relatively few facilities, though (read: I couldn't
find the bathroom). Catering pretty decent. A Hampton-like
spread was offered; in addition, a steamer with assembly-
line but tasty enough shrimp dumplings and two kinds of bao
- minced weird pork and minced chicken with mushrooms
(tentative identifications). The best food on offer was
Indian - those broken rice cakes called I think idli served
with a coconut sambar and a fairly spicy and quite excellent
lentil curry of which only a few tablespoons remained, alas.

On the plane, the digs were okay - more than enough legroom,
more than enough seat width (I am not too fat), but no
recline, I believe because the machinery was broken. Still,
it was comfy enough, and given my lifetime Platinum I can
have this seat preassigned, and maybe it's K and L fares in
my future. My seatmate was quiet and pleasant and managed to
crawl across me without waking me when on the way to the
lavatory. Speaking of which, despite the lack of recline
and my tendency to slump off into the aisle, I got a good
3 hours of sleep on a 6-hour flight.

A genial Indian flight attendant chatted pleasantly with
us before the flight and was moderately attentive during it.

I woke up for breakfast, which I'm glad for, as it was
better than most of what I was served in business on the
other flights: soy sauce chicken, half a very fatty thigh,
over shrimp roe vermicelli with a few shreds of bok choy,
a mediocre fruit assortment, and a plastic-wrapped almond
cream bun. I like scraps, and the chicken was right up my
alley. My seatmate looked at it, wrinkled up her nose, and
pushed it aside. I didn't scavenge her leftovers but thought
of asking to do so.

The flight, fairly bumpy with a bit of a tailwind, got in
close to half an hour early, and we were to the gate in
close on record time. Further, they'd opened the premier
security lane (though the divider was ignored by many), and
the extra security was relatively quick, so I had a good
hour and half. I thought of going to the ANA lounge in 4
this time (it's dim and dark but less crowded; also closer
to my next gate), but as I passed the RCC, it didn't look
crowded. I asked the guardian if it was going to be busy;
she allowed that this was a quiet time of day, so I decided
to give it a try.

The living rooms were half full, and most of the carrels in
back were empty.

Lunch was soba noodles, chicken Smisnuggets, and a cream of
corn soup that tasted as if it actually had been made with
cream. There were also I believe little sandwiches on offer,
plus the usual edamame, potato chips, and such. Sadly, no
inarizushi, something I look forward to for its filling
sweet starchy diabetogenicity.

I eschewed my normal homage to the amazing beer machine and
checked out the red wines - Ginestet Bordeaux and something
from the Pays de l'Herault, no thank you -, and ended up
with a double shot of Kirin VSOP brandy. Word to the wise:
just say no. There's a hint of grape flavor, but mostly it's
a neutral spirits taste. Next time back to the beer machine.

I'd had a shower at the hotel, really, truly, and it had
been only a 6-hr flight, but I felt almost as sticky as
after that unairconditioned bus ride to Tagaytay. Maybe it
was the unfamiliar experience of coach. There was no wait
for the rooms, and the attendant was especially genial and
polite. The rooms have been renovated fairly recently, and
though the water pressure is still dicey, it's a generally
pleasant and refreshing experience. Someone asked me about
the amenities, and I said that they're handed out on a
need-to-use basis now. This is still the case.

It was a one-minute stroll to the gate, where boarding was
in full swing.