Day One
Back in 2008 I flew from Hong Kong to Los Angeles, but this was my first time going the other direction, which means we were flying into strong headwinds. We clocked in just under 15 hours, which is by far the longest nonstop flight I've ever taken. Business Class on Cathay Pacific did not disappoint - there are definitely worse places to spend 15 hours than this seat, and the crew members were constantly in the aisles offering to refill drinks or just chat with you. I never saw any of them sitting down, which is a marked contrast to US-based airlines where the crew seem to spend most of the flight sitting down reading magazines and seem irritated if you ask them for anything.
We got two full meals, one right after we took off and one right before we landed. In between, there was a full bar with snacks set up in one of the galleys, and at any point you could ring your call button and ask for a bowl of shui gaw dumplings in noodle soup. That one was a no-brainer for me - I was tempted to get a second bowl.
The best part was definitely the inflight entertainment system, though. There were almost a hundred movies available, plus plenty of television shows, news programs, documentaries and even cartoons, all on demand. I watched an entire season of both Parks & Recreation and Modern Family, plus a few 30 Rock, Community and Family Guy episodes to boot. I decided to save movies for my next 13-hour Cathay Pacific flight (Hong Kong to Johannesburg) at the end of the month.
I'm spending the night here in Hong Kong, mostly because I (rightly) predicted I wouldn't want to get another plane after such a full day of flying. I spent some time in Hong Kong last year, so I didn't feel obligated to go all the way into the city - thanks to my generous stepfather, who gave me one of his free nights, I am crashing tonight at the Marriott located right at the airport. Very convenient.
Today I'm in: Hong Kong SAR, China
I've arrived in Hong Kong! Everything went without a hitch - no delays, no problems, no lost bags and no lost tempers. I left Detroit at 6:00am, landed in Dallas right on time, left for Los Angeles right on time, and caught my connecting flight to Hong Kong with no trouble at all.
Back in 2008 I flew from Hong Kong to Los Angeles, but this was my first time going the other direction, which means we were flying into strong headwinds. We clocked in just under 15 hours, which is by far the longest nonstop flight I've ever taken. Business Class on Cathay Pacific did not disappoint - there are definitely worse places to spend 15 hours than this seat, and the crew members were constantly in the aisles offering to refill drinks or just chat with you. I never saw any of them sitting down, which is a marked contrast to US-based airlines where the crew seem to spend most of the flight sitting down reading magazines and seem irritated if you ask them for anything. 
We got two full meals, one right after we took off and one right before we landed. In between, there was a full bar with snacks set up in one of the galleys, and at any point you could ring your call button and ask for a bowl of shui gaw dumplings in noodle soup. That one was a no-brainer for me - I was tempted to get a second bowl. 
I'm spending the night here in Hong Kong, mostly because I (rightly) predicted I wouldn't want to get another plane after such a full day of flying. I spent some time in Hong Kong last year, so I didn't feel obligated to go all the way into the city - thanks to my generous stepfather, who gave me one of his free nights, I am crashing tonight at the Marriott located right at the airport. Very convenient.
I was able to nap here and there on the long flight over, but didn't get anything I'd call quality sleep. So now, after being awake for basically 36 hours, it's time to sleep. Maybe forever. Or at least until about 7:30am tomorrow when I have to wake up for my flight to Taipei, which is a merciful one hour and thirty minutes.
How cool Jamie! Thank you for sharing your travel experience. I am absolutely envious of this experience you are having!
ReplyDeleteYou never told us what food you got eat in Romulus! :)
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