The joys of flying buisness class...
Having flown across the Pacific several times in the past year dealing with preparations for my wedding, I had won the membership into the esteemed Marco Polo club with Cathay Pacific airlines. Although I am of course on the lowest tier possible, even the basic membership gives you great rewards.
First and foremost, use of the lounge...free food, drinks, internet access, nice bathrooms away from the hustle and bustle of the regular waiting area.
Then I was so lucky to be able to upgrade to business class. I had called Cathay Pacific earlier to see if it was possible to upgrade and they had told me that unfortunately, all upgrades on my flight was full. Oh well...
But if I had learned nothing from business school, one thing I did learn is that it doesn't hurt to ask again. Everything to gain, nothing to lose. So at the boarding gate, I did just that, I asked again. Lo and behold! They had a seat available. The angels were singing... :)
With a 16 hour direct flight, sitting in business class instead of coach makes a world of difference. They've also improved business class since the last time I traveled business. Best of course, is that you have your own little personal space, and plenty of legroom. My legs were not long enough for the legroom they provided. The seats reclined back until you are lying straight, albeit a bit tilted towards the front, but still a world of difference compared to the limited movement in economy.
Entertainment was on demand. You don't need to catch a moving at the beginning and wait till the end to go to the bathroom. It started when you requested it, and you could also pause, fast forward and rewind as desired. I watched the Wedding Crashers and the Island. The first was good, the latter, was ...eh....ok. I think Ewan McGregor is hot. Oh, the noise reduction headphones really do reduce noise. I couldn't hear the plane at all!
The food, of course is always good on a Cathay flight. But in business class, they serve you with real plates and silverware, in courses. One after the other, salad first, then main course....it was awesome! I tried a drink called the Cathay Delight, a little non-alcoholic cocktail with kiwi, lime and a hint of coconut. Delicious!
The 16 hours passed by really fast. A little sleep, two movies, some reading. I didn't even take out my laptop. It's amazing how traveling half way around the world is really not such and ordeal anymore.
As is my usual drill, I met with my parents at the air train Hong Kong station. I call them once I land and then they get there in time for my train to arrive. We went straight to a restaurant for dinner but I wasn't really hungry. It was too weird a time for me to have an appetit, besides I just had "breakfast" on the plane. I was so sleepy, I moved through the night in a total fog. I believe it was drug induced. I didn't sleep it off on the plane...unfortunately. Collapsed in bed the moment I got home, and of course, now at 4AM, I'm wide awake. *sigh* going to try to catch some more sleep before "normal" waking hours!
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