Due to a cramped airplane seat and the International Date Line, I didn’t really have a day today. We got on the airplane yesterday in Vancouver and off at 3:10 pm in Hong Kong. The actual flight time was something over thirteen hours. It was a leisurely connection, so we had three hours to walk around the airport. The connecting flight went to Bangkok first. There was a whole group of well-behaved, Chinese youth on that three-hour sector. They were oodles easier than the previous screaming toddler on the previous flight.We stayed in the plane, on the ground. The cleaning staff between flights is very efficient. Usually their work goes unseen by passengers.
The final flight was only two hours in the air. Few passengers got on in Bangkok, meaning that our section of the plane was about 5% full. Jay and I each moved to window seats. I was able to stretch out a bit.
Cathay Pacific had good food, I have to admit. And lots. Of course, I only have North American domestics as recent comparisons. When we went from Seattle to San Diego in the spring, I got a packet of pretzels and a half glass of 7-Up. Yet on these sectors, the airline offered good meals. When leaving Vancouver, the first meal ended with a nice Saskatoon-berry mousse. Everything went smoothly aboard. Of course, it should as I estimate that this was the most expensive ticket I have ever paid for in my life. I've done quite a bit of flying over the years.
A bit before the day ended, we finally landed. The airport expansion is very nice with beautiful white tiles and a long, long section of new gates. One pops right out of immigration into duty free. We each got two bottles of whiskey as gifts. The bags arrived quickly and we just walked through the green line declaring nothing. I'm sure that as visitors we were probably not supposed to have our bags full of gifts. How many tourists bring along a new DVD player?
Out into the main hall and to the banks. I went to Bank of Ceylon. Jay cashed some old Euro traveller's cheques from last year. Then, we went to the airport taxi service. Minuwangoda is only about twenty minutes away. I am sure that when our driver received his ticket, he must have been a bit disappointed. Some arrivals want to take a more costly, long-distance trip.