Pond outdoors the home of Ho Chi Minh
Again in 2012 I made a decision to get into the factors and miles recreation. I had many e-mentors in my journey, amongst them Gary Leff, Ben, and Chris Guillebeau (I discuss extra about my journey inspiration on this publish). I had taken a couple of small journeys right here and there, and, by manufactured spending and bank card bonuses, constructed up a pleasant little quantity of American AAdvantage miles. I made a decision I wished to make use of them for a particular journey: my first time to Asia.
So the place would I am going for my first journey to Asia? Nicely, odds are by this level you’ve seen the title of this publish, which type of ruins the shock, however think about you haven’t: VIETNAM! Now, why on this planet would I determine to go to Vietnam? Nicely, a few of you is likely to be new to the weblog, however my loyal and devoted readers (hello Mother!) will in all probability guess that it has one thing to do with a British tv present by the title of High Gear. And also you’re proper.
I get plenty of journey concepts from High Gear, circumstances in level right here, right here, and right here. They go throughout the world and do cool issues. Granted, they’ve an even bigger price range than I do, however nonetheless. Anyway, they drove scooters up your entire coast of Vietnam (practically) from Saigon to Halong Bay. That episode was the primary time I had ever heard of or seen Halong Bay, and instantly it grabbed my eyeballs and hit me proper within the bucket record. So, as I formulated my journey, I noticed I didn’t have practically the time nor price range to try a 1000 mile motorbike/scooter journey. Actually, I had slightly below per week during which I may take the journey (across the 2012 Labor Day vacation in the US). Might I pull it off? I imply, how arduous may it’s?
Getting there
Nicely, it seems it’s fairly powerful to do this period of time zoning in such a brief period of time. As I deliberate, I noticed that Vietnam was precisely 12 hours forward of Central time within the US. So every thing can be immediately backwards. I made the choice: I used to be going to HAVE to sleep on the airplane if I wished an opportunity to benefit from the journey. I’m an enormous dude (all the muscle tissue), so I don’t sleep properly on planes sometimes. However I wanted to sleep on this journey.
So let me introduce you to Cathay Pacific First Class. I’ve beforehand reviewed the Cathay First expertise right here, however this journey truly occurred earlier than the one I linked to. This was my first ever journey in worldwide First Class and I concern I type of ruined myself, as a result of few flights since have stacked up.
My journey started within the Admiral’s Membership of DFW Airport’s Terminal D. My drink of alternative after I get able to fly is a Bailey’s on the rocks, as a result of apparently I’m a wuss, in line with associates. However I prefer it, so hush. Since I used to be flying First Class on a Oneworld flight, I acquired some free drink coupons as properly, a pleasant contact earlier than an excellent journey.
Baileys on the rocks at DFW
We acquired the decision to board our flight out of D17, which is within the part of DFW that’s at the moment being renovated to accommodate the A380’s imminent arrival at DFW. I all the time figured this was the case, as D14-D17 have all the time had comically lengthy jetways. I felt like I used to be truly strolling about midway to LAX and we’d simply hop on the airplane for the remainder of the journey.
I arrived into LAX in that little round space that every one LAX American flyers know properly. I made a cease on the LAX Flagship Lounge (on account of me flying First Class on a world flight, I didn’t have Government Platinum standing on the time) and noticed Michael Douglas speaking with somebody well-known trying. In order that was cool. I don’t like bothering celebrities, particularly after I don’t bear in mind any of their motion pictures (“Michael! Beloved you in that one the place you type of grimaced whereas trying down your nostril at somebody!”) so I didn’t make a scene. I did seize fairly a couple of photos of the lounge, which have since gone the best way of the Dodo, and by Dodo I imply I upgraded my iPhone and let a buddy use my previous one and he formatted the telephone when he acquired it.
After the Flagship Lounge I made my approach in the direction of the (on the time, pre-renovation) Tom Bradley Worldwide Terminal, affectionately recognized by frequent flyers as TBIT, additionally as “that dump”. From all accounts the renovations have been fantastic and it’s nice now, appears to be like like I have to take one other journey to seek out out myself. I used to be pondering these sorts of ideas (“I’m wondering what I’ll be doing 22 months from now, writing about this I wager”) as I discovered the Cathay Pacific check-in space. Extra particularly, MY Cathay Pacific check-in space.
First Class Stanchion
The Crimson Carpet (in the event you’re colorblind)
A Cathay agent stood in the beginning of the above carpet and confirmed that the largely homeless trying individual in entrance of her was surely touring within the First Class cabin that night time. I handed her my passport and that began about 15 hours of fantastic service. She rapidly tagged my baggage, checked me in, exchanged my lame-o American printed boarding go for the Epic and Colourful Cathay Pacific boarding go to which I used to be apparently entitled (she made an enormous deal out of it). She printed out my lounge invites for the Oneworld Lounge at TBIT in addition to the lounges at Hong Kong’s airport.
I ended by the Oneworld Lounge for a bit however determined to move to the gate early in case boarding began sooner than regular. It didn’t. It began proper on time. Like “the gate agent was gazing his watch and counting down the seconds till it was boarding time” on time. I used to be standing within the First Class line with an enormous smile on my face like an enormous dumb fool, apprehensive that somebody would come alongside and say “okay, enjoyable’s over, you didn’t suppose you have been going to really fly First, did you?” For some motive I may completely see Michael Douglas saying that.
Boarding was introduced, I heard an affirmative-sounding beep when my boarding go was scanned, and I walked down the jetway in the direction of one of the vital nice emotions in all of flyingdom: turning left if you enter the airplane. One of many flight attendants expertly noticed my boarding go. She welcomed me to First Class and promptly walked me to my seat/suite, 1K, on our 777-300ER.
Suite 1K
Spacious seat with a hidden armrest I by no means knew about
Shanghai Tang pajamas
I began snapping photos like whoa, and he or she insisted on taking an image of me earlier than one other glass of champagne was served. Nicely, okay.
Wanting regal and barely raveled
I used to be getting good and settled in, due to my associates from Dom Perignon.
The flight departed after a modest wait (utterly full again in coach) and I started to peruse Cathay Pacific’s massively thorough in-flight leisure system.
Then, lo and behold, you’ll by no means guess what present was obtainable!
High Gear
They even (a bit randomly) had my favourite film of all time, The Rock. You wager your butt I watched it throughout dinner too.
After takeoff, I loved some combined nuts earlier than dinner.
Combined nuts
Dinner began with Cathay’s well-known (and now now not obtainable) balik salmon and caviar.
Balik salmon and caviar
I had truly by no means had caviar earlier than this flight. It was good! I don’t know if I’d ever pay the premium to have it right here, nevertheless it was good to have on a flight, very highly effective style, which is hard at 38,000 ft.
After a soup, they then introduced out a prawn salad.
Prawn salad
By the point I ate all of that, I used to be fairly full. However then the steak got here.
The Steak
It was cooked to a pleasant medium-well. I usually eat my steak medium uncommon, however a pleasant medium-well is difficult to do on a airplane (it’s often far more completed). It tasted nice, one of many higher beef programs I’ve had on a airplane, even since.
I used to be too full for dessert, and as a substitute had the flight attendant make up my mattress so I may get some sleep. Though the cabin was a bit heat, I ended up getting a superb 7 hours of sleep. I watched another episodes and earlier than I knew it a light-weight breakfast was served.
Fruit plate at breakfast
I’ve failed you, loyal weblog readers, in that I can not discover the image of the completely excellent scrambled eggs that adopted the fruit plate. They have been merely divine, higher than nearly any I’ve had even on the bottom (possibly the exception can be the Park Hyatt Vendome in Paris, you’ll have to attend a couple of weeks to see!). However however, we started our descent into Hong Kong, and the flight map display screen was my first clue that issues have been going to get a bit…overseas.
Oh, proper.
I opened the shade and was greeted with an excellent dawn to usher in an excellent day in Hong Kong.
Dawn over HKG
The service was impeccable. There are solely six seats in Cathay’s First Class on the 777-300ER and there have been solely 4 of these seats crammed. Dinner service was good in each approach. I’ll let you know one thing I want I knew although: Cathay’s flight attendants don’t wish to trouble you on the flight so they don’t roam the aisles in search of alternatives to assist. They like you allow them to know if you want one thing and can immediately be at your aspect as quickly as you press the flight attendant name button. I didn’t know that going into the flight. It didn’t make the service worse by any means, it’s simply a kind of issues that’s good to know.
Fairly a couple of frequent flyers will let you know that Cathay Pacific First Class is the most effective, most constant expertise on this planet. I believe I’ve to agree, at the least till we get to my Etihad journey report in a couple of weeks. For now, get pleasure from this throwback journey report. Up subsequent, Hong Kong!