Log in
Join travelers community
Your Profile
Logout
When I had the opportunity to use frequent flyer miles for an overseas trip, I decided to use them to go over a different sea than usual for a trip to Asia in November 2002. Here is a report on that trip to Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
TRIP TO ASIA, NOVEMBER 2002
Amc2004-09-13 14:42:34
Displayed times (last time: )
as 10,000 bonus miles for five partner transactions, which could be five meals at Idine’s restaurants . Although I’m generally budget-minded, I like the opportunity to go Business Class when I get the chance; in particular, this would be the way to take the long flight to Asia. I understood that November was a good time to go, and I could incorporate the days off work I get for Thanksgiving. So I booked these flights as they became available 11 months in advance.
The day of departure came, and at my home airport of Kansas City it was my first opportunity to see a renovated section of the terminal. In First Class for my domestic segments, I got to Detroit and had my first look at their new terminal, big and airy compared to their terribly cramped old facility. As a World Business Class passenger, I was entitled to go to the airline’s WorldClub. It was very big; just as I finished exploring it, I heard the boarding call for my flight, an hour before departure. I had my express line to board, and for the first time I took my seat on the upper deck of a 747. NW has a reputation of having an old fleet, and the 747 has been retired from service on most non-Asian routes, but this cabin had a new feel. Next to my window seat, there was a bin beneath the window for my carry-on, and I could rest my reading matter on the lid, with some risk of it sliding. With the extreme recline and space between seats, it was nice not to have to reach for the seat pocket.
There was friendly service, with some minor lapses, before and during the flight from Detroit to Tokyo, the longest flight segment of my life at 13.5 hours. The flight attendants were surprised that I ordered the Japanese meal. I got a fair amount of sleep during this flight across the international date line, leaving at 12.35 p.m. Thursday and arriving in Tokyo at 4 p.m. Friday. It might as well have been the same day in terms of it being daylight for the whole flight; I was aware of it, from the
...
See photographs from:
Vietnam Gallery
,
Macau Gallery
,
Hong Kong Gallery
,
Cambodia Gallery
