First Trip to Hong Kong aboard VA J class

[Boca68]

At least he got the dome in it?

And your hair looks nice....

 

[kermatu]

Fabulous TR so far. Loving it.

But a pic of Rebecca would make it even better.

 

[serfty]

Great report!

I didn't care to be honest. By the time we cleared Customs it was almost midnight - which was 2am Sydney time and all I wanted to do was sleep. I'll explore her tomorrow.........

I can relate to that, I am posting this from my Hotel in Wan Chai after a 3.5 hour delayed flight; I was up at 4am Melbourne time .... Flew Qantas ...

 

[Irishbazz]

Bloody pesky photo bombers

 

[clipped_wings]

I love gardening. So it was without surprise that I gravitated towards anything green that caught my eye. Kowloon had some beautiful examples of symmetry with it's municipal plantings and I only wish I had the vision of a professional photographer, as my awkward attempts to capture this are not enough to articulate how beautiful it actually was.

 

[clipped_wings]

Does anyone know how hard it is to buy a waving cat in Hong Kong? It's bloody hard, apparently. My 14 year old son had requested one and as any parent knows, we will move mountains for our kids. Now, I would have no problem in Hot Dollar back home, but this little plastic artifact remained elusive through our 2 day odyssey. I searched through every store, every side lane and every gift shop. Despite my best efforts and limited Chinese, I could not find it anywhere. I must have atrocious translation because they kept offering me canned breast milk formula. I almost accepted it in the end as I was tired and cranky. But I am 56 years old. You do the math.

We were returning to our hotel to prepare for packing, my shoulders were low and I was seriously thinking of going back and getting the formula (weird huh). Out of the corner, across the street and far away, there was a beacon of hope: a small shop that bore the sign SOUVINIR (sic).

Dare we? Should we? Of course we should. We vaulted across and down the street as fast as two fifty somethings not wearing Spandex could fly. Inside was a treasure trove of small gifts and souvenirs. There, atop of the highest pile of insignificant stuff was - (you guessed it) A WAVING CAT! I almost cried. I could barely pick it up. I held it in my hands and shook with laughter. The poor shopkeeper must have thought I was quite mad.

It's not just the fact that I now had the toy, which I should remind you all, was worth around AUD10. It was the thrill of the chase I guess. I felt like Indiana Jones when I found that cat. I had taken Kowloon on. And triumphed.

We then bought a bag load of trinkets for our kids and wandered happily back to the hotel, our precious feline cargo (still waving) - tucked safely under my arm.

At 3:30pm we called time on our Hong Kong sabbatical. We bid the Intercontinental farewell and called a cab. The trip to the airport was fabulous, as I had not seen much of this part of the city when we arrived so late. I had my head out the window like a dog chasing the wind. I was astounded at the volume and concentration of residential buildings that line the coast. Our transfer was swift thanks to a 20 year old driver we shall call Craig Lowndes, because that's how he drove.

It wasn't too long before we were tucked into some comfortable lounge chairs in Club Autus. Again, we made good use of the showers and truly felt a million bucks afterwards. I settled in with a good crossword and enjoyed another Scotch. Hubby caught up on some NRL news and a few beers, then we made our way to the departure gate. It was around 19:30 when we took our seats. Our vivacious crew member, Narelle introduced herself and offered us a pre departure bubbly. Who's gonna say no to that?

Narelle was a platinum tipped firecracker. She was funny, warm and friendly with a shock of short, ultra blonde hair. She was an excellent host, always stopping by for a chat or making sure I was comfortable. She had noticed I was wearing a rather light blouse and she said "I'm going to give you a doona straight away, it may get cool early on through the flight". It's little gems like this that made me feel so pampered. The cabin was half full, but we almost had Narelle all to ourselves, as most of the passengers were sitting on the other side.

Pushback was right on schedule and we joined a rather long and complicated line of different jets all wishing to use the runway from various entry points. Obviously our A332 requires a back of the bus takeoff, so we had the longest wait with other similar sized birds. I didn't care, as it is a pet hobby to watch everyone coming and going. I was entertained thoroughly before it was our turn to rev those bad boy engines and pummel down the runway. Takeoff is my favourite thing and I just adore the way an airplane shudders and shakes as it gains momentum at such high speed. I'm always in awe of how weightless I feel and this one was no exception. The lift was smooth and as we climbed into the night sky, I managed to film a few precious seconds of a majestically illuminated Hong Kong carpet. She was as pretty as any city I have ever seen from this perspective and I immediately wished I had one more day to get to know her better.

Just after takeoff, we were presented with some stuffed olives and parmesan cookies, which were an excellent way to get the tastebuds going.



Next, was a serve of their famous garlic bread. As there was so few passengers, Narelle insisted on loading me up with as much as I wanted. There goes the waistine..




Then for starters, I ordered the Tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad with olives, basil and balsamic,



Followed by Atlantic Salmon with kipfler potatoes, roasted fennel, capsicum, capers and basil.



I had the cheese plate again for dessert, but the presentation is the same and I've already posted a photo. Suffice to say, it was exceptional again.

And here's where Virgin really shines. Consider the size of an average airline galley - multiply these plate by 20 and you will have a new appreciation of just how hard the cabin crew must work, getting these details right. Even our half full cabin would be a challenge. The presentation of every dish is to be commended and the quality of food was beyond delicious.

I'm dreading the thought of going back to the melamine and foil combo in (ugh) e-c-o-n-o-m-y. Sounds like a swear word, doesn't it?

Anyhoo, after dinner I managed to squeeze in some brain training with another crossword, then sleep beckoned and I changed into the all new Virgin Australia jim jams. I do like these better, they held their shape well. But I would just love a shorts option as the plane was extremely warm and those long jammies made for a hot me. Not in a good way folks.

I enjoyed a decent nap and was again, woken by my husband. This time his fingers holding my nose together. It's like I'm travelling with a small child.

Breakfast was a hearty plate of bacon, eggs and too many sides to mention. The smoothie was a meal in itself and my cappuccino was top notch.





Melbourne was opening her sleepy eyes as we approached.



Next: The Final Leg

 

[kamchatsky]

Great TR! The breakfast looks quite good compare to QF Cafe style breakfast!

Great to see you got your Maneki-neko!

 

[clipped_wings]

Our final sector was MEL-SYD courtesy of VA833 on a B738. Such a short flight, but we were looking forward to the journey home and didn't feel obliged to panic too much as we had a couple hours to kill in the Virgin Lounge. We had a few coffees, a nice chat then proceeded to Security for screening. I only had one small cabin bag, as did Mr Clipped, but as we were lifting the bags onto the conveyor belt for X-ray, some random female pushed past us and said "Excuse me, can you move please? I need to get through". She dumped her handbag onto the belt before me and sauntered through the X-ray. Husband and I just looked at each other and said "huh?"

Anyway, I moved through the X-ray and found her on the other side. Her bag was being questioned and mine had already been cleared. She was arguing with the staff. So I said "Excuse me, can you move please? I need to get through".

We wandered down to the gate. The B*tch who didn't know she was a B*tch arrived and promptly stood first in line, long before they called anyone. When boarding began, she thrust her pass into the hands of staff and tippity tapped her black leather pumps down through the aerobridge. I found her seated in row 7 and as I took my 2A seat, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Such an angry person - and all that negative energy. The good thing was, I have learnt that this type of behaviour doesn't endear you to anyone, so don't throw it around if you're having a bad day. Deal with it privately and show some decorum to people around you.

On a positive note, we had a great flight home and our cabin host, Rob was simply the cherry on the cake of our day. He was a gorgeous ambassador for the Virgin brand and the delightful way he engaged with all passengers was exemplary. His plating skills were pretty good too. He made some basic smoked salmon a culinary masterpiece:





So here we are. The final chapter in our fabulous getaway. Touchdown at Sydney was right on time and we rolled to a gentle stop for disembarking with a lump in our throats. It was the end of a brief but beautiful holiday with my amazing husband, who, despite his infant antics - is my perfect travel buddy and the reason I laugh till I cry.

The last few days have been a blur, but it's been quite cathartic for me to put pen to paper here. Details of each moment have made themselves available to me with more clarity than if I'd simply chatted to you all over dinner.

If anyone has had the fortitude to read this far, thank you. I leave you all now with a promise to keep flying and although my mission is to aim for those gorgeous J class suites, it really doesn't matter. Soaring in any class to another adventure is the most wonderful thing and I hope our upcoming USA road trip will entertain you as much as it will us.

I actually found a half decent photo of me from the first flight, so my self esteem has been restored.



This is Clipped Wings reporting for, well......me.

Over and Out.

 

[clipped_wings]

Oh, almost forgot.

Did I get the Salt&Pepper shakers. Well, it would have been rude to ask for them, just because I wanted them so bad....


Who am I kidding. Of course I asked for them. They are my new favourite toy. So much easier than getting a stupid waving cat.

 

[jkbaus]

Have loved reading your fabulous report.
Like reading story I can't put down.
Thank you.

 

[BriarFlyer]

Loved this TR, clipped_wings. Thank you for the fabulous read which I know I'll refer back to when I'm heading to HK...especially if I'm in need of a waving cat!

Also, THIS!!! ==> <Takeoff is my favourite thing and I just adore the way an airplane shudders and shakes as it gains momentum at such high speed. I'm always in awe of how weightless I feel and this one was no exception.> So much YES!!!!

 

[I love to travel]

Loved it thank you.

 

[jase05]

Loved the report, thanks for sharing. Glad you enjoyed what is truly a magnificent City, it’s been nearly 6 months since our last visit and October still seems like an eternity away before we head back. Glad that your travels on VA were an enjoyable experience and keen to hear from others who chose to go on the HX metal and compare the difference.

 

[love_the_life]

Thanks clipped_wings. I enjoyed your TR immensely. Glad you managed a waving cat but I always thought they were Japanese.
Flying J is always a double-edged sword as it makes it soooo hard to go back to Y for medium/long haul.

 

[clipped_wings]

Thanks clipped_wings. I enjoyed your TR immensely. Glad you managed a waving cat but I always thought they were Japanese.

Oh dear, you may be right. Remember when I said I dropped my dignity at the door back in Kowloon? It would seem I have not managed to pick it up yet.

How very embarrassing.

 

[love_the_life]

Oh dear, you may be right. Remember when I said I dropped my dignity at the door back in Kowloon? It would seem I have not managed to pick it up yet.

How very embarrassing.

LOL. Maybe they are ubiquitous and also Chinese?
I wouldn't worry about your dignity

 

[liamsal]

Awesome TR! Definitely got me pumped for my upcoming J HKG trip

 

[clipped_wings]

I wouldn't worry about your dignity

Quite right. I think that ship sailed the moment a plastic straw went up my nose.

 

[Mattg]

I love your writing style! This was a most enjoyable read with great photos to match, and I'm glad you had an awesome holiday in Hong Kong

 

[Major]

Many thanks for the TR. It was enjoyable and amusing