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09/04/2016

Roundtrip Flights to Australia for ~$550!!

You'll want to act fast on this one - United has launched a sale on flights to Australia for under $550 roundtrip! This appears to be an attack on Delta, as most of the lowest fares are departing from Delta hubs (Atlanta, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, and Detroit).

Here's an example of fares between Atlanta and Melbourne for July:

[Atlanta to Melbourne Fares]

You can search flexible dates on ITA Matrix, and book directly with United. If you book with United, you have 24 hours to cancel completely free of charge, so if you're at all interested in this deal, I would recommend booking ASAP. You can always cancel later with no penalty, and these fares could be pulled anytime. They may be around for a few days, or they may be gone in an hour or two.

This is the lowest prices I've ever seen on flights to Australia, so don't miss out!

05/04/2016

10 Days Only: 50% off Uber Rides in Chicago

Through April 15, Uber has launched a promotion for 50% off weekday rides in Chicago. It looks like this promotion is valid for UberX, but not other levels of vehicles (UberXL, Uber Black, or Uber SUV), but this is still a great offer. You won't be able to use it over the weekends, but you can take up to 8 rides during the week and automatically save half off. You don't need to enter any special codes, just start riding!

I've used Uber dozens of times in Chicago, and prices are already very affordable, so 50% off makes it even more appealing!

If you haven't already signed up for Uber, you can earn an additional credit on your account if you sign up using a referral link from a friend who already uses Uber (the current offer is $20 in credit). Check with your friends to see if anyone has a referral link for you to use, or you can use my link to sign up (http://www.guruoftravel.com/uber.html).

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Read More: http://j.mp/1XeByqK

01/04/2016

Cathay Pacific “The Wing” Lounge and HK Express Hong Kong to Chiang Mai
-------------------------
(See Full Post with Pictures: http://j.mp/1VgUs16)

After a rather efficient day hitting the highlights of Hong Kong (courtesy of our wonderful tour guide Amy), a little before 3:00 pm, we hopped back on the Airport Express train at the Hong Kong Island station. It was a pretty easy, comfortable trip back to the airport for our 5:45 pm flight to Chiang Mai.

[Hong Kong Airport Train]

We retrieved our bags from the Left Luggage counter, and headed to the HK Express check in. Since we were still pretty early for the flight, we were checked in quickly, and made our way through security. It was about a 10-15 minute walk from one end of the terminal to the other, where our flight would be leaving out of. Cathay Pacific has several lounges in Hong Kong (The Bridge, The Wing, and ). The closest lounge to our departure gate was “The Wing” lounge, so we headed there.

When entering The Wing, you can split to either the right or the left. The bar and larger food selections are to the right, while showers and a business center with computers are to the left. We didn’t necessarily need a shower, so we headed to the right to get comfortable (and of course, getting comfortable entails relaxing with some champagne).

[Champagne in Cathay Pacific "The Wing" Lounge]

The lounge wasn’t huge, and was relatively busy, but not overly crowded. There were still a variety of seats to choose from, and everything felt clean and fresh.

[Cathay Pacific "The Wing" Lounge]
[Cathay Pacific "The Wing" Lounge]

On this side of the lounge, there is a very extensive buffet, offering choices of salads, flatbread pizzas, a huge selection of breads, a few soups, and some hot dishes as well.

[Cathay Pacific "The Wing" Lounge Food]
[Cathay Pacific "The Wing" Lounge Food]

The lounge has great views out over the tarmac, and parked right outside was an Etihad A330, which was fun to see, since our flight home at the end of the trip would be on the Etihad A380 in their First Class Apartments.

[Etihad A330 in Hong Kong]

Airports like Hong Kong are fascinating to me, since you can see planes from literally all corners of the world - flights from Vancouver, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Abu Dhabi, Taiwan, Chicago, Beijing, Sydney etc.

[Planes in Hong Kong: China Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Air China, Singapore Airlines]
[Planes in Hong Kong: Cathay Pacific, Emirates, and British Airways]

After 45 minutes or so, we made our way to the gate, which was only about a 2 minute walk from ‘The Wing.” We timed our arrival at the gate about 10 minutes prior to scheduled boarding time, which would get us there at just the right time. Or so we thought. HK Express operates just a single cabin (all Economy), and apparently, they don’t really do any boarding groups/zones, so there was a very long - albeit very orderly - line stretching from the boarding door almost to the next gate over. We got in line (and even though we were 10 minutes early for boarding, we were almost the last ones in line), and within a few minutes, boarding started. Overall, the line moved pretty quickly, and it really wasn’t a big deal - we’ve had to deal with way crazier boarding procedures (like in Ethiopia and Bali).

[HK Express A320 (along with Air Canada, El Al from Israel, and Cathay Pacific)]

We were seated in Row 1, the bulkhead seat, which had decent legroom, although it was pretty standard for a bulkhead (plenty of room for your knees, but the wall does prevent you from extending your legs straight out. The flight was only about 2 1/2 hours, so it was perfectly fine.

[HK Express Row 1 Bulkhead]

We had the option of purchasing a meal ahead of time, but opted to just wait until we got to Chiang Mai for dinner. We were scheduled to land at 7:40 pm, and our snacks in “The Wing” lounge would hold us over until then.

The flight was overall uneventful, and I would certainly consider HK Express again for another short flight in or out of Hong Kong. There aren’t any frills, but they’re also not as cheap as airlines like RyanAir, Spirit Airlines, etc. Legroom was normal, the service was kind, so on the whole, it was a pleasant flight to Chiang Mai.

We landed right on time, and taxied up right between 2 Thai Airways 777s. The Chiang Mai airport wasn’t very big, so we made it through Customs and Immigration without much trouble at all. We were staying at the Le Meridien Chiang Mai, which offered private car service for only about $15. Now, we knew that Thailand would be very cheap (and we only paid about $3 for our return trip to the airport in the back of an open-air, but covered pickup truck called a songtheaw, which is an extremely common way to get around), but we figured it would be helpful to just take the easy route upon arrival, until we got our bearings with the bargaining.

Our driver was waiting for us when we entered the arrivals area, and when he brought us outside, he quickly ran to his car that was parked somewhere nearby. As we waited for him to return, it was interesting to see other locals coming and going, even by tuk tuk with lots of luggage (we even did this a little later on the trip, in India).

[Tuk Tuks outside of Chiang Mai Airport]
[Outside Chiang Mai Airport]

Within just a few minutes, our driver pulled up and helped us into the car. It wasn’t too hot outside, but the air conditioning in the car felt great, and there were even bottles of water for us.

[Le Meridien Chiang Mai Car Service]

The drive took only about 15 minutes, although traffic got pretty busy getting into the city, with the festivities for Yi Peng and Loi Krathong getting into full swing (more on these later!) We checked in, although our room wasn’t quite ready yet, which was a bit surprising since it was about 8:30 pm…but the hotel was completely booked up with the festivals, so I’m sure they were very busy.

In the lobby, a complimentary evening happy hour is offered for Starwood Platinum members, with beer, wine, and snacks, so we were brought over to that area while they finished getting our room ready. We just barely had time to finish a glass of wine, when the concierge approached us to let us know our room was ready.

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Read More: http://j.mp/1VgUs16

24/03/2016

Cathay Pacific Arrivals Lounge and 12 Hours in Hong Kong
-------------------------

(See Full Post with Pictures: http://j.mp/1LJmXmp)

Our 8072 mile, 15 hour flight from New York to Hong Kong landed at about 4:35 am, which sounds insanely early, but we had already been up for about 4-5 hours for breakfast (and given that the flight left around midnight, after 10 hours, we couldn't really sleep anymore!) so it felt like mid-morning at that point. We made our way through Customs and Immigration, which was a breeze since we were one of the first flights to arrive that morning, and soon found ourselves in baggage claim. It took us a few minutes to find the aptly-named "The Arrival" lounge, but we were there by about 4:55.

[Cathay Pacific The Arrival Lounge Hong Kong]

The lounge didn't open until 5:00, so a few other people were gathered around the entrance, but at 5:00 on the dot, the doors open and we were promptly admitted. I have to say, I was a bit surprised at how small the lounge was - it was essentially one rectangular room, with a handful of overstuffed chairs in the front, about a dozen bar stools along the right side wall, and about 6-8 seats at a table just beyond the magazine rack seen below.

[Cathay Pacific The Arrival Lounge Hong Kong]

When checking in, both the Mrs. Guru and I asked for a shower suite right away, and we were each escorted to our showers. I didn't see exactly how many shower suites the lounge had, but I would guess that there were about 6 of them. The rooms were immaculate, and spacious enough - perfect for freshening up after a super long flight.

Cathay Pacific The Arrival Lounge Hong Kong Shower
Cathay Pacific The Arrival Lounge Hong Kong Shower
After showering, I made my way back out to the main part of the lounge, which had filled up considerably. Most seats were taken, but there were a few bar stools open. On the very back wall was a buffet breakfast, with a semi-decent number of options (noodles, eggs, fruit, pastries, dry cereal, etc.) While it wasn't an amazing breakfast, it was sufficient enough to add to the breakfast we had eaten on the plane (which, at this point, was about 3 hours earlier).

After grabbing a bite to eat, we stored our luggage at the Left Luggage counter, and easily made our way to the Airport Express train, which wasn't far from The Arrival.

[Hong Kong Airport Express Train]

The train was very clean and comfortable, and took just 24 minutes to get into the city.

[Hong Kong Airport Express Train]

There are 2 main stops for the Airport Express Train: Kowloon Station (part of the mainland) and Hong Kong Island, off the south coast of the mainland. We had arranged for a Tour Guide to meet with us and show us around for about 4 hours. We used Amy from Hong Kong Greeters (http://hkgreeters.com) and the spoiler alert is that she was absolutely fantastic. We instantly felt like we were touring the city with a long-time friend, and truly enjoyed our tour. I texted Amy on our way into the city to let her know that we had arrived and would be getting in a little early, and she even rushed out to meet us early.

We met Amy at Kowloon Station as the sun was coming up (and the haze was still burning off).

[Around Kowloon Station]

One of the great things about Amy's tour is that she made a point to take us on as many different modes of transportation as possible: minibus, subway (MRT), tram, double decker bus, ferry, etc. We navigated down to the street level and hopped on a slightly sketchy-looking minibus, that we may not have gotten on ourselves if it weren't for Amy, but it took us twisting and turning through busy streets (and a fair amount of construction) for about a 10 minute ride to Tsim Sha Tsui (or TST for short), along the southern bank of Kowloon.

[Hong Kong Minibus]

Once we arrived, Amy showed us the old Marine Police Headquarters building and the luxurious Peninsula Hotel.

[Former Marine Police Headquarters]

From there, we walked along the water, where we saw groups of locals participating in a morning tai chi session. Next, we hopped on the MRT for a few stops to the Mong Kok area (just a bit north of Kowloon) trough the gorgeous outdoor flower markets, with block after block of every type and color of flower imaginable.

[Flower Market Hong Kong]
[Flower Market Hong Kong]

Essentially next to the Flower Market was the Bird Market, with birds and cages galore. It stems from the ancient Chinese tradition of keeping songbirds as pets, and is an area where folks can bring their birds, socialize with other bird-owning locals, and enjoy the sounds and variety of birds in the shops lining the sidewalks.

[Hong Kong Bird Market]
[Hong Kong Bird Market]

After the Bird Market, we also strolled through the Goldfish Market, which doesn't require too much explanation...just a ton of shops with all types of fish:

[Hong Kong Goldfish Market]
[Hong Kong Goldfish Market]

After the markets, we headed back down to Kowloon to take the ferry across to Hong Kong Island.

[Ferry to Hong Kong Island]

Once on Hong Kong Island, Amy gave us the history of how Hong Kong Island has been extended in size (towards Kowloon) to accommodate the building of skyscrapers on the island. We took a tram around a little ways to see a bit more of the island. Heading inland (further south) on the island, the terrain gets mountains and the elevation increases very quickly. Roads are relatively steep heading up the mountain, and one of the most fascinating engineering marvels I've ever seen: the Mid-Level Escalators.

[Mid-Level Escalators Hong Kong]

As vehicle traffic increased as people commuted up and down the slopes (in the mornings, they'd commute down to the office buildings on the coast from their homes further up the mountains, and vice versa in the evenings). To alleviate the growing congestion, a series of escalators and moving sidewalks was constructed that spans half a mile in distance, and about 450 ft in height. In the mornings (6:00 - 10:00 am), the escalators move downhill, and from 10:30 am until midnight, they run back uphill. Everyday, about 87,000 people commute on the escalators, which was actually featured as one of CNN's 7 Coolest Commutes in 2015.

[Mid-Level Escalators Hong Kong]
[Mid-Level Escalators Hong Kong]

We passed through a few other meat and fish markets, which isn't exactly how we're used to buying food in the US, but was fascinating to see.

[Meat Market Hong Kong]
[Fish Market Hong Kong]

We were getting a bit hungry, so we popped into a pastry shop, where Amy gave us several delicious recommendations. I don't remember exactly which ones we ate, but I think 1 was stuffed with BBQ shredded pork, and 1 was stuffed with chicken.

[Pastry Shop Hong Kong]
[Stuffed Pastry]

After getting our pastries, our time with Amy was coming to a close, but she brought us to the bus stop where we could ride all the way to the top of Victoria Peak, boasting the famous view over all of Hong Kong. Amy's insider knowledge was a huge help, as there are 2 main ways to get up and down Victoria Peak: regular bus and the Peak Tram.

The Peak Tram is the famous (and more scenic way) to make the journey, so everyone who comes over to Hong Kong Island always heads to the Tram Stop at the base of the mountain. As a result, the queues there can be very long (30-45 minutes). Amy recommended that we take the bus up the mountain, and then take the tram back down the mountain, which is exactly what we did.

The double-decker bus ride was perfectly comfortable, and still offered great views on the way up. When we reached the top, Amy instructed us to walk just a little ways past the restaurant and shops, where the view is perfect. There is an additional elevated platform that you can pay to enter, but the view is hardly any different.

[View from Victoria Peak]

After taking in the view, we made our way to the Tram Stop, which had a minimal line (just as Amy had explained), and in a few minutes, we were on our way down the steep track.

[Victoria Peak Tram]
[Victoria Peak Tram]

When we reached the bottom, we grabbed lunch at a dim sum restaurant that Amy recommended, called Maxim's Palace Restaurant, which was back near the ferry pier. After a delicious lunch, we walked a few blocks to the Hong Kong Island Airport Express station, where we zipped back to the airport, after an amazing, full day in Hong Kong.

I would highly recommend anyone visiting Hong Kong to reach out to Amy for a tour - we never would have seen as much as we did without her guidance. If we pass through Hong Kong again, we'll definitely try to meet up with her!

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Read More: http://j.mp/1LJmXmp

25/01/2016

Roundtrip Flights to Asia Under $500!

(See Full Post: http://j.mp/1RIR8eU)

One of the best sites for up-to-the-minute travel deals is The Flight Deal (http://www.theflightdeal.com), and they recently posted details about a huge sale on flights to Asia, including Bali, Seoul, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Kuala Lumpur for anywhere between $350-$600 roundtrip!

These fares are available from a wide variety of cities in the US, so there's a good chance that you'll find a deal from a city near you. Most of the best prices I'm seeing are in March-April, and September-December. For example, here are the fares between Charlotte and Seoul:

[CLT-ICN]

As The Flight Deal recommends, using Google Flights is probably the easiest tool to browse dates quickly. Similar fares are available to and from many other cities, such as Jacksonville to Ho Chi Minh City:

[JAX-SGN]

The lowest fares I've seen have been from the West Coast, such as LA to Ho Chi Minh City:

[LAX-SGN]

If you pull up a flight on AA.com, you can hold the fare for up to 24 hours with no risk (you don't even have to enter credit card information), so I would highly recommend putting a hold on anything that you might want to book. These fares will likely be gone within a few hours at the most, so I'd jump on this right away! At least put an itinerary on hold, because I doubt that these prices will still be available tomorrow, or even later today! Flights to Asia simply don't get any cheaper than this, so don't miss out.

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Read More: http://j.mp/1RIR8eU

17/01/2016

Quick Tip: Save on In Flight Wifi Prices

(See Full Post: http://j.mp/1ZF3U2K)

Hello from somewhere over Eastern Tennessee! I'm currently flying out to San Francisco - earlier, I flew from Greensboro to Charlotte, and am now flying from Charlotte to San Francisco.

Most major airlines these days are adding wifi to their planes, and many use Gogo as the service provider (including American, which I'm currently flying on). Recently, in-flight wifi prices have been on the rise, and they can definitely add up, especially on longer flights, as the pricing naturally changes based on flight duration, so here's a tip to save on in flight wifi prices:

The Greensboro to Charlotte hop is usually between 20-30 minutes in flight, which means that wifi will be available for a maximum of 10-20 minutes during flight (since it's only available when the plane is above 10,000 ft)...but I made sure to hop on and purchase a Gogo day pass during this flight. Why? A mobile day pass purchased on this Greensboro to Charlotte flight was $16.95. Now that I'm on board Charlotte to San Francisco? $36.95!

[Gogo In Flight Wifi Prices]

On the short Greensboro to Charlotte flight, Gogo doesn't necessarily know whether I'm connecting to another 30 minute flight, or to a ~6 hour cross country flight. So even though I barely got to use the service at all between Greensboro and Charlotte, it saved me $20 by hopping on and buying the pass then. Even the single flight pass for this Charlotte to San Francisco flight was $10 more than the $16.95 day pass I purchased on my first leg.

To save even more on in flight wifi prices, you can purchase your Gogo pass in advance, directly from the Gogo website. Mobile day passes purchased in advance are only $16, and can be used anytime up to 1 year from purchase (you can purchase now for an upcoming flight, but you don't necessarily have to use it then).

[Gogo Website Prices]

I know that United uses a different service for in-flight wifi, so I'm honestly not sure if this same tip would apply to their flights...if anyone happens to know, please leave a comment below! Otherwise, the next time you're flying and have a short flight connecting to a longer flight, it could definitely be worth grabbing your in-flight wifi pass on that shorter flight!

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Read More: http://j.mp/1ZF3U2K

09/01/2016

Reminder: British Airways Avios Awards Increasing in Price Soon!

(See Full Post: http://j.mp/1JBRmBC)

I've posted a number of times about what I have found to be one of the best deals available today: British Airways Avios Awards for short, nonstop flights within the US. As of now, nonstop American Airlines flights that are less than 650 miles in distance are only 4,500 British Airways points (called Avios) each way. This is their first tier of award prices, which you can see in the full chart below:

[British Airways Avios Award CHart]

This is particularly useful because short, nonstop flights are often disproportionately expensive:

[$448 One Way Fares for nonstop flights from Jacksonville, FL to Charlotte, NC]

Unfortunately, as of February 2, 2016, that first tier will be eliminated. When signing into my British Airways account, the following message appears:

[British Airways Avios Award Changes]

As British Airways describes:

-------------
"On 2 February 2016, we’ll be making some changes to the Executive Club pricing structure for reward flights originating or terminating in the United States of America.

The change will only affect shorter routes on American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and TAM Airlines, with reward flights now starting from 7,500 Avios, rather than 4,500 Avios, plus taxes, fees and carrier charges from $5.60 USD. The majority of North American reward flight prices will remain unchanged."
-------------

So as of February 2, all flights under 1,149 miles in distance will cost 7,500 Avios one way. The Mrs. Guru and I have booked literally dozens of tickets using only 4,500 British Airways points each, since it is so cheap - including weekend trips to the Bahamas! I knew that this deal wouldn't last forever, which is partly why we've taken advantage of it so much over the past few years. The good news is that as long as you book by February 2, you can lock in the old pricing, and still book flights for 4,500 Avios each way. Additionally, British Airways Avios awards can be cancelled for a full refund of points; you simply forfeit the taxes, which are only $5.60 per person for nonstop flights within the US.

So for any of you out there who have British Airways points and have even tentative travel plans for the rest of the year, I would highly recommend booking in the next few weeks to lock in the lower price. Flights can be booked up to 11 months in advance, so by late January, flights around Christmas will just barely be available. It will be a sad day when the 4,500 point British Airways Avios awards are no longer available!

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Read More: http://j.mp/1JBRmBC

08/01/2016

An Amazing Asian Adventure:
Cathay Pacific Business Class New York (JFK) to Hong Kong

(Full Post with Pictures: http://j.mp/1Pi8Kba)

We finished dinner with some friends at a really eclectic restaurant a few blocks west of Times Square, West Gotham Market - and when I say eclectic, the place is actually like a mini foodcourt, made up of multiple restaurants all in one place. You can walk up to a number of counters and order different types of food, from sushi to burgers to Mexican. We requested an Uber to head back to JFK, which took about 40 minutes (20 of which were just getting out of Manhattan). We pulled up to Terminal 7 around 11:15 pm, which was pretty deserted (both inside and outside), since it was only 90 minutes till departure.

We walked straight into the terminal and saw the Cathay Pacific check-in counters. It wasn't until we approached them that we realized that the Business Class counters were in the next row of check-in counters, but there was no line at the Economy counters (since we were arriving without a whole lot of time to spare) so we simply checked in there. Within a minute or two, we had our boarding passes and lounge invitations (both for JFK and for Hong Kong).

[Cathay Pacific Check In JFK]

There was also no line at security, so we we through in no time, and we headed to the lounge for about 35 minutes until our flight was scheduled to begin boarding. Cathay Pacific uses the British Airways Galleries Lounge at JFK, which is mediocre.

[British Airways Galleries Lounge JFK]

The food and drink options are ok, there was a decent amount of seating (although I imagine it could get pretty busy during the day), and the furniture was in good condition, but the ceilings were low and it sort of felt like a basement.

[British Airways Galleries Lounge JFK]

Around 12:15 am, an announcement was made that we should proceed to our gate for boarding.

[New York JFK Terminal 7]

----------
CX 845 (New York JFK to Hong Kong)
November 22, 2015
Depart JFK 12:45 am Arrive HKG 5:40 am (+1 day)
Boeing 777-300: Seats 11D, 11G
----------

[Boarding JFK to Hong Kong at Gate 6]

As we stepped onto the plane, we turned left and headed up towards the front of the Business Class cabin. Our seats were in Row 11, the very first row of Business Class - I had researched a lot, hoping to pick the quietest seats possible (spoiler alert: I didn't really succeed), where we starting settling in. The Cathay Pacific Business Class seats are very spacious and private, yet when traveling with a companion, you don't feel so far apart that it's difficult to communicate.

[Cathay Pacific Business Class New York to Hong Kong Seat]

Along the left side of the seat were the controls, as well as a rather large pocket, which was big enough to store a pair of shoes in.

[Cathay Pacific Business Class Seat Controls]

[Cathay Pacific Business Class Seat Side Pocket]

As we were getting settled, we were offered the choice of water or champagne to drink before take off. Without much hesitation, we opted for champagne. Within a few more minutes, we were ready to push back to begin our 15+ hour journey to Hong Kong.

Since we had been up since 3:30 am, and it was after 1:00 am by the time we were in the air, we were both ready to crash, so we quickly reclined our seats into a bed. The Cathay Pacific Business Class seats are setup in a 1-2-1 configuration - we were in the 2 seats in the middle, but unfortunately, the passenger seated right across the aisle from the Mrs. Guru seemed to be intoxicated when he boarded, and had an obnoxious, nagging cough. I even pulled a cough drop out of my bag and offered it to him, which helped slightly for a little while, but he still coughed on and off the whole flight.

[Cathay Pacific Business Class New York to Hong Kong]

I honestly think that Cathay Pacific has the most comfortable Business Class bed of any seat I've tried up until now. The seat cushions were the perfect balance of soft, yet firm. I slept well for several hours, but unfortunately, directly in front of my seat was a closet, which the flight attendants seemed to constantly need to go in and out of, so I kept hearing it unlatch and relatch. Since I was so tired, and since the bed was really comfortable, I was able to fall back asleep pretty quickly, but I would definitely NOT choose to sit in this seat again.

[Cathay Pacific Business Class - Closet]

After about 8 hours, we both woke up and were ready to eat, so we took a look at the menu for our meal options.

[Cathay Pacific Business Class New York to Hong Kong Menu]

I ordered the Kung Po chicken, while the Mrs. Guru ordered the blend of breadsticks and dips, along with a mixed berry smoothie and a coffee. Everything was tasty and well-presented.

[Cathay Pacific Business Class - Kung Po Chicken]
[Cathay Pacific Business Class - Breadsticks and Dips]
[Cathay Pacific Business Class - Mixed Berry Smoothie and Coffee]

After our snack, we still had about 6 hours to go, so we decided to watch a movie - we decided on Trainwreck, which we both started on our screens at the same time, so we were essentially watching it "together." After the movie, we were starting to get a little hungry again (neither of our snacks were all that big), so we decided to try a few more things off the menu. This time, from the breakfast menu, I ordered the Stir-fried Singaporean rice vermicelli, and the Mrs. Guru, being a much more adventurous eater than I, ordered the Cod fish congee. Neither of us had ever had a fish congee before, so we can't judge it based on what it should taste like, but it certainly did NOT taste good to us. I thought that the rice vermicelli was ok, but again, not necessarily what I'm used to for breakfast.

Either way, we were glad we at least tried them, because who knows, maybe Cod fish congee would have become our new favorite dish!

[Cathay Pacific Business Class - Stir-fried Singaporean Rice Vermicelli]
[Cathay Pacific Business Class - Cod fish congee]

After breakfast was cleared, we only had about 45 minutes left on the longest flight either of us had ever taken. Overall, I really enjoyed the flight - the 2 main negatives were the annoying coughing passenger in 11A, and the constant noise from flight attendants going in and out of the closet in front of my seat. There's obviously not really anything that can be done about annoying passengers, but I definitely would not recommend Row 11 at the front of the Business Class Cabin. Hopefully I'll be able to fly on Cathay Pacific Business Class again in the near future, since the seat was extremely comfortable, and I would just avoid the very first row.

We touched down in Hong Kong almost an hour early, and headed to The Arrival Lounge to grab a shower, and then head into the city for the day.

[Cathay Pacific The Arrival Lounge Hong Kong]

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Read More: http://j.mp/1Pi8Kba

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