A few years ago, we traveled for the first time to Southeast Asia. While visiting Penang , Malaysia, we came across a totem with arrows that displayed the names, directions, and distances to major cities. The arrow for New York had fallen off. I playfully directed it straight down through the Earth’s core, since NY was 12 time zones and half a world away. While I was joking, Cathay Pacific Airlines took the idea seriously. Our nonstop from Newark to Hong Kong flew almost straight north… through Vermont, Canada, over the northern tip of Greenland, the North Pole, Central Russia, Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, and finally China. 16 hours and 13 time zones later, we landed in Hong Kong. This was taking the Polar Route to the limit
Another travel tip: My daughter commented after accompanying us to South Africa, that she would travel long distance less often to save up her money for business class. Cathay Pacific did this flight right… We left at 0100 from Newark which allowed me to sleep most of the first eight hours in a fold out seat. I actually felt pretty good, and was able to manage the jet lag in 24 hours.
HK was not our destination… We arrived there at 0530, local time, and left on a three hour connector to Bangkok. The layover time was just right for a walk around the airport, stop in the lounge, and a quick shower ( one of the perks of Business Class). We arrived in Bangkok and got to our hotel around noon, a day and one half after starting out, after clearing customs and braving the traffic jams that Bangkok is (in)famous for…Now the real blog can begin !!!
The Adventures of Barry Brink 