The 13.5 hour flight from San Francisco - Hong Kong, followed by an over 3hour flight to Singapore were a dreadful one. The thought of being an economy passenger was really scary, even up till now *of course things will be different if I were in Biz or First class...haha.
So, here are what I like and dislike from the flight: *ugh..we were in 3 different airports, 3 different countries in that particular 24 hour.
Likes & dislikes:
The stewardess are pretty tall and slim, especially the young ones. But they can't beat the 'beauty' of SIA stewardess. Their grooming is not consistent unlike the one that mentioned before: different nair polish colour, some with black ribbon and hair net and some don't, etc.
The seat sucks to the max. It does not recline as per usual, but the 'seat' slides forward, leaving your spine and back hurt after such a long flight. The good thing is you still have your leg-ro0m as the seat in front of you does not recline and take a big chunk of your space.
Their Boeing 747 is pretty new. Their interior colour is so much nicer than SIA's 747. The entertainment system looks similar to the SIA 773R and A380. Larger screen, interactive entertainment, large varieties of movies and TV shows *but I have no idea which one has more selections although I can be quite sure that SIA provides newer movies selection.
The water tap is outside the galley and next to the door. So, passengers can fill up their cups and bottles easily by themselves.
They also put juices and snacks on this spot. However, passengers who have no clue that they can get some snacks to nibble on here may miss the opportunity *haha. In SIA, the snacks are distributed by hand.
The blanket is incomparable to the SIA's 773R blanket that is as smooth as a baby's booties *hee....
The toilets are dirrrrrrttttyyyyyyy *especially for long-haul flights. Wet floor, tissues everywhere, no toilet paper, etc.
The flights were pretty smooth except some turbulence here and there, but announcement were made immediately after the seat belt sign was on. Oh...and the announcement were clear and understandable too.
The in-flight store was pretty comprehensive too. Lots of items and selections to choose on. Too bad, they only receive payment by card. No cash.
The Silver-kris magazine on SIA is more appealing and informative, I suppose. SIA dedicates a whole new book on their entertainment, but Cathay puts everything into one book.
Cathay has much more leg-room on the rows with bassinet points *the basket for babies* which is really thoughtful and cool. Yeah...SIA makes use of all the spaces that they have.
Cathay only switches on its entertainment system after took off, although they put the headsets on the seat pockets. But hey, for safety reason, this is actually a more appropriate way to do it rather than distributing the headset after took off, but the system was on when the plane is on-ground *hm hm...SIA crew, I know how it feels when the passengers get mad for this stupid thing. The world now has what is called personal ear-piece, headphone, earset, etc. Cathay....you rock here!
Cathay provides instant noodles for snack. While SIA limits their instant noodles quantity, but they provide a better snack choice and meal too.
Service wise, Cathay can do better. I personally dislike the crew wearing masks on board. It makes me feel like I am entering a contaminated area and I bring viruses to these poor people. C'mon...we want to see your face. It helps in building rapport towards a greater height of service level.
Even on the long-haul flight, the crew did not go out with bar cart *where all the drinks are put onto the cart and they push it along the aisle to serve you. They only serve juices with trays. Ah...and no special cocktails or mocktails stated in the menu *as I can remember.
No magazine in Economy class
......
Alright, I guess I was being demanding. But yet, I can't really figure out why they were chosen as the best airline in 2009 when I think SIA gives more *and that's why their crew work ten times harder, I think.
Been walking blocks and blocks away in Seattle. The concierge suggested to take the monorail or bus, but we walked instead. It is a nice city. Relax, laid-back, simple, small, serene, ... . I personally like it :)
On Day 1, right after we checked into the hotel, we went out for lunch towards downtown and Pike Place Market. Passed by the very first Starbucks with its original logo. Paid Pike Place Market a visit....love it. Then we had lunch at Japanese Gourmet Restaurant.
Well, basically everyday we walked down to Pike Place Market and around downtown area. Pioneer Square, the Piers, Space Needle and EMP, the State Post Office and so on. FUN yet tiring.
So, overall in Seattle, we had 2 Japanese meals, 1 Chinese meal, 1 real Mexican meal *and it's super super delicious...whoaahahha, 1 Thai meal and 3 American breakfast. Slurpee....definitely gaining weight.
We were at Las Vegas before we flew here. It was HOT HOT HOT, unlike the rainy and cold Seattle. There, we went to Grand Canyon, one of the seven wonders of the world, and passed by Hoover Dam, the largest dam in the USA *prolly in the world too....no clue haha
We went to the West rim of Grand Canyon, visited the Hualapai tribe and ranch for lunch and I got to hold a gun from one of the cowboys *heee....beware Hollywood, there's a new cow-girl in town LOL.
There are two points in the Grand Canyon West:
- Eagle point *resembling the eagle
- Guano point *literally means Bat poo....
The Guano point is more beautiful in my opinion and it is farther up than Eagle point. But... if you've been updating yourself, there is a new attraction at the Eagle point. It is the Skywalk. According to its name....it is walking in the sky. Will post some pics up next time.
The weather has been crazy. One day it was sunny in the morning, warmer in the afternoon and then freaking cold in the evening. And today when we woke up early to pay Farmer's Market a visit, it was cold in the morning. Sigh....never really master the art of dressing here in SFO *hahaha
We went to Farmer's Market and bought a portion of Beer Battered Asparagus Tempura. Yummyyyyyy.....especially since our stomachs still follow the Asian timing. "They are confused," said moi love haha. We don't feel hungry when dinner time is up, but we starve when it's midnight. Oh...I experienced how Americans do their laundry here, just like in movies *Interesting...hahaha
Yesterday was a really tiring full-packed day. We were up from 4am and felt hungry. He ran to the nearest 24-hr Carl's Junior a few blocks away to buy us early breakfast. We were out from 8.30am till 10.30pm and felt exhausted by the end of it. Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf, Palace of the Art, Legion of Honor, Golden Bridge, dinner at Emeryville and then Ferry Building in the late evening. Wowww...achievement!!
Okay...we're off to Las Vegas and gonna catch "O" by Cirque du Soleil tomorrow. 3 days in Vegas and 3 days in Seattle. Hopefully we'd do great...coz he's having cold now due to the windy weather in SFO.
The past 2 weeks have been really busy running training sessions at Pondok Indah. The traffic to and fro were horrible. You never know when it's gonna be real jam-packed. There was an evening where we reached home at 10pm. whoa....
On the other side of the coin, the newly recruited staff for Blomst are full of energy, so let's see if they're up for the challenge.
We are pretty much recharged as well. The sessions, the presentations, the cheers, the role-plays, the games...amazing! We are fired too..... hohoho
AH...I managed to finally finish So You Think You Can Dance season 4. Forced my eyes not to shut at night hahaha... I am loving Katee...Joshua....Will. Well, at least they're all in the top 8 contestants. Joshua even emerged as the winner. But Katee and Will's lines are marvelous...simply flawless. Hmm....maybe I shall take a dance class now :)
Oyee...I am on a 3-week holiday. Not that work is getting lighter whatsoever, but there are better things to prioritize at the moment.