It is 10:50 AM and we have just arrived at gate 15, O’Hare International Terminal for our 2:00 PM Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong. Our taxi arrived on schedule. The ride was fast as traffic was very light. Not many revelers out.
We purchased premium economy seats for both flights. This put us in a preferred line ahead of 6 other groups waiting. The only hitch is that our carry on weighs 10 kilos and their limit is 7. The agent put a tag on the bag and told us it had to be 7 kilos. I don’t know if it will be weighed again at the gate, but Alice’s laptop and iPad are now in the computer bag I will put under the seat. It seems like it weighs more than suitcase.
Next step was TSA. We have Pre Check so shoes and jackets stay on, but since they do not have a Pre Check screening line electronics have to be in a tray. We loaded all of our laptops, iPads and phones into trays. Screening went quickly despite this nuisance.
We proceeded to a bench to repack our gear when a wheel came off the carry on. It was sheared. Fortunately Alice had put a roll of masking tape into this case just before leaving. Our wayward wheel now wears a load of tape and has made it to our gate.
So our Southeast Asia adventure has started with yet another adventure. So far so good.
Boarding commenced at 1:25. Premium economy had preferred boarding. There was no issue with our carry on. Our seats were in the second row of this section. That was good as the first row has the bulkhead and traffic from the other side crossing to the restroom. The seats are nice and wide with a space between them that houses the meal tray. They also recline nicely. Amenities include a pillow and blanket, eye shade, socks and a toothbrush and toothpaste. Noise reducing headphones were provided for the excellent entertainment system. All of this far exceeds what United provided when we flew to Sydney last year.
Take off was delayed 46 minute minutes for de icing . Hopefully this was our last brush with winter.
Two hours into the flight lunch was served. We had Kung Pao chicken. It was not as spicy as my regular lunch with Jerry, my former partner, but it was excellent. The scotch before lunch was also excellent.
After 7 hours that included watching 2 movies and a nap, an excellent dinner was served.
The attendants are outstanding. Alice asked for rum and coke as she had with lunch. She was told that they only carried wine on the dinner cart. We had wine. After he cleared the trays our attendant brought Alice her rum and coke without her asking him for it.
We may never fly a US carrier on an international flight again.
The flight went smoothly with only a brief time when the seat belt light was on. Nevertheless it was impossible to make up the whole hour lost to de icing. We landed 45 minutes late. This cut our connection time to just 30 minutes.
By the time we made our way through the security check and got to the gate it was 9:00 PM. The doors were scheduled to close at 9:10. When we got to the agent scanning boarding passes, she took ours and asked us to wait. She came back with passes for seats in row 11. We were originally seated in row 31. When we got to the plane we were directed to first class. The last time we were upgraded to first class was 1989. We have no idea why were so lucky now.
We were in the center pods of the first row. After downing our first glass of excellent champagne, we spent half an our exploring the various things our seats could do, the amenities pack and the interactive entertainment system. This was destined to be a special 8 hours.
Indeed it was excellent. The food was outstanding. The scotch, wine and port were perfect. Being able to lay flat made for good sleeping. We arrived on time at 5:10 AM and were passengers 2 and 3 off the plane. At baggage claim all of our bags were among the first 10 on the conveyor.
Thank you Cathay Pacific for a great experience.
Now we were at the mercy of local authorities. As we left the baggage area an agriculture inspector greeted us, and asked that we follow him. They don’t use dogs to sniff luggage in Perth as they do in Sydney. After asking his litany of questions, he explained that we had been selected for random testing. I had to place all 4 of our suitcases and both of our personal bags on the counter and open them. He very carefully prodded all of our stuff, thanked us and let us lock up and leave. All the while we watched other passengers walk freely. This added only 20 minutes to our exit time.
At 5:50 our luggage was being loaded into a taxi for our drive to Fremantle. At 6:20 our driver dropped us at the door of Quality Suites in Fremantle. We tried the reception door and found it locked. The legend on the door showed that the office hours started at 7:30. Alice went off to find a restroom and then take some pictures. I took out my iPhone and tried to check my email. There were no open networks available. This was going to be a long wait.
Fortunately the manager arrived at 6:50 to open the office. He could not check us in due to a computer issue, but he would lock up all of our luggage for us. He had tried logging in from home and his password was rejected. He tried now and it worked. He was able to assign our room. He brought our luggage out of the lockup, and made our key. At 7:15 we could go to our room. Alice had not returned. I knew in which direction she had headed. I went to look for her and met her coming around the corner. Nice
Back at the office Ethan gave us some suggestions for dining and touring. We went to our room. It is very nice. We reorganized our luggage, and after showering we headed out to find the Information Center and a church for Sunday Mass. Having done both, we rode the full routes of the 2 CAT (Central Area Transit) buses. These buses are free and stop near many of major city sights.
After having lunch at 12:30 we returned to the hotel. We are discussing what will come next, a tour of the old prison or a nap. I will let you know which one won in my next post.
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