In which I go from Chicago to Hong Kong

I have always thought that using the class system in the airline industry was wrong somehow. It seems unfair that most people, for lack of money, don't get to enjoy such things as larger, more comfortable seats, good food designed by celebrity chefs, mimosas and hot snacks whenever they desire, hot face towels and blankets thicker than a tissue.

So imagine my surprise when, seated in Business class seat 17B on the top floor of a United Airlines 747 bound for Hong Kong from Chicago with a glass of Drappier Carte D'or Brut Chamgpagne in my hand and a wedge of Kerrygold vintage cheddar cheese on my tray table before the plane even left the gate, I realized that I had now completely reversed my opinion on this matter. Vive la difference!

At the airport in Chicago I went through the "preferred traveller" security gate, hung out at the private "Red Carpet Club" where there's Cappuccino, fresh fruit, croissants, assorted snacks, reading materials and laptops with internet capability and pre-boarded before most everyone else.

On the plane, there was never any lack of food. In this case, United has teamed with Chicago's own celebrity chef Charlie Trotter and it was some good stuff. Towit:
Appetizer: Sauteed herbed shrimp, prosciutto de parma and fresh melon served with a
kalamata olive tapenade.
Main course:
-Pan seared filet mignon with green peppercorn sauce and fingerling potatoes served with
sauteed zucchni and carrots
-Shrimp and Scallops with ginger, garlic and spring onion sauce served with steamed rice,
green beans, carrots and corn
Dessert:
- International cheese selection served with Port-Salut wine.
- Creme Caramel Cheesecake

The above does not include the midnight snack buffet of assorted sandwiches, chips, fruit, Ghirardelli chocolate, granola, yogurt, hot noodle dishes, etc. as well as the meal served just prior to arrival in Hong Kong of beef pastrami on a pretzel bread roll with some kind of wickedly tasty, aorta constricting concoction of mayo, cheese and horseradish mustard.

There was plenty of entertainment on board in the form of music and movie channels. I watched five movies on the way here:
Disturbia ("Rear Window" with teenagers)
In the Land of Women (weepy chick flick featuring Meg Ryan's newly deflated, collagen-depleted lips)
Breach (excellent movie about that traitorous bastard Robert Hannsen)
The Astronaut Farmer (a highly implausible tale wherein Billy Bob Thornton somehow managed to make me wish that his protagonist character would burn up on the launch pad)
300 (a visually pleasing and incredibly violent account of Leonidas and his vastly outnumbered Spartans versus Xerxes and his many, many Persians).

God, how am I ever going to go back to coach???

So, I got to Hong Kong okay. I took the Airport Express train from Lantau Island across the water through Tsing Yi and Kowloon and then across Victoria Harbor to Hong Kong station where I hopped in a cab (it should be noted that the cabs here have doors that open automatically for you - how very Jetsons) and gave my driver the address of the temporary apartment where the missus and I will be staying until we find a permanent place to hang our hats.

I find that it's best not to look out the windshield of a cab here because you if you do you will begin to fear for your very life. These cats drive like madmen! It's kind of like being on an amusement park thrill ride that you've never been on before. You're not sure where it's going or how fast it's going to go into the turns but you're "cautiously optimistic" that the people who run the thing know what they're doing.

Oh, yeah, and it's hotter than hell here in July. And the humidity is such that you feel like you're swimming while you're walking down the street. So I got that going for me, which is nice.......

And that's the first entry. I'm going to take a shower, get some vittles (I bet they don't know that word here ay?) and turn in. Tomorrow it's "Tourist 101".