The Flights Over//Day 1

It was a very!!! long day, but a great one. This is a Michael posting--if you're not that interested in geography, pass over it!!!

Up at OOOOdark30, we did our final packing and house arranging. Alene and Nick were there at the appointed hour of 0515 and got us to the airport. Then they went home and went to bed!!! Thanks to you both for the "delivery". The 737 flight was 2 hours 40 minutes, passing just north of Regina and Lethbridge and was uneventful.

We had quite a bit of time in the Vancouver airport, so we started by collecting our bags and having a bite to eat at Tim's. We flaked out on some seats on the international side of the airport, checked in for our flight early and wandered about the departure lounge. Stopped and enjoyed a one-story-high wall-like aquarium filled with BC ocean species.

We boarded the 777 at about 2PM local time and started the 13 hour 25 minute flight to Hong Kong. The flightpath was up over the Queen Charlotte Islands out from the coastline. We passed just north of Kodiak Island and just south of Nunivak Island off the west coast of Alaska. We went almost parallel to the International Date Line where it makes a westward jut crossing it just before it angles eastward and then down along beside the Kamchatka Peninsula. We passed along the ocean side of the island string and south of Hokkaido then zigzagged down over the main Japanese islands and over Taiwan and then across and into Hong Kong. Not the Great Circle Route by any means, but I guess there must be airspace restrictions or something.

We had 3 meals during the flight and tried, mostly unsuccessfully, for some naps. Must say that Air Canada service and meals was good, but we were glad when we landed shortly after 7 local time!

The airport is marvellous, and huge. A subway train ride between the arrivals area and the Immigration/Customs/baggage areas! Brian was there waiting for us and we met Ernest Chan and his brother Ming, who used his van to transport us to Brian's place. A gin-and-tonic and talk took us through to collapse time.