V-Flyer

My first TR, and probably a bit of a rambling, but here goes! I have always loved the idea of a continuous(almost) circumnavigation, the trans pacific bit especially, and last week ,at short notice with a combination of miles and hard earned cash, went for it.

WED 10/06
BA 279 NCW LHR-LAX;
A 10 am flight,a bit of time to enjoy the sublime T5,and then into a window seat up in the bubble of a 747,one of my favorite places in the world(others later in the TR!). A flawless performance from the DarkSide,I was addressed buy name,fed,wined,cheese& ported,chatted to,and loved every minute of it.
The time went far too quickly, and before I could fully prepare myself for it I was dumped into the vile wasteland of LAX, with a loungeless 9 hour wait for my next flight. I dismissed the idea of a day room at an airport hotel as pure wimpery, I would tough it out in the company of the other 50,000 people who I am sure felt as desolate and lonely as I did.

WED 10/06
VA2 LAX-SYD ECONOMY
My grand plan was for a premium economy seat,but I left it too late and when I went to book the price had jacked up to $5500 one way[:0]
So economy it was, and what a brilliant experience. Beautiful stunning planes,the best IFE I have ever seen, and a mix of humour and professionalism from the crew that is long lost to another airline that is its cousin.
14.5 hrs went surprisingly quickly,I slept a bit, but mostly savoured as much as I could of the experience, slightly humbled by the mahoosivness of the specific ocean(thats from family guy, I watched it 3 times,funnier with each)
My only negative was the charging for alcohol,it just seems a bit penny pinching on a flight like that.
Anyway, I was now in Sydney.What a nice airport to wait 3 hours for VS check in to open.

FRI 12/06
VS201 SYD-HKG UC

I had checked in online while waiting,and as soon as the desks opened grabbed my boarding card and headed for the NZ lounge for a well overdue shower and change.Apart from a dodgy 10 mins when I could barely keep my eyes open,the Aus equivalent of tesco's cava flowed and in no time I was boarding into another of my favorite places.

At the door of the plane I was addressed by name,I always like that ,it costs nothing, and does make you feel that someone is bothered.
The flight was standard,It was a light load in J,attentive service,nice lunch,I was too knackered by now to take much notice of the quality,just got stuck in with a load of very nice aus shiraz,a chat at the bar for a while,and then a bit of a snooze.
Our arrival was 20 mins early, which put me ahead of schedule for my trip into town,a hotel room,and some nightlife.(well you didn't think I was going to pass Hong Kong without stopping did you? its my only other favorite place!)

SAT 13/06
BA 26 HKG-LHR NCW
Refreshed and rested (NOT!) I shakily check in trying not to breathe on anyone, and look forward to the calm serene reliability of an overnight BA club experience.They did not let me down.Good food, nice wine, and a form of service that some may think a bit dull,but I like for its old school ocean liner feel.
By now I was too bo***cksed to even sleep,and amused myself by clearing the club larder out of chocolate in a series of raids,listening to some music and hallucinating.
Breakfast sorted me out,landed about 4.40 am, and was on National Express by 5.15 . Oh joy.

Just a quick postscript: All flights pushed back on time,all 3 airlines delivered their own brand of air travel,and I loved every minute of my trip apart from hours 2-8 at LAX.[B)]

I know the detail is a bit short of what is expected, but with 46.5 hrs of flying to report I think less is more[:D]

I would happily read more!
Very interesting - especially how the 14.5hrs in Economy with VA passed.

I thought it was Kath & Kim who did that joke first: 'Where, pacifically, is your Specific Cruise visiting?' or words to that effect!

Did you experience jetlag?

WOW

I have often contemplated doing a Round The World trip, but to do it without stopping so to speak[:0]

You have my admiration for such endurance[oo]

Enjoy your much needed rest[:D]

buns

I think jet-lag only happens when you have to conform with the time zone of your destination. As I did not have to, time became an irrelevance, it was either light or dark, and I seemed to adjust to a series of cat-naps rather than needing long periods of sleep.

Still not quite right now though,as you can see from the time I posted my report!

Fantastic and awesome.

No wonder you were hallucinating [ii].

You Trooper![:0][:0] a bit mad but well done you![y][y]

Glad all the flights were up to standard and hope you recover soon.[y]

[oo][oo][oo][oo]I'm doing that one day fantastic.
When I hallucinate the floor wobbling its too much flying, apart from at BOS when the floor really does move, near those gates at the end of terminal E.