Now what?
The flight was pretty good; I picked the back aisle seat and, unlike in June when I was next to a supermodel, this time I was next to a woman who could only be described as Bethany Frankel's lovechild.
I strolled back there and saw this fake tan-sporting lady already spread out on both seats -- it's a 2-seat row -- with the blanket over her legs. She blanched when I approached. I'm sure I looked like a sweating Grimace as I hoofed it back there.
She raised hell, not with me but with the air crew. Apparently, she had bought her ticket on the assumption that my seat had been "blocked off" -- whatever that means.
A few seconds of her in the back of the plane yelling -- and nearly crying -- to the staff had me shuffled forward. The very gracious Cathay Pacific stewardess said I could have seat A, B, or C in an empty forward row and -- you guessed it -- I took all three!
Well, I started in the aisle one but quickly kicked off my shoes and stretched out under a blanket while leaning up against the window. I'm sure it looked like the aftermath of a keg party in that row.
I toyed with the idea of cranking Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) simultaneously on all 3 screens in that row but thought better of it.
I watched the film -- my 4th viewing of it -- as we neared Hong Kong.
If it's possible to feel both patriotic and relieved to be outside of America for the time being, I felt that way.
This is the first flight in my life where I can say that I slept quite a bit, thanks to having that room to stretch out.
It was never a restful sleep, however, so I'm still exhausted; more than 26 hours since I left home yesterday, and I'm getting fuzzy.
I'm not going to name my hotel but it's my usual one -- at least until 13 January -- and while they upgraded me to a nicer "executive" room, it's without a window!
After the wait at the check-in here, I was too tired to say anything.
And the room, for once, bears no trace of a previous smoking occupant as do some rooms here.
Okay, more later...