A few years back I had a very strange observation about myself.  I was a Pavlovian Dog.  The thought of an airplane would put me to sleep right away.  As soon as I get myself seated, my seatbelt fastened, and the airplane leaves the gate – I fall asleep.  It’s truly amazing, but I doubt I experienced takeoff while being awake in quite a few years.

But this flight was different.  As the purser introduced herself, I realized that she must be the mother of a former employee of mine.  A pretty as well as clever employee.  I went over to the purser and introduced myself.  I told her that her daughter and I worked together, that I could see her daughter in her.  I then went back to my seat.  Being the traveler that I am, I quickly went to sleep, forfeiting an airline dinner for for a dream one.  The purser stopped by a few times, but I really didn’t need anything, plus I don’t like to be given preferential treatment, and the flight was progressing nicely.

But then she came over and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.  Not in a million years.  She offered me to spend some time at the cockpit.  I enthusiastically accepted.  Mind you, it isn’t very easy to get into the cockpit.  There are two doors between the cabin and the cockpit, and they can’t be both open at the same time.  But the space between them is too small for the two of us to stand, so one of us had to go to the bathroom.  Needless to say, it was me.  But a short minute after that, I was in the cockpit, where the sun was shining, and the captain and the first officer were all smiles.

I must have been too excited to say anything of significance, and I believe I mumbled something.  The two men, obviously comfortable with the monster they were in control of, showed no surprise.  They were nice and welcoming, and shortly after I came in, a conversation developed.  We spoke about flying airplanes (I took flying lessons a decade ago, but were too scared to pursue the hobby), developing software, the computing power of the airplane and the automation.  Indeed, they informed me, an untrained person can land the aircraft with instructions from the ground.  I was relieved.

During my stay at the cockpit, we changed altitude from 37,100 ft to 39,100 ft.  We also changed course (was part of the original flight plan), were alerted of nearby aircraft, which we later saw, and had some conversations with several control towers somewhere in China.  I have no idea how long I spent in the cockpit, but I’m pretty sure it was well over an hour.  It was an outstanding, exhilarating experience.  I would like to use this opportunity to thank Captain Avi, and his First Office for an unforgettable experience.  Also, I would like to thank the purser for giving me this opportunity.

Flying in the cockpit of a Boeing 767 from Tel Aviv to Beijing – Outstanding!

The Air China flight to Hong Kong was uneventful. It was code shared with Dragon Air and Cathay Pacific, it was packed, it left on time and arrived earlier, the luggage came out on time. As I said, uneventful in the most positive way. We took a Cathay Pacific package deal for this trip, and it’s important to say: it was flawless. We shall do it again. The shuttle from the airport to the hotel left on time. We arrived at the hotel, checked in and were ready to go out and hit the town in no time.

Usually, when we sign up for a vacation package, we have no dilemmas. For a reasonably small addition to the price, you get a substantially better hotel. I always sign up for the better (or best) hotels available. I never regret it. The Royal Plaza, right in the middle of Kowloon, is excellent, easily accessible to taxis and subways, and is in the middle of things, walking distance from Price Edward and Nathan streets. We could have stayed at the Disney Resort, but the travel agent told us (and she was absolutely right) that the advantage of being close to Disneyland will be completely lost when we would want to go visit Hong Kong or Kowloon. We stayed in Kowloon, and used ferries, buses, subway trains, boats, and feet to move around. It was great.

We used Gray Line for the Disneyland tour. Waste of money and even worse, waste of time. Disneyland is easily (really) accessible from every part of town, by subway. It’s cheap, efficient, and very quick and comfortable. Gray Line took roughly ninety minutes to bring us to Disneyland. It took us twenty minutes to get back on the subway. For a fraction of the price.

Disneyland is like other Disneyland parks in other places around the world. I was at the one in Anaheim California twice. Both were great, but I like Disney in Hong Kong better. It’s smaller. It’s less crowded. And the bottom line was, we spent a fraction of the time standing in lines. In fact, we took some rides twice (one even thrice), without spending hours on line. In multiple occasions, the attendants just allowed us to stay, skipping the line altogether.

If you want to smile a lot, Disneyland is the place for you.

Shiri and Guy had a blast. I got a broken back. We spent almost twelve hours at Disneyland, and it was time well spent. Guy fell asleep on the subway, and had no recollection of being carried to the hotel, put in PJs, and in bed. It must have been overwhelming. It was for me too.

Next day we signed up for a trip around town. Gray Line again, but this time it was well worth it. We went to Victoria Peak, to the oldest Buddhism temple in Hong Kong, and to the Stanley market. Stanley Market was the last stop, so we didn’t even bother to take the bus back. We stayed there. Later we took a double decker bus to the harbor, on the Hong Kong side, and walked around some, then took a ferry across the harbor to the Kowloon side.

We rather accidentally found Dan Ryan’s Chicago Grill at the shopping mall next to the harbor. All we needed to see on the menu was ribs and barbecue chicken. We were all set. A full slab and a half of baby back ribs, plus two halves barbecued chickens, plus the baked and fried potatoes, cole slaw, A1 Steak Sauce. We were home.

The kids devoured the chickens, and tasted the ribs. In fifteen minutes, the table looked as if a pack of wolves just left, leaving behind scores of bones and leftovers. And then the funniest thing happened. In fact two things happened, and only one was funny, and even that – not to me.

As we finished our dinner, Dorit and the kids went to the bathroom. As they were leaving for the bathroom, the couple sitting right next to us paid and left as well. Thirty seconds later, a new couple was seated right next to us. Imagine that. A single, chubby person (that would be me), sitting in front of a table that looked as if four really hungry people just finished a large meal. I could see in their eyes that they were actually contemplating if I was responsible for the situation on my own. And while they were contemplating, I was starting to worry. Because the family did not make it back from the restroom. And atypical to me, the worst nightmarish scenarios started to hit my tired head.

They came back after a long while. That wasn’t funny.

The next morning we hit the streets and the stores. We didn’t buy a whole lot, but we did have a good time. The local Pizza Hut, by the way, is nothing to write home about.

Bottom line: package deal with Cathay – absolutely. Gray Line to Disney – no way. Gray Line around town – yes. Hong Kong – Yea!