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| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
entrance to cathay pacific the pier at hong kong international airport |
the four small kids arrive at the elevator entrance to the pier before boarding our flight to tokyo due to the tight connection the kids did not get a chance to visit the hong kong lounges on the way to vancouver so donut made it a point to show the workout kids and his best friend little devil as many of them as possible on the stopover on the return | |
| despite having to wake up very early to prepare for the morning flight his spirits were high this would be the last flight for donut this year and he was determined to show the kids a good time |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 5.6 |
departure gate 2 at hong kong international airport |
b-kpm is already at our departure gate getting ready to fly us to haneda but where are the kids ? normally you would find them lining up and the first to board but there were just so many lounges to visit in hong kong ! and so i stood in line to save our spot while donut and the gang continued to explore lounges from gate sixty three back to gate one pineapple went along with them opening his eyes once every now and then to chaperon | |
| pineapple has a tough job though as the kids move fast and cover a lot of ground in a blink of his eye aiya — the kids have already left the cathay lounge but pineapple is still sleeping at the haven !! |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 6.3 |
british airways & qantas lounge at hong kong international airport |
for the third and final lounge visit today donut took the kids to a fellow oneworld lounge they were able to enter as cathay passengers ticketed in first [ this was about two weeks before access rules changed to prevent this ! ] incidentally if it is not obvious many of my photos are composites of several taken over a few minutes to remove stray people the hong kong airport is not really this empty on a weekday morning | |
| after so much sight seeing the kids decided to take a nice long shower to freshen up prior to boarding this meant pineapple dull dull could finally relax and take a longer nap on the chaise outside hehe |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 6.3 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin |
a little against the rules but just one more photo of the kids as we prepare to off with a little japanese from school donut explained to little devil what the japanese cabin announcement was saying donut likes this line the most « marukopouro kurabu menbaa no minasama honjitsu mo goriyou itadakimashite arigatou gozaimasu » hehe he looks forward very much to the day when he is old enough to join the marco polo club himself | |
| a few more photos as these kids head off on the final flight of the year [ except little devil who will return to vancouver with laurie and the other canadian kids after they come visit us in tokyo for christmas ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific lounge at vancouver international airport |
the three tokyo small kids enter the lounge waiting for their return flight back to haneda ... with little devil !! little devil wanted to visit tokyo too after hearing from snail about the delicious food here [ hence my need to start jogging ] though if you asked donut later he would tell you that little devil was also wanting to secretly investigate if the disappearance of his tea time money had anything to do with me | |
| unlike his brothers little devil is too young to work and this makes him a little insecure and money conscious we are hoping some more time away with donut will let him enjoy life more as a small kid without worries |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
« thank you for waiting ; we now invite passengers travelling with small children to board » donut dull dull leads some very happy kids to our seat today on board b-hue who is taking us to hong kong to connect to haneda the kids were happy just from flying again but they were also happy to leave the lounge which had become quite crowded pineapple dull dull was moonlighting as the lounge dragon and predictably he let everyone in while he slept | |
| fly dull dull operates a regular service to shuttle the boss kids between me in tokyo and laurie in vancouver but with our confirmed suite 3 k at the front today pineapple dull dull opted instead to join our flight |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
workout dull dull + donut dull dull + little devil dull dull + workout mug mug — awake and ready to explore !! the four kids were not at all sleepy on the flight when everyone else in the full cabin [ again sigh ] were asleep or were about to be they asked for my permission to pair off and stroll around the plane ; the workout kids wanted to exercise on the steps again donut and little devil on the other hand were looking for some quiet time | |
| as the kids head out do you notice something different about little devil ? his hood is down ! this is a rare sight — he only lowers his hood to reveal his inner self when his mind is truely at ease [ something about the still of the night and the company of donut seems to relax him ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 6.3 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
the four small kids return to the seat as the captain commences our descent into hong kong the kids had almost lost track of time having fun around the plane by themselves ; it might have something to do with all the sugar and caffeine they consumed back in the lounge [ little devil led everyone to the fridge when he noticed it was stocked to the brim with soft drinks and honestly what kid can resist the temptation of hay shui ? ] | |
| donut and little devil stopped by the arrival for a quick bite after washing their hands first of course the workout kids though were too tired and headed home with pineapple for some zzz time |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er at tokyo international airport |
three excited kids watch the arrival at the gate of our first of two aircrafts today b-kpt will be the first one taking us from japan to hong kong after having spent the night resting up at a remote gate it arrived the previous evening as cx 542 and is turning around to head home twelve hours later now as cx 543 once in hong kong we shall of course be connecting onwards to vancouver on cx 838 | |
| the 11 am departure gave me and the workout kids some time for a morning run before coming to haneda we had recently taken up jogging koukyo no mawari [ around the imperial palace ] to lose some weight |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 5.6 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin |
donut dull dull introduces the features of the new business class cabin to the workout kids after having already shown them to the shower and massage facilities at the sakura lounge to help them relax before boarding donut always loves to be a good host on an airplane but with this being the first time the workout kids have flown in almost two years [ they spend a lot of time training in school to stay in top atheletic form ] donut was extra enthusiastic today | |
| donut dull dull lets the workout kids in on his second most favorite activity on board an aircraft : admiring the gorgeous views from the windows [ can you spot all three kids in the photo on the left ? ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin and in flight meal |
the kids were a little tired from waking up rather early for the jog as well as the tight connection in hong kong they fell asleep on the buddy seat almost immediately after take off leaving me to enjoy a lovely dinner service on my own « caviar and balik salmon tsar nikolaj » the long haul cathay pacific appetizer staple is served against the fast setting sun there cannot be too many better ways to start a vacation | |
| a couple of photos from the haneda flight — it took the three kids a while but with some team work they were able to put the seat in the original take off position ; our flight attendant was impressed too ! [ on the right you can see the three kids about to doze off in buddy seat 4 a on the second flight ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
workout dull dull + workout mug mug + donut dull dull — awake and ready to explore !! the three kids woke up about halfway into the flight when everyone else in the full cabin tonight were asleep or were about to be donut asked me if it was okay to leave the seat as he was eager to take the workout kids around the plane to explore of course it was okay though i reminded them to be careful since the cabin lights were dimmed | |
| donut first took them star gazing though admittedly the energetic workout kids found it a little boring with permission from the crew they then went to the upper deck which the workout kids enjoyed a lot more [ because going up and down the stairs was very good exercise ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin and in flight meal |
about two hours from meeting laurie in vancouver the cabin lights came back on waking up after a good night of rest on my part and exhausted from over 140 meters of exploration on theirs everyone was ready when our flight attendants set the table for a healthful brunch service on b-hug « fresh seasonal fruits with grapefruit juice » starts us off | |
| for the main course we had the « abalone and chicken congee with baked spring onion puff » though not before finishing off the remaining caviar from the dinner service heh |
| nikkor 20 mm 2.8 f ⁄ 8 | cathay pacific airbus 330-300 |
itadakimasu [ let us eat ] !! this colorful photo of donut getting ready to dig in the herb omelette we have in the brunch today was taken by martin ashford who we had bumped into at the lounge | |
| it is always nice to run into a fan of my web page ; donut took some time to warm up to him though [ martin took the bassinet location seat next to me that donut originally would have enjoyed all to himself ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific lounge at kuala lumpur international airport |
despite giving up his seat donut was still plenty happy today as he got to visit a new lounge !! donut was a little restless after staying in the hotel room for three days waiting for me to come back from the office meetings you can see him happily zipping around the recently refurbished lounge from back to front [ and back again ] before settling in his armchair to enjoy some apron viewing | |
| can you spot donut in the photos ? the lounge was spacious although the food offerings were a bit lacking the brunch service [ as well as the both of the reds ] on board b-hlg however was surprisingly great |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
the living room and bedroom in my studio in tokyo |
other than the bose l1 compact speaker and the apple products and accessories everything else from the long curtains to the long table is from the fantastically zen mujirushi ryouhin after my relocation to tokyo was confirmed i had fantasized almost daily about setting up my perfect minimalist living space [ even made the switch to an apple laptop just to complete the look ] | |
| yes some people have told me this is perhaps too minimalist and ocd but have you ever run a vacuum cleaner across twenty feet of unobstructed floor — it is so immensely pleasurable ! |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
donut enjoying seat 66 a in this sunny photo on board b-hot who was taking us to hong kong todaywe usually sit in an exit row but edward highly recommended this seat to donut when we met him for breakfast last month [ this seat is at the back where the fuselage tapers in and the seating configuration is reduced to give extra storage room by the window ] it was not bad — especially for a short flight where you would not need the leg room and aisle access as much | |
| some more photos from cx 543 — it is a shame there is not an after work night flight from tokyo this earliest flight on saturday from haneda arrives only at half past two in the afternoon in hong kong |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific lounge at vancouver international airport |
snail dull dull [ !! ] leads the way to the gate after a brief stay at the lounge with donut staying behind in vancouver for the summer holidays with laurie and the other canadian kids snail volunteered to be our guide on our return flights first to hong kong and then onwards to tokyo he is even more knowledgeable about flying than donut is | |
| indeed it was snail on a flight from nagoya three years ago who inspired donut to be the avid flyer he is today since then snail has curbed his flying to concentrate on his studies at the trafalgars noble kindergarten |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
snail dull dull and butterfly mug mug enjoying the views as we took off on b-hke from vancouver international airport snail is a lot like me — despite being three years older than donut he is more impulsive and has a hard time doing things in moderation he told me for one of his homework assignments the teacher gave him some sweets to take home and he had to count them but unfortunately he ate all the sweets on the way home and so the answer was zero | |
| and like me he has trouble staying away from a nice full bodied red wine such as the lynch bages hehe [ butterfly and fishball ordered a pot of earl grey to wake snail up ; they also saved an extra dessert for him ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
this photo was taken about three quarters of way into cx 839 when most likely there was a glass of the pauillac swirling in my hand and i was wishing for some strong head wind and perhaps even a re-fuelling stop hehe ; incidentally did you notice big mug mug in the photo above ? he was giving big dull dull a boost so his younger brother could see out | |
| after catching up land side with edward who had come to spot our plane landing in hong kong snail again led everyone airside to enjoy a meal at the haven before our connecting flight to tokyo |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
entrance to cathay pacific the wing at hong kong international airport |
with still some time before boarding the kids headed to the wing which is closer to our departure gate butterfly mug mug is looking forward to some quiet time in the library in particular — it is one of his favorite places this sociable canadian kid excels not only at singing [ he held his first concert almost four years ago under the stage name papillon ] but he also possesses excellent book smarts which are second only to those of big mug mug | |
| in general the mug mugs seems to be just a little smarter and more capable of seeing the big picture than the dull dulls — especially the younger ones — who often focus on certain things and do not let go |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
the library at cathay pacific the wing at hong kong international airport |
the kids finally arrived at the library [ going from the pier to the wing took about an hour for them ! ] butterfly was reading up on japanese current events in preparation for their one month exchange in tokyo with me and the tokyo kids but i told him there was no need to worry — we would be taking good care of him and snail at our home in tokyo we stayed for about another half an hour or so before heading to gate 2 to board b-hku | |
| incidentally you may have noticed that one of snail's two antennas faces backwards — this is no defect rather his bi-directional antennas help snail better scan the surroundings for his favorite restaurant [ mcdonald's ; his favorite food there is shu tiu ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 cabin |
donut dull dull holding hands with fishball mug mug as they enjoy a stroll around the cabin before other passengers boarded after three and a half months of hard work in tokyo we were finally flying again — stopping by hong kong before going on to vancouver with a total scheduled flying time today of more than sixteen hours donut was already in an especially great mood and when he found out we would be flying on the new business seats ?? | |
| but we are getting ahead of ourselves ; here is a photo of the kids first in line of course to board b-hno the flight was quite uneventful and upon arrival into hong kong we headed for the new showers |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific the cabin at hong kong international airport |
donut dull dull looking out of the window [ while fishball strolled around — it was his first time in this lounge ] he was however in a vastly better mood from the last time he was sitting in a lounge quietly by himself about four months ago the hong kong kids had since joined him in tokyo and they have adapted well to our new environment donut sat quietly tonight partly because he wanted to stay heung pun pun after the shower | |
| but also because he could not stop admiring b-kpt who was parked right outside the lounge at gate 23 this two-month old with the new business class cabin just happened to be his ride tonight !! |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin and in flight meal |
the expression on the kids faces was one of non-stop awe since stepping into our seat in the new cabin the sleek and relaxing design captured their undivided attention from boarding to take off and even through the supper meal service [ you can see donut and fishball posing next to their new favorite seat during taxiing and take off immediately below ] and after the meal service all three of us slept soundly in the new wider flat bed hehe | |
| it had been a year and half since our previous night flight [ day flights are much easier to photograph ] but this detour on cx 888 was well worth the extra time and this new mini cabin may have even eclipsed the cathay pacific 744 upper deck as our new favorite business class cabin |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 6.3 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin and in flight meal |
three hours out of vancouver the kids have woken up and ready for some breakfast in the sun if my recollection is correct the two kids travelling today had looked forward very much to this trip and for different reasons : donut dull dull because he would be staying behind in vancouver to attend english summer classes at trafalgars with little devil and fishball because he would be flying first class for his first time on the return !! | |
| and with donut dull dull going over we are hoping he would be able to calm his best friend down a bit little devil had recently become somewhat obsessed with looking for money and stashing it away [ he was embarassed at school when we missed a payment for his tea time fee ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 6.3 |
cathay pacific the wing at hong kong international airport |
four days after returning from vancouver we had packed up everything at our place in hong kong and were at the airport again for our morning flight to tokyo to start my new job ; before we boarded our flight though even though he knew they were all in vancouver donut walked around the lounge just in case some kids were hiding to surprise him [ he checked behind the bookshelves and every single one of the bar stools too ] | |
| donut is feeling a bit more upbeat though now that the situation has stabilized a little bit in tokyo and the remaining hong kong kids are scheduled to fly with laurie in a month's time to join us |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 6.3 |
cathay pacific lounge at vancouver international airport |
normally overjoyed each time we fly donut was a little down and sat quietly by himself in the lounge with my relocation next week to tokyo the hong kong kids have all "evacuated" to vancouver to ride out the japan nuclear crisis all the kids that is except donut — he insisted on travelling with me back to hong kong and then onward to japan he is a brave kid but leaving his brothers behind was tough for his young mind to handle | |
| eventually he got up and walked around the lounge but he said to me it was not as fun without the others he missed playing hide and seek with big dull dull and big mug mug ; i hugged him as we boarded b-hkv |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
donut dull dull looking somewhat emotional here when told the shades had to come down after the lunch service still upset from leaving the other kids he had been hoping to gaze at the passing clouds as that had always made him feel better so he strolled down the aisles to look for a window that was not shut but it was more of the same in the economy and business class cabins then as he headed back to the front with his head down in disappointment — he noticed a bright light !! | |
| the light was seeping from under the bathrooms which he now remembered did not have opaque shades !! he rushed in lowered the lid — we do not want any accidents — and sat rather satisfyingly by the clouds [ donut did not have his usual appetite and took to just some of the yu yu and the ice cream bar ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 11 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin and in flight meal |
« fresh seasonal fruits » kicked off the dinner service for those who were awake about two and a half hours from hong kong « pan fried black cod on sweet garlic sauce with pak choy and mushrooms » followed which was superb but would have been better with rice « bleubry + herb goat + brie and cheddar cheeses » were not really to my taste so they were more for photo taking than actual eating « a fresh fruit flan » that was fine but not memorable closed our dining experience on cx 839 today | |
| right after landing donut headed to the arrival to check on the kids in vancouver ; he missed them so much that it was much later before he realized he had just flown all three travel classes within one single week [ congratulations and kiss donut !! ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
before we end this report here are a few more photos from around suite 2 k[ did not get a chance to take any wide photos of the cabin as unfortunately the flight was also quite full ] as you can see from the moving map this bright one of the suite was taken no more than one or two minutes after take off from yvr the exhileration really never goes away — not for me not for donut | |
| a few photos taken while donut went walking around the plane after the shades came down a flight attendant came down the aisle about ten seconds after the photo in the middle was taken hehe |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin |
this photo brings a smile to my face every time — look at how happy and comfortable big mug mug is ! this was taken as the aircraft climbed around 8,000 ft to above some thick clouds and the sun's rays finally shone brightly into the cabin we picked a leisurely and lightly loaded noon flight out from taipei [ which to our delight still sported the long haul flat seats ] to catch in plenty of time our late afternoon onward connection for vancouver on cx 838 | |
| the two brothers having a blast together above before during and after our taipei flight on board b-kpk big mug mug often ran a little slower or pretended he could not spot donut to let his younger brother win |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 upper deck cabin |
about three hours after landing in hong kong we were in the air again to vancouver b-hot took me up here along with big mug mug and donut [ the other hong kong kids were in the suitcase with cookies and chocolates ] it is one of the airline's more senior long haul work horses — reflected in the older honey comb style ceiling and wall panelling but the kids still found themselves at home and falling asleep easily in the familiar herringbone flat bed seats | |
| with a full load on the upper deck i am afraid there were not too many photo opportunities with the kids no matter — this was the first time we had connecting flights in hong kong and they were quite exhausted |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 6.3 |
cathay pacific the wing at hong kong international airport |
hong kong big dull dull playing hide and seek with his youngest sibling near the entrance to the wing office work in hong kong had finally come to an end and in the intervening two weeks before my new job began in tokyo the kids came with me for to taipei before beginning our journey propre on a fantastic ex taipei fare to vancouver via hong kong we hung out and took photos mostly at the wing as this upper level is scheduled for its first major facelift very soon | |
| the photo of the two kids on the left is one of my all time favorites — big dull dull staying along side donut as donut strolls up and down the aisle like he loves to do [ the other kids were sleeping in the suitcase ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-200 cabin |
donut enjoying the spacious seating in this cabin ; the the other kids were of course no where to be seen they preferred staying in the checked suitcase playing merry go rounds on the luggage belts at the aiports than flying in economy class the suitcase though was a bit tight this time as we brought along all the hong kong kids — concerned about the situation in japan laurie invited them all to stay with him and the canadian kids during my first weeks in tokyo until things stablelized | |
| once at the hotel donut briefs us on the upcoming flights ; one contentious topic was donut wanting to accompany me to tokyo in spite of possible dangers so my first weeks there would not be as lonely |
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