|
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin at tokyo international airport |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 4 |
the champagne bar at cathay pacific the wing at hong kong international airport |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 4 |
the cabanas at cathay pacific the wing at hong kong international airport |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 6.3 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin and in flight meal |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin and in flight meal |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 6.3 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 6.3 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin and in flight meal |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 5.6 |
the champagne bar at cathay pacific the wing at hong kong international airport |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 4 |
the cabanas at cathay pacific the wing at hong kong international airport |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin and in flight meal |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 5.6 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
donut shows his elder brother fishball to our seat today on board b-hke to hong kong we promised to go on a new year holiday in hong kong with the dull dull and the mug mug who got the best grades at school and so everyone was excited when the report cards arrived from akasaka imperial kindergarten in mid december all the kids did well but these two managed to come in first in their class ! | |
| fishball is a particularly assiduous student and has studied almost every day since coming to tokyo just last week he took my japanese take home test for me [ hehe ; my nihongo sensei was impressed ] |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin and in flight meal |
« serrano ham with mixed mushroom salad » served with a glass of mimosa starts off our lunch for obvious reasons the two kids give this starter a miss but we will definitely be ordering more of the mimosa not only does the bright golden orange color in the champagne flute come out rather well in the photos but the amour de deutz go surprisingly deliciously with the pulpy orange juice on board | |
| the kids are much more gifted in learning languages than myself ; in addition to the japanese classes they also take elementary spanish and so donut now gets excited each time he hears this in the unicef announcement on studio cx « yo quiero ser piloto cuando ser mayor » |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 5.6 |
the atrium at cathay pacific the wing at hong kong international airport |
after four days of catching up with old classmates [ from siu sai wan number one kindergarten ] the two small kids begin their journey home with me on board the afternoon cathay pacific haneda flight we stop by the wing — donut enquires eagerly about the the eight month and counting renovation of the first class lounge while the wait staff brings me my first glass of champagne of the day | |
| here are some photos the renovated business class side of the wing culled from previous visits the wing is too crowded today for any wide photos [ plus the vigilent staff keep refilling my glass hehe ] |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin and in flight meal |
« soredewa toukyou made no sora no tabi wo douzo goyukkuri otanoshimi kudasai » this last sentence of the welcome pa — each time he hears it donut knows another great flying experience is about to begin and today every minute counts as we are flying with a good deal of tail wind ! as soon as the seat belt sign is off donut walks through with fishball all the amenities available on our flight | |
| b-hku speeds away from hong kong so fast that the sun sets within about an hour after take off when we will wake up tomorrow in tokyo it will be to a new school year for the kids |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific lounge at vancouver international airport |
after a relaxing four days we are back at the airport waiting our flight to hong kong do you see who has joined us on our flight home ? the small kid in the red outfit ? it's little devil ! laurie tells me that little devil has been very active at school in the four months since we saw him last in fact he received a recent promotion to vice monitor of his class ! | |
| donut and little devil get so carried away catching up in the lounge that they almost miss boarding the big kids carry them on their backs so as to move quicker and we hurry off to our departure gate |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 6.3 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
it is indeed efficient transportion — big mug mug can even carry both small kids together ! to not disturb the sleeping passengers the two chat in the famous cathay first class lavatory with a view [ these two best friends always have so much to talk about ] but as dinner is soon to be served big mug mug fetches them back to our assigned seat today on board b-hkf | |
| with any other family four children at a dinner table might get a little crowded and a little messy but not with this well behaved four [ the big kids even take turns looking outside the window on each flight ] |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific the wing at hong kong international airport |
the kids visit the newly renovated the wing for their first time after landing in hong kong they have some time to freshen up before the connecting flight to japan ; and now that we are out of canada the truth why little devil is staying in tokyo can be revealed — he is actually lying low from some creditors after missing a few of his credit card payments [ he got a bit over zealous making donations to his school | |
| [ he had wanted to make enough donations to have an assembly hall named after him ! ] ! ] laurie is sorting it out in vancouver but we feel little devil can use some time away in tokyo with donut |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 5.6 |
entrance to cathay pacific the pier at hong kong international airport |
« what cathay pacific in flight announcement is made only in japanese ? » donut poses this little brain teaser as the kids make their way over to the pier nearer our departure time do you know the answer ? it is coming up below ; in the meantime the small kids can really get used to travelling like this : on top of the big kids while transiting between first class flights hehe | |
| soon after boarding b-kpm big mug mug spots the answer during the welcome announcement : « nihonjin joumuin mo gomei joumu shite orimasu node goyounosai ha goenryo naku oshirase kudasai » which informs the passengers of the number of japanese cabin crew members on board |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 at tokyo international airport |
the kids watch intently on as b-hue is prepped for her flight home to hong kong donut dull dull is leading two big kids to vancouver during the fall study week at the kindergarten and they will be able to have a worry free holiday as they have already finished the holiday homework assignment ! [ to write out their favorite letters of the english alphabet ] | |
| big dull dull probably speaks for most of the kids when he lists his favorites of « F A J C D I » big mug mug is more mindful of household finances though and so adds two more letters « Z U » |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin and in flight meal |
always a good host donut knows the big kids must be hungry after walking around the jumbo with me and has a declicious second meal awaiting our return « grilled beef tenderloin with demi balsamic sauce and roasted new potatoes » with some help from the flight purser he also pairs the meal with a fantastic chateau giscours margaux for me to enjoy hehe donut is such a fan of flying that all booking class codes are in his list of favorites ! | |
| with me and the big kids falling asleep one by one on our late night connecting flight to vancouver donut finally has some free time to himself to enjoy the window view and of course to also roam around the very first cathay pacific 77w aircraft — the five year old b-kpa |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific lounge at vancouver international airport |
the four original small canadian kids are on their way to tokyo via hong kong on an important mission [ thanks to the ground work laid by big mug mug about a year ago ] their school in canada — the trafalgars noble kindergarten has officially entered into a sister school agreement with the akasaka royal kindergarten attended by the tokyo kids the four kids are flying to tokyo today as the first group of exchange students | |
| to commemorate the occasion the tokyo school will be changing its name to akasaka imperial kindergarten and are flying the four canadian kids and their chaperon eggplant mug mug all expenses paid hehe |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 6.3 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin |
while the four small kids do fly quite often this is their first time flying on a cathay pacific 77w aircraft [ the airline has again pulled their 744 off the vancouver route though it should return briefly near the end of the year ] and so they are all rather excited today — except for snail who is unhappy after noticing that the first class cabin on b-kpl is behind the forward galley and so not as exclusive as in the nose of the 744 | |
| in protest he even decides he will not eat anything on board ; until that is when our clever flight attendant prepares a choice of six different alcoholic beverages to cheer him up [ snail smiles immediately ! ] |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
the noodle bar at cathay pacific the wing at hong kong international airport |
the kids visit the newly renovated the wing for their first time upon landing in hong kong they have some time to freshen up before the connecting flight to japan but time will be tight once they land there they need to head to the school to participate in the name change ceremony and then meet up their exchange program buddies [ donut has assigned his friends sushi + sashimi + wasabi + teriyaki to be buddies for the canadian kids ] | |
| a happy again snail leads the other three kids in exploring the new lounge while eggplant naps comfortably in the coffee loft [ not even their strongest coffee would be a match for his magic sleeping essences ] |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin |
finally eggplant can sleep through turbulence without worrying about tumbling !! this is my favorite photo from the flights this summer to vancouver and thanks must be given to the stellar cabin crew on b-kpm not only do they suggest the bassinet would be perfect for eggplant but they even change the mood lighting to purple which they allege should allow eggplant to sleep more soundly haha | |
| after the dim sum [ skipping the siu mai of course ] snail leads the kids on a morning cabin walk around they do not walk around too long though as we need to practice together our japanese phrases |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin and kaiseki meal |
« bean curd skin roll with japanese eel and eggplants served with mozuku seawead and ark shell meat » donut dull dull goes through the menu with put jai go mug mug so they can get a lay of the land before digging into the meal do you remember put jai go mug mug ? it has been more than two years since he last flew and so is very excited luckily donut and workout dull dull are doing a spectecular job as his flight guides today | |
| from his first visit to the haneda jal lounge and his first time on board a cathay pacific 77w [ b-kpr ] to his first traditional japanese in flight meal donut and workout dull dull are side by side with put jai go |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 5.6 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin |
« konosaki ureru koto mo gozaimasu node shiito beruto wo oshime kudasai » and on our afternoon connecting flight to vancouver the two kids explain the features of the new generation cirrus seats put jai go says he likes this design much better than the older hercules herringbone seats he had flown on before as he remembers he could not look out of the window from those | |
| the first order of business is therefore of course some time by the windows as we taxi and take off followed soon after by our first meal served with a big tumbler of the super yummy hedonist moonvine [ this superb cathay pacific business class cellar staple is nigh impossible to find in japan ] |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 6.3 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin and in flight meal |
« chilli coriander marinated prawns and vinaigrette » under copious natural light ! b-kpx is speeding east away from a fast setting sun but flying in the summer we can still get some great light before dessert the kids are not in the photo though — still full from the eight course kaiseki meal just a few hours ago they are walking it off around the cabin leaving me to handle this one and the moonvine | |
| in addition to his duties as co-host on the flights today donut is also trying his hands behind a camera and a notebook after taking an elementary blogging class at his rather expensive kindergarten [ he told his class teacher that he wants to be me when he grows up ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 6.3 |
all nippon airways lounge at tokyo international airport |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 5.6 |
all nippon airways boeing 777-300 er cabin |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| 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 makes 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 shall be the last flight for donut this year and he is 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 are just so many lounges to visit in hong kong ! and so i stood in line to save our spot while donut and the gang continues to explore lounges from gate sixty three back to gate one pineapple goes 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 takes the kids to a fellow oneworld lounge they are able to enter as cathay passengers ticketed in first [ this was about two weeks before access rules changed to prevent this ] originally a bit nervous since this is his first time in this lounge but the lounge staff at the entrance are very welcoming and so donut is completely at ease now and he is off to happily explore with the other kids | |
| after so much sight seeing the kids decide to take a nice long shower to freshen up prior to boarding this means pineapple dull dull can 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 take off with a little japanese from school donut explains 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 wants to visit tokyo too after hearing from snail about the delicious food here [ hence my need to start jogging ] though if you ask donut later he will tell you that little devil is also wanting to secretly investigate if the disappearance of his tea time money has anything to do with me | |
| « thank you for waiting ; we now invite passengers travelling with small children to board » the announcement cannot have come too soon — with pineapple moonlighting as the lounge dragon he predictably let everyone in while he slept and the lounge has become rather crowded ! |
| 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 are not at all sleepy on the flight when everyone else in the full cabin [ again sigh ] are asleep or are about to be they ask for my permission to pair off and stroll around the plane ; the workout kids want to exercise on the steps again donut and little devil on the other hand are 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 truly 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 their seat on b-hue as we commence our descent into hong kong the kids have 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 stop by the arrival for a quick bite and some time alone together just the two kids we hope that some time away with donut will let little devil enjoy life more as a small kid without worries [ unlike his brothers little devil is too young to work and so is a little insecure and money conscious ] |
| 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 gives me and the workout kids some time for a morning run before coming to haneda we have recently taken up jogging koukyo no mawari [ around the imperial palace ] to lose some weight |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin and in flight meal |
the kids are a little tired from waking up rather early for the jog as well as the tight connection in hong kong they fall 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 wake up about halfway into the flight when everyone else in the full cabin tonight are asleep or are about to be donut asks me if it is okay to leave the seat as he is eager to take the workout kids around the plane to explore of course it is okay although they need to be careful as the cabin lights are dimmed throughout the plane | |
| donut first takes them star gazing though admittedly the energetic workout kids find it a little boring with permission from the crew they then go to the upper deck which the workout kids enjoy a lot more [ because going up and down the stairs is 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 come back on waking up after a good night of rest on my part and exhausted from over 140 meters of exploration on theirs everyone is 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 have 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 ] on b-hlg !! 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 earlier 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 ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific airbus 330-300 cabin |
donut dull dull is our youngest kid and as you probably already know is the one who loves air travel the most he also holds the distinction of being the only one to have flown all three travel classes — he gets excited no matter he is flying up in front [ so many kids want to come with us on those flights we have to hold a lottery ] or toughing it out in the back of the plane with me no lottery needed on those flights ! | |
| donut also loves visiting lounges before he flies where he likes to observe his fellow travellers where are they flying to ? are they travelling with family and do they also have any kids ? [ although for my photographic purposes none of them is shown on this blog ] |
| 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 volunteers 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 [ where is fishball ? ] enjoying the views as we took off on b-hke 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 order a pot of earl grey to wake snail up ; they also save an extra dessert for him ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
this photo is from about three quarters of way into cx 839 when most likely there is a glass of the pauillac swirling in my hand and we are wishing for some strong head wind and perhaps even a re-fuelling stop hehe ; incidentally do 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 leads 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 head 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 arrive at the library [ going from the pier to the wing takes about an hour for them ! ] butterfly is reading up on japanese current events in preparation for their one month exchange in tokyo with me and the tokyo kids but i tell him there was no need to worry — we will be taking good care of him and snail at our home in tokyo we stay 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 ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific the cabin at hong kong international airport |
donut dull dull looking out of the window [ while fishball strolls around — this is his first time here ] he is however in a vastly better mood from the last time he sat in a lounge quietly by himself about four months ago the hong kong kids have since joined him in tokyo and we have all adapted well to our new environment donut is sitting quietly tonight partly because he wants to stay heung pun pun after the shower | |
| but also because he cannot stop admiring b-kpt who is parked right outside the lounge at gate 23 this two-month old with the new business class cabin just happen 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 is one of non stop awe since stepping into our seat in the new cabin the sleek and relaxing design captures 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 sleepsoundly in the new wider flat bed hehe | |
| it has been a year and a half since our previous night flight [ day flights are much easier to photograph ] but this detour on cx 888 has clearly been well worth the extra time ; indeed 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 are ready for some breakfast in the sun if my recollection is correct the two kids travelling today had been looking forward very much to this trip and for different reasons : donut dull dull because he will be staying behind in vancouver to attend english summer classes at trafalgars with little devil and fishball because he will be flying first class for his first time on the return !! | |
| and with donut dull dull going over we are hoping he will 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 ⁄ 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 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 is taking us to our first stop 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 [ fishall mug mug is also traveling with us today connecting to vancouver but has opted to stay in the carry on haha ] the seat is not bad — with extra storage space by the window from the reduced seating configuration | |
| this is donut and my first flight after three and a half months of hard work in tokyo and from hong kong we shall be connecting to vancouver on a 77w featuring the new cirrus business class seats !! [ fishaball mug mug will be joining donut in the cabin for that one hehe ] |
| 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 have packed up everything at our place in hong kong and are at the airport again for our morning flight to tokyo to start my new job ; before we board b-hud though even though he knows they are all in vancouver donut walks around the lounge just in case some kids are hiding to surprise him [ he checks 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 is a little down and sits 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 crisis all the kids that is except donut — he insists on travelling with me back to hong kong and then onward to japan he is a brave kid but leaving his brothers behind is tough for his young mind to handle | |
| eventually he gets up and walks around the lounge but he says to me it is not as fun without the others he misses playing hide and seek with big dull dull and big mug mug ; i hug him as we board 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 has been hoping to gaze at the passing clouds as that has always made him feel better so he strolls down the aisles to look for a window that is not shut but it is more of the same in the economy and business class cabins then as he heads back to the front with his head down in disappointment — he notices a bright light !! | |
| the light is seeping from under the bathrooms which he now remembers do not have opaque shades !! he rushes in and lowers the lid — we do not want any accidents — and sits rather satisfyingly by the clouds |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 6.3 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin and in flight meal |
the windows are open now but tired from his earlier walks around the plane donut has fallen asleep next to me « caviar and balik salmon tsar nicolaj » is the cathay long haul first class staple that starts us off the second meal of the flight « pan fried black cod on sweet garlic sauce with pak choy and mushrooms » follows which is superb but might have been better with rice « seasonal fresh fruits » of which the mango is invariably delicious closes the meal about two hours out of hong kong | |
| right after landing donut heads 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 777-300 er cabin |
this photo brings a smile to my face every time — look at how happy and comfortable big mug mug is ! the aircraft has climbed around 8,000 ft to above some thick clouds and the sun's rays finally shine brightly into the cabin we picked a leisurely and lightly loaded noon flight out from taipei [ which to our delight still sports the long haul flat seats ] to catch in plenty of time our late afternoon onward connection for vancouver on cx 838 | |
| the two brothers have a blast together above before during and after our taipei flight on board b-kpk big mug mug often runs a little slower or pretends he cannot 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 there are unfortunately not too many photo opportunities with the kids no matter — with the connecting flights in hong kong and the kids are all already 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 plays hide and seek with his youngest sibling near the entrance to the wing office work in hong kong has finally come to an end and in the intervening two weeks before my new job began in tokyo the kids come with me to taipei before beginning our journey propre on a fantastic ex taipei fare to vancouver via hong kong we hang out and take 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 are sleeping in the rimowa limbo ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16-35 mm f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-200 cabin |
donut enjoys the spacious seating in this cabin ; the other kids are of course no where to be seen they prefer staying in the suitcase playing merry go rounds on the luggage belts at the aiports than to fly in economy class the suitcase is a bit tight this time though as we are bringing along all the hong kong kids — concerned about the situation in japan laurie has invited them all to stay with him and the canadian kids during my first weeks in tokyo until things stabilize | |
| once at the hotel donut briefs us on the upcoming flights ; one contentious topic is donut wanting to accompany me to tokyo in spite of possible dangers so my first weeks there will not be as lonely |
| nikkor 20 mm 2.8 f ⁄ 2.8 | cathay pacific the cabin |
having handed his lounge invitation to the reception attendent donut dull dull heads down the « cat walk » to the computer area he wants to check on the progress of the jal flight from vancouver : the canadian kids are in the air to join him in tokyo | |
| before hopping around the lounges with me to watch the late winter sunrise and early morning flight traffic donut attempts to check in by scanning his donut [ cx really ought to recognize him by now !! hehe ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
laurie at griandole park hyatt tokyo |
amex gave us a free night at a park hyatt and a two night for the price of one offer at a mandarin oriental both were set to expire and with tokyo being the only nearby city with both we decide to meet there for some holiday shopping the properties are of course amazing — we were just coming out of the subway with our suitcases and heading towards the mandarin when somehow the receptionist greeted us by name !! | |
| after checking out of the m.o. we hop onto the subway to shinjuku and check into the park [ that sounds half glamourous no ? hehe ] they do not manage to greet us by name at the door however |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
breakfast at k'shiki mandarin oriental tokyo |
butterfly and ladybug mug mugs are the only kids who manage to wake up in time to join us for this breakfast it is annoying that outside your home you need to look decent for breakfast ; honestly if you have the energy to shower get dressed and fix your hair at seven in the morning on a holiday then perhaps you do not really need the « energy breakfast buffet » but the food and oh the view [ !! ] really makes up for the early morning wake up call | |
| our stay comes with a tasting menu also at k'shiki's and the food and the view is even better at night [ when dessert came laurie looked wistfully at the server hoping the meal did not have to end ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific lounge at narita international airport |
the third cathay pacific lounge of this trip at narita airport terminal two can you make out all six kids in this photo ? after this group photo is taken the kids split off into pairs fly and snail head to the far end to spot planes whereas butterfly and ladybug peruse a copy of the wall street journal last but not least donut shows little devil how to check flight statuses on the computers | |
| well the above was the plan anyway before laurie rushed me to head back out for some more shopping you can see in the above i made a mistake with one of the pairings [ sorry fly and snail ! ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 8 |
cathay pacific lounge at vancouver international airport |
we are surprised with an upgrade at check in on the return and to a near empty first class cabin !! if only they could let me in on this earlier — we would have brought a much larger contingent of kids and camera lenses [ sigh hehe ] an incidental note from the bump is that donut dull dull is not only the only kid to have flown all three travel classes but also now a kid who has flown all three travel classes in as many weeks | |
| eggplant of course sleeps well no matter where we are ; except for maybe a few seconds of confusion when he toppled to the floor during take-off [ i had forgotten to secure him to the buddy seat ; sorry ! ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
an hour and a half after taking off the flight attendants have closed the other window shades but they let donut and drumstick dull keep theirs open when they see how intrigued both are by the view outside from when the air bridges were pulled back at the gate to now cruising above the clouds at 38,000 ft the two stay right by the window wanting to take in every moment | |
| departing vancouver early afternoon b-hug chases the setting sun as it heads west to hong kong meaning much of the flight is in daylight which is great for clicking away on my camera |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
we are travelling with the bear necessities as you can see eggplant falls asleep again soon after we level off [ he moves to sit next to me to prevent any more mishaps ] and donut sleeps comfortably next to him not long after the first meal ; we keep some water nearby for drumstrick though he often has a tougher time sleeping with stomach troubles keeping him up | |
| drumstick while blessed with an enviable petit body [ the smallest of all the kids ] unfortunately also has a ferocious appetite and when he sees other kids eating he cannot help but indulge and over eat |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
departure gate 1 at hong kong international airport |
three days after returning from the tokyo office donut is back with me at the departure gates we are vancouver bound for a week off after four months of heavy duty office work ; tagging along this time isdrumstick dull dull [ this was his first flight in thirty months after bouts with over eating and hospitalizations — more on this perhaps later ] as well as the ever asleep yet eye catching eggplant mug mug | |
| shortly after taking off on b-hue donut dull dull and drumstick dull dull turn their attention to the menu eggplant mug mug us of course sleeping perfectly soundly whether sitting up or lying down |
| nikon d2x + nikkor 35 mm 2.0 d f ⁄ 2 | cypress mountain road trip with the canada small kids in vancouver |
the cx 838 arrival time of one pm gives me three hours for a relaxing drive up north before heading back to the mainland at five to pick laurie up from his office for a nice dinner at trafalgars the day then closes with a glass [ or three ] of wine and a sleeping pill [ or three ] for a corrected body clock the next morning and office stress literally thousands of miles away | |
| tell you something — while setting up the above shots i accidentally dropped and stepped on snail he had to be bandaged up that night and he did not speak to me for a week afterwards [ kiss snail ga ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 at vancouver international airport |
even though in the photo you can only see his back as donut dull dull made his way to door 1 of b-hue you can be sure his face was to the brim with excitement [ and maybe a little sunburnt — the air bridge is a long walk for a small kid ] after four days hanging out with the canadian kids he is now heading home on his first day time long haul flight that means thirteen hours awake to explore the aircraft to his heart's content !! | |
| who can resist the eye-fetching queen of the sky ? donut asks me if he can leave the lounge early to head to the gate and look at the aircraft taking us home this afternoon before boarding |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 upper deck cabin |
donut dull dull and my mum sit next to each other in 81 / 82 k ; these are hand-picked by donutthe upper deck is a no-brainer : beds are 6 inches longer than on the main deck and there are no bassinet positions up here rear toilets and a maligned window on the front left are important reasons for picking this first seat on the right but the key one for donut though — the seat is flight deck and pilot rest seat adjacent ! | |
| as he strolls around donut caught the eyes of one of the flight crew who extends to him a cockpit tour [ it made his day — and he thought the buttons at his seat were tough to keep track of ! ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 24-85 mm d f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
this bed time photo of the b-hox cabin was taken by laurie and is easily my favorite from the flight whereas my cabin photos are becoming quite formulaic he has a knack of taking awesome ones without really trying it was disappointing though that we did not manage good shots of the first meal as it was served after sun down [ the balik salmon and caviar really deserves to be naturally lit ] but i suppose we can just use this as an excuse to fly again | |
| the canadian kids look all energetic and excited here partly because it is only the middle of the afternoon when cx 838 departs but also because after a year and a half the jumbo is back on this route !! |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 24-85 mm d f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin and in flight meal |
a hearty breakfast to celebrate the return ad interim of the jumbo service to vancouver it was indeed quite nice to be sitting in the nose on a long haul flight again — if only for a couple of seasons before their anticipated deployment back again to europe ; fly dull dull is also loading up on energy as he will be assisting in the landing [ with his antenna resembling the spirit of ecstacy we have dubbed him our resident rolls royce engine ] | |
| as the owner of his own chain of clothing stores [ you have you heard of coccinelle have you not ? ] ladybug mug mug wakes up stylishly to a cup of hong kong milk tea as the sun rises behind the shades the three other kids also help themselves to some healthful food before the afternoon arrival |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 24-85 mm d f ⁄ 4 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-200 cabin |
the youngest of the six kids coming with us to sapporo and tokyo gather amongst themselves to catch up two months have passed since they last got together though donut see snail and little devil every now and then on the webcam they look very happy together travelling together ; perhaps they are sharing the latest gossips from the playground [ donut and little devil have just started kindergarten and ! ] | |
| some in flight photos from hong kong to sapporo ; this is the first time donut is in a 777-200 and he cannot wait to walk all around the aircraft bringing his best friend little devil along with him [ little devil is not that into planes himself but he always listens to what donut has to say ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 24-85 mm d f ⁄ 2.8 |
laurie on jr hokkaido train to new chitose airport |
posing for a photo as we headed back to the airport for an early domestic flight to tokyo after a day and a half of fresh seafood and open air daiyokujou in sapporo we turn to tokyo for some serious shopping laurie originally suggested this routing so we could fly on japan airlines [ my first time — flight attendants bow before taking their seats !! ] but this open jaw itinerary actually works quite well as we enjoy different activities in each city | |
| some photos from rengatei ginza where we had the most phenomenal tonkatsu and curry [ hong kong big dull dull sang numerous prayers for his friends who may now be in our stomachs ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin |
donut dull dull running over the supper choices tonight to vancouver with fishball mug mug a fledgeling himself not long ago donut takes good care of his elder brother who is travelling on his first long haul flight incidentally credit goes to our in flight service manager who suggested this setup when he saw me troubled by the dismal lighting the winter departure of 1 am for an evening arrival kept the cabin in total darkness almost the entire time | |
| some photos in and out of b-kpc who is taking me and the two small kids to vancouver this evening the two on the right show off the cabin mood lightings at seat 11 a during boarding and take off |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 35 mm 2.0 d f ⁄ 8 |
boeing 747-8 freighters at paine field airport |
my wide angle primes makes me look somewhat inadequate at the observation deck still with some heavy cropping this photo of the boeing 501 heavy experimental manages to turn out okay [ fly dull dull shuddered when he heard the poor ge engines going through the numerous taxi tests ] it is also good to know my lenses work at f numbers other than wide open | |
| on sunday the new plane needs some rest [ his maiden flight scheduled for the next day ] and so do we we stop by the cheesecake factory for a leisurely sunday brunch before hitting the department stores |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er mini cabin |
there was a twenty second window to capture a serene mini compartment on the oneworld liveryed b-kpl the flight attendants had just switched on the cabin lights [ for the second meal service about two hours from hong kong ] ten seconds before this shot was taken the cabin was pitch black as everyone slept ; and ten seconds after people were already up stretching and lining up for the bathrooms and basically ruining my photos | |
| some photos of donut taking fishball to the arrival lounge after our flight ; incidentally the showers and very large towels at the arrival are great for cleaning dirty suitcases before rolling them on home |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
this photo of b-hoo is the first one taken at the start of a short but otherwise perfect holiday this is also the first time that identical twins canada big dull dull and hong kong big dull dull travelled together they look exactly the same but our home in canada uses air scents so you can tell them apart by smelling them up close [ canada big dull dull smells a little better ] | |
| the kids huddling together trying to decide on an ice cream flavour [ the fruit plate receives little attention ] after dessert donut resumes his favorite activity of strolling up and down the aisles checking out all he can find his young and curious mind still feels completely in awe each time he steps onto an aircraft |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 upper deck cabin |
a photo of the perhaps not so intelligently mis-used jumbo flying us home from hokkaido canada big dull dull [ eldest of the nine kids on this trip ] leads the others upstairs to this ravishing alcove on b-hov he is a responsible kid — he waits until our aircraft has reached its cruising altitude and asks me and the cabin crew for permission before leaving our ticketed cabin with the others | |
| little devil and donut fall asleep on each other's shoulders during the quiet forty minute ride to otaru these two buddies are the youngest of their respective families and so get doted upon quite a bit by us |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific the wing at hong kong international airport |
big dull dull and big mug mug arrives at level 7 of the wing before our midnight flight to vancouver this is only the second trip for big mug mug but he appears to be quite a bit more relaxed this time around big mug mug credits donut dull dull who shared with him a travel secret just as we were leaving our hong kong home [ drinking hay shui before the flight releases the nervous gas in the stomach ] | |
| the timing is hard on the kids — they want to sleep on the credenza before boarding is even complete [ flying cx 888 instead of the more pleasant afternoon cx 838 saves me a half day of annual leave ] |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
laurie at stanley park vancouver |
the hong kong big kids are with me in vancouver to visit laurie and the canadian kids most of their time is spent kicking back in the hotel room watching in room movies together while the adults go out where do the adults go ? here is a photo of laurie at the nearby stanley park on a beautiful day telling me it is time to go to coscto [ he gives me the same look when asked to run on the elliptical trainer or to skip the bbq pork skin ] | |
| after four days it is time to head home and although the two are the eldest in our hong kong family they are still excited by simple things like riding on the moving walkway and on the luggage trolleys ! |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific boeing 777-300 er cabin and in flight meal |
hong kong big mug mug and big dull dull listen to music as they enjoy fresh fruits on the return from vancouver naturally cathay pacific includes only one pair of headset per seat but luckily when she passed out breakfast to the kids our flight attendant noticed that they were short a pair and offered us a spare set from an empty seat now that is service from the heart ! | |
| more photos of the return flight cx 889 which departs at an even more insane three in the morning the big kids settle very quickly into their seat and doze off before boarding has even finished |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
this bright and early wide shot of the cx 506 cabin is taken on our second trip to osaka osaka is quickly becoming our shopping destination of choice — it has the same department stores tokyo does but without the crowds ; and with kyoto and nagoya only a short shinkansen ride away it's like having two extra parallel universes in which to shop and eat | |
| it looks like donut dull dull is finding a good friend in little devil — they are the youngest kids in our respective families now ; snail is growing up too and hangs out more and more with his elder brothers |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific the pier at hong kong international airport |
finally a photo that does justice to the majesty of pineapple dull dull and eggplant mug mug we refer to them as « boss kids » ever since eggplant came to work with me and he looked so at home napping in the corner office they are a very important part of our family — their primary task is to travel between hong kong and vancouver daily and spray their magic sleeping essences on me and laurie so we have a good night of sleep every night | |
| a few more photos hopping between the cathay pacific lounges in hong kong before our flight boards including a miraculously empty shot of their famed frequent flyer refectory — the noodle bar |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
seven kids keep a watchful eye over the cx 507 cabin this evening as we depart kansai international [ notice the adorable pimple ? this was the same aircraft as on our outbound trip and the blown lamp still had not been replaced ] well perhaps not eggplant and pineapple — those two can sleep any time any place what i would not give for just ten percent of their magical power | |
| the loading in the premium cabins on our return flight is not too heavy so we are able to make our way to the upper deck to take another photo of the welcoming almost festive cabin lights of b-hug |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
it is bed time at 33,000 ft but laurie is still up with his chua lam food shows [ his unstowed ptv and reclined seat marring the ~ symmetry in this photo ] naturally i am out of my seat snapping away paying zero attention to the fasten seat belt sign heh ; by the way how fantastic is the sensor on the nikon d700 ? this shot hand held and during some minor turbulence ! | |
| no doubt you can tell i have a strong aversion to having people in my photos [ and in real life ] but i think we can make one small exception for the great crew we have on this flight |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 16 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
a question that had never arisen until tonight « would you like us to dim the lights ? » with some very strategic planning [ mostly by laurie ] we managed to nab a first class cabin all to ourselves !! there are reels upon reels of photos from this flight to post process but these two cabin photos were at the top of the list the night time mood lighting in the cathay pacific first class cabin is truly a sight to behold | |
| laurie looking like he has just been op'ed-up from economy class as he gestures the obvious yes — things are better when the bathroom [ and ism !! ] to passenger ratio is one to one |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific airbus 330-300 cabin |
big mug mug happily taking in the cathay pacific cabin with the new herringbone seats just look at the smile on his face !! you would not know it from this photo but this is actually his time flying he has heard a lot about flying from the other kids but being the eldest of all the kids in hong kong he usually stays home to take care of the others when we fly | |
| look at how excited big mug mug is in all the photos at the airport — and we have not even boarded yet he woke up early to join laurie and me on our early morning flight to sydney for a small work project |
| nikon d700 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
cathay pacific airbus 330-300 cabin |
big mug mug reclines his seat and looks out of the window — he has seen pictures before but they do not prepare him for the amazement of seeing with his own eyes the clouds rolling by just outside the aircraft as he continues to look out he gradually lets go of the pillow he had been clutching tightly during take off [ when the plane accelerated down the runway he got quite scared hehe ] | |
| a week later on our return flight home big mug mug asks laurie and me if he could fly with us more hehe we will need to train up the two newer big kids eggplant and pinapple first [ if they can also take care of the smaller kids at home then maybe big dull dull and big mug mug can have a vacation together ! ] |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 4 |
singapore airlines airbus a380-800 cabin and in flight meal |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| nikon d800 + nikkor 20 mm 2.8 d f ⁄ 2.8 |
airbus a380-800 cockpit at haeco aircraft maintenance hanger |
description to come lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas quo in eos erat aliquip vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris est quo iisque oblique forensibus ne at vim cetero platonem disputationi congue referrentur vim ad dicam recteque repudiare nam id sed primis temporibus repudiandae ea at scribentur concludaturque vis ex per nobis mentitum intellegat eum ad putant mandamus theophrastus | |
| lorem ipsum pri ea novum noluisse officiis te suas rationibus definiebas description to come vivendo eu vix quodsi accusam consul molestie platonem cum ei cu ipsum persequeris |
| nikon d2x + nikkor 10.5 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 | cathay pacific boeing 747-400 cabin |
cx 504 from hong kong to tokyo narita on b-hox — the first time we flew together this photo was taken as the plane turned to commence its decent and the entire cabin was suddenly bathed in sunlight we smiled and held hands in 4 d / g and enjoyed a few more moments of serenity and calm before the [ immigration queuing and ] department store hopping madness began | |
| three days later — as usual not much was bought [ the japanese sizes do not often fit laurie ] but when you are travelling at the front of a cathay pacific jumbo the fun is squarely in the journey |
| nikon d2x + nikkor 10.5 mm fisheye f ⁄ 2.8 | cathay pacific airbus 340-300 cabin |
our jobs are on different continents so we rarely get to see each other let alone fly together [ one time when we had been apart for two months already i was stuck at the office just thirty miles away when laurie transited at taipei ! ] but when we do we do our best to make it memorable and flying together in this cabin yes almost certainly does the trick hehe incidentally — this as you can see was way back when cx 888 had a more sensible afternoon departure | |
| laurie on his way to boarding what would fast become our staple to vancouver it is a shame though we did not think to travel with the kids back in those early days [ canadian big dull dull was still just a small kid ! ] |
2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | show all | facebook