Flying High

Somewhere over Russia, Sunday 15 December.

The Finnair flight to Helsinki has about 3 hours to go then we have a short turnaround there before the final flight to Munich. So time to catch up with the last couple of days.

We left Brisbane just after midnight on Friday, (actually Saturday morning, but you get the idea). We booked the trip through Finnair but the first flight to Hong Kong was on Cathay Pacific.  We have flown with them before and were impressed with the comfort and service.  We are in danger of becoming Business Class snobs, I must admit. Here’s a happy traveller looking as bright as she could at midnight after a busy day.

We got to Hong Kong shortly after 7:00 am after a comfortable and reasonably smooth trip.  We had been concerned about Carole’s mobility with her latest choice of fashion footwear, so we arranged with the travel agent before we left to book a wheelchair for Carole.  Sure enough, we were met at the arrival gate by a man with a wheelchair, who then handed us over to another guy driving the stretch golf buggy people mover. We then sat for 5 minutes waiting for someone else, worried that the hundreds of people rushing past us would then be ahead of us in the immigration queue.  The guy clearly knew what he was doing and we were so lucky he was there because the flight had come in at one of the furthest gates.  We admired his patient driving through the crowds, particularly dodging the people who were glued to their phone and oblivious to anything and everything that was happening around them.

We finally got to the business end of the airport, when we were handed over to a lady with another wheelchair.  Now this lady knew all the tricks.  No queue for immigration for us, it was straight to the immigration office where she gave our passports and entry forms to a fellow who took them away and then returned them all approved a few minutes later.  Through a gate to the baggage carousel and through customs.

We asked her how far it was to the Regal Airport Hotel and she just said “I take you” and she did.  This lady could enter any wheelchair-pushing competition.  I was pushing the luggage trolley and had trouble keeping up.

All good so far.  I had sent some emails to the hotel a few months back enquiring about an early checkin and was assured that they would do their “utmost best” to get us in early.  As it turned out, we only had to wait two hours or so, which seemed much longer at the time.  A quiet day at the hotel, with a couple of naps had us ready to get going this morning.

The hotel is right into the Christmas decorations.

One of the hotel staff helped us with a wheelchair and luggage right through to checkin.  We went through the formalities quickly, breakfast in the Qantas lounge and then another wheelchair pusher to the gate, where she took Carole to the head of the line.  I think it was the first time that we have been the very first people to board the plane.  

We’re thinking that we take turns with the moon boot for future trips 🤓🤓