We've been here several days and this is my first post, due to flight delays, rushing, catching up on sleep, and intermittent wifi.
We left Calgary at 9pm on Saturday night. The flight was almost an hour late due to de-icing. But we had a 3 hour layover in Vancouver, so no stress there. Our Vancouver to Hong Kong flight was due to leave at 1:15am, which is 2:15am in Calgary. So we'd be good and tired by the time we took off. We'd sleep on the plane and have minimal jet-lag when we land in HK at 6am on Monday. But then the flight didn't leave at 1:15am. It didn't even start boarding by 1:15am. By 2:15am, they declared the flight postponed due to mechanical issues and having to get a part from Toronto. They arranged hotels and busses for the approximately 500 people on the flight. But it was almost 5am by the time we got our vouchers, and the bus got us to the hotel. We'd also had to go through Canadian customs, since we were in the international departures terminal and many of the other passengers had connected from US flights. "Which country are you entering Canada from?" Canada?
I got 5 hours sleep then awoke to the growling that was my stomach. I hadn't eaten since an early dinner on Saturday and it was now almost lunch (in Calgary) on Sunday. I got about another hour after the breakfast buffet closed. The new flight time was 4:15, so we got back to the airport around 2:30. However, due to every single person on the flight needing to check in again, and most of them needing a new connecting flight, and some needing reimbursement for 3am taxis home, the flight didn't actually depart until about 6pm.
We finally arrived in. HK jus ask after midnight, and obviously there were no flights to Hanoi until morning. So Cathay Pacific put us up again in the HK airport hotel. We found our room amongst what we initially assumed were the banquet rooms on the top floor. But when our room had a name, and the key worked, an we looked into a large room with a seating area, we thought, "whoohoo, free suite!" Although it was pretty shabby for a suite. And there were wires sticking out of the wall, and it had a strange collection of furniture. When UG (UberGeek for people unfamiliar with my blogging, that's my husband) tried to turn off the light and a projector screen descended from the ceiling, we finally clued in that they'd hastily added a bed to their meeting room. We were too tired to care.
I got about 6 hours of sleep in 2 increments of 4 and 2 hours. Unfamiliar surroundings and fear of sleeping in and missing the flight kept me from getting a solid block of sleep. Fortunately, our hotel was closer to the check in desk than the gates were. So we got extra time in bed.
The flight was again over an hour late. This time due to "a Hong Kong government airport inspection that has held up all flights departing the HKG airport." Hmm, never did find out what THAT was about.
We left Calgary at 9pm on Saturday night. The flight was almost an hour late due to de-icing. But we had a 3 hour layover in Vancouver, so no stress there. Our Vancouver to Hong Kong flight was due to leave at 1:15am, which is 2:15am in Calgary. So we'd be good and tired by the time we took off. We'd sleep on the plane and have minimal jet-lag when we land in HK at 6am on Monday. But then the flight didn't leave at 1:15am. It didn't even start boarding by 1:15am. By 2:15am, they declared the flight postponed due to mechanical issues and having to get a part from Toronto. They arranged hotels and busses for the approximately 500 people on the flight. But it was almost 5am by the time we got our vouchers, and the bus got us to the hotel. We'd also had to go through Canadian customs, since we were in the international departures terminal and many of the other passengers had connected from US flights. "Which country are you entering Canada from?" Canada?
I got 5 hours sleep then awoke to the growling that was my stomach. I hadn't eaten since an early dinner on Saturday and it was now almost lunch (in Calgary) on Sunday. I got about another hour after the breakfast buffet closed. The new flight time was 4:15, so we got back to the airport around 2:30. However, due to every single person on the flight needing to check in again, and most of them needing a new connecting flight, and some needing reimbursement for 3am taxis home, the flight didn't actually depart until about 6pm.
We finally arrived in. HK jus ask after midnight, and obviously there were no flights to Hanoi until morning. So Cathay Pacific put us up again in the HK airport hotel. We found our room amongst what we initially assumed were the banquet rooms on the top floor. But when our room had a name, and the key worked, an we looked into a large room with a seating area, we thought, "whoohoo, free suite!" Although it was pretty shabby for a suite. And there were wires sticking out of the wall, and it had a strange collection of furniture. When UG (UberGeek for people unfamiliar with my blogging, that's my husband) tried to turn off the light and a projector screen descended from the ceiling, we finally clued in that they'd hastily added a bed to their meeting room. We were too tired to care.
I got about 6 hours of sleep in 2 increments of 4 and 2 hours. Unfamiliar surroundings and fear of sleeping in and missing the flight kept me from getting a solid block of sleep. Fortunately, our hotel was closer to the check in desk than the gates were. So we got extra time in bed.
The flight was again over an hour late. This time due to "a Hong Kong government airport inspection that has held up all flights departing the HKG airport." Hmm, never did find out what THAT was about.
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