My bags are packed, it's time to go.

"...'Cos I'm leaving, on a jet plane.
Because I'll be buggered if I'm going to fly all the way to China on my wings."

I'm only a little dragon.

Yes I'm off to Hong Kong again. This time courtesy of British Airways as they were 3 grand cheaper than Cathay. Currently tapping this sat in the lounge at Terminal 5 looking out over 09R which is currently in use for take-offs so I am in airplane geek heaven right now. In fact Cathay 002, my last transport to the far east, is just taxiing into position.

So far the "World's favourite airline" experience is quite acceptable. The lounge is nice, busy but not stupidly so, there's free food - I had a quite acceptable small plate of chicken tikka and now I'm in a cosy chair, slurping a very passable rioja, writing to you good people on the free wifi. You know I could get used to this!

Also due to having to fit this trip in around my holidays, other people holidays and (I swear I am not making this up) the Bhudda's Birthday I'm going to be in HK over the next weekend. I'm hoping to get some hiking done - 70% of HK is actually made up of nature reserves - and maybe go over the border into China proper for the day. However given the weather over there at the moment I'll probably end up trundling up and down Nathan Road doing some shopping and then getting piddled with the expats in Lan Chai Fong.

Anyway that's for the weekend. The current plan is:

1) Get tanked up on free booze at British Airways' expense.
2) Fall asleep on plane
3) ????
4) Profit!

PS: I'm staying in the Grand Hyatt in Kowloon which means I get to take the Star Ferry across the harbour which I think will probably make for a damned sight more interesting commute than the 7.23 to Liverpool Street.

PPS: Wonder if there will be moss?

Ni Hao Gweilos.

Well here we are in Cathay Pacific's business class lounge. As I'm travelling on a Saturday the biz lounge seems to be full of trendy young people in very expensive fashionable label clothes tapping on aching thing laptops or gabbling into the latest iPrat device but it does make a change from the usual middle aged businessman in the obligatory casual travelling dress of a Timberland shirt and Chinos*.

Because of the BA strike on at the moment (drove past some pickets on the way in, other people blew their horns, I gave them the finger and yelled "get back to work you idle bastards") the flight is very, very full and the lounge is filling up even though there's two hours before we leave. All I can say is they better not run out of Carlsberg Export any time soon.

One nice plus is the free wifi - nice and fast, downside is that my mains socket isn't powered which is annoying (it will be even more sodding annoying if my power adaptor is fecked.)

And as this is my blog it would not be complete without a grump at the world. Now I like the occasional cigar and glass of scotch so what better to stick two fingers up at Gordon the Gorgon by picking up some duty free. I believe I'm allowed fifty cigars to bring back and as T3 had a nice place called "The cigar house" I drop in to stock up on H Upmanns and Montecristos.

"Ah" says Abdul the till numpty when he checks my ticket, "Hong Kong's got a lower limit."

"What, fourty or something?" says your slightly dissapointed dragon.

"No, fifteen"

"Arse"

Just have to pick some up whilst I'm there I guess. I realise I left my cutter at home so I'll have to swing by Mr Wang's Lung Death Emporium in Kowloon anyway.

Right. More free Carlsberg.




* being middle aged but not knowing one end of a business plan from another I am travelling in my going up hills trousers and a t-shirt and fleece - hey if it's comfy and stretchable enough to get up Helvellyn via Striding Edge it'll do for a 12 hour flight to Honkers.