Honestly, I don't smoke and I really don't intend to ever start... but when I was thinking of a title for this blog, all that came to mind was an old Camel Cigarette ad that I saw about 20 years ago. I thought it was the stupidest ad then, and I still think so now, yet it's stuck in my mind. And they say we're not affected by advertising...
Anyhow, we're in Tokyo now, the Akasaka district to be exact. We spent my birthday traveling, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Traveling really exposes you to what the world has to offer, as you come into contact with all the different cultures out there. I also have been marveling at the technology and good/bad/smart/dumb ways of doing business that we've come across today. More on that in a minute.
The day started out normally, although I may have been over served last night in the executive lounge because they were "featuring" a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. I'm pretty sure that Jesse and I consumed most of their stock and took the rest of a bottle back to our room. We first headed up to the executive lounge for breakfast at 6am, which consisted of my standard "milk 'em for all their worth" smoked salmon bagel sandwich, which included brie cheese, capers, onions all on a whole wheat bagel. Upon checking out of the JW Marriot in Hong Kong, they gave me a free bottle of wine (unfortunately, not the Sauvignon Blanc, but a nice Cab/Merlot mix from Australia) and a birthday card. Nice touch Marriot, I'd stay with you again in a heart beat. Too bad we can't afford you very often.
We were then transfered by free shuttle bus to the Airport Express train station. Now here's a smart way of doing business: The train terminal is essentially an extension of the airport, allowing you to check in BEFORE your train ride from down town Hong Kong, thereby saving you the hassle of lugging your bags on and off the train, queuing up at the airport, being late/missing your flight, etc... Because you're checked in already, after the 20 minute train ride (and this train really moves and is silent), you head straight through security, customs, immigration and right to your gate. If you needed to, you could be from downtown Hong Kong to your gate in 30 minutes. So you're probably thinking, big deal... but here's the rub. Downtown Hong Kong isn't even on the same island as the airport, it's about 30 km away.
We had no trouble finding our Northwest (go figure, right, is this the same NWA that's based out of Detroit?) flight to Tokyo and boarded our plane. Now normally, I'd think "ooh, we're flying a 747, the one with two stories, very cool," however, this is where NWA really let me down. Because the 747 is a really outdated aircraft now (I don't think you'll find one in Emirates' fleet) it lacks the niceties (read: personal entertainment in every seat and legroom) that the newer jets (Airbus A330/A340) have. NWA had made no attempt to update their plane with new equipment or spread out the seats. I felt sorry for the people who had to fly this thing on to LA or Detroit. When we landed in Tokyo, I did see NWA using some 747's as cargo planes, and I certainly hope that they plan on putting the other ones out to pasture some time soon. But who am I to complain. We got here safely, on time and at a reasonable price.
Upon landing in Tokyo, we cleared customs, immigration, and found bus tickets for the 66km ride to Tokyo. Who puts an airport 60km from downtown? Oh, yeah, Baltimore has effectively done that. After being spoiled by Hong Kong's airport express train, a luxury bus liner would HAVE (extreme sarcasm) to do.
The bus dropped us off at the Intercontinental Hotel here in Akasaka, but since we're not in the market to be spending $2000/night on a hotel room for 5 nights, we found a taxi to take us to our hotel near by. Good idea: this cab driver had a nav system which enabled him to input the exact address we were looking for and it led him right to our hotel's door.
I'm very pleased with our hotel room at The "B" Hotel. Now all we've got to do is figure out the toilet. I'm sure there's a card here somewhere with directions to help you avoid spraying scalding hot or ice cold water on your rear... Wish me luck!
Oh, another thing, it's actually fall weather here. Today's high was in the 50's and the leaves are changing. I wonder if their Starbucks has a pumpkin spice (soy) latte?
Much love to everyone back home. Thanks to everyone who's written me.
~Esteban
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