Last night sleeping in a different bed. Last hotel check-out. Last airport check-in. Last flight. Almost, the last blog post.

My flight isn't until 7:15 pm so I'm going to hang around the hotel until the latest possible time. I'll still have a few hours to kill at the airport but that's OK.

It's funny, but after the flights to or from London, Vancouver and New York, an 8 hour flight home doesn't seem that long at all.

Just landed in Hong Kong after flying for 16 hours from New York. Here was my checklist for good sleeping:

Great seat on theaisle with no-one needing to pass me? - tick

Bulkhead in front of me and plenty of leg room? - tick

The first travel pillow I have ever found that works? - tick

Noise cancelling headphones? - tick

Eye mask? - tick

2 x diazepam? - tick

So did I sleep? Nup, apart from half dozing off 2 hours before landing. Glad I have a hotel room for the night before the final leg home. 

One cool thing about the flight (literally) was that we more or less flew over the North Pole to get to Hong Kong.  

The last couple of hours in Hong Kong airport were spent having dinner in one of the restaurants and wandering around. Dinner at Cafe Deco was good with live jazz music and a cozy atmosphere.

It still cracks me up how much everything appears to cost until you convert it. Dinner with desert and two beers came to HK$ 580 but that equated to around AUS$ 94. Still a bit pricey but it was good food and service.

Once the flight finally appeared on the departure board I located the gate and stayed around that part of the terminal. 

I still had plenty of time so I found a small bar for a cheeky martini or two.

The flight appeared to be only 2/3 full at most. I'd carefully selected my seat at the front of economy. I finished up having plenty of leg room and no-one sitting next to me. The potential for sleep was looking good. 

By the time supper was over and cleared away I'd settled myself down. I think I managed to sleep a bit but it was really bumpy as we flew past Japan, probably related to the recent typhoon. By the time the weather calmed down it was already the time I had decided to wake up. I wanted to try and start adjusting for Vancouver time.

The plane was a 777-300 which has a camera mounted beneath it you can view through the entertainment. I watched as we floated over the beautiful blue Pacific dotted with occasional white fluffy clouds. Very relaxing.

The flight finished up landing nearly an hour ahead of schedule. Getting through customs was easy and I found a really friendly and chatty taxi driver to get me to the apartment. And I survived my first North American tipping scenario!

The apartment is in a great location downtown but, as usual, doesn't quite live up to the image on the net. It will be perfectly OK for me though, and I have much more glamorous accommodation to look forward to in my next cities. 

It does, however, have a great wide view from the balcony.

So, I'm writing this post know in the hope I'll start to nod off and get some quality sleep. I wanted to be exploring as soon as I can tomorrow morning.

The hotel allowed quite a late check out which gave me plenty of time to fluff about and not rush. Then the shuttle brought me back to the airport. Getting through security was very quick too.

So that just leaves another extended stay to wander round a big airport. Hong Kong feels like it has so many more shops and food options than Singapore, yet I found the day less fun than the one I spent in Singapore on the way home from London.  Not sure why.

But being here does evoke very strong and fond memories of when Emily and I spent time here on our way to Europe in 2010. That was the very start of a massive adventure for both of us and Hong Kong airport was really one of our first big "pinch me" moments.  

I remember eating ramen with Emily and sitting in nearly this exact same place.  Of course I had to do it again. Very tasty too!

I wandered around the airport, taking in various angles and views. The hills on the island make a spectacular backdrop to the airport.

Quite by accident, I stumbled across a seat where the windows framed the planes beautifully as they took off. Unfortunately though, after many attempts to get one perfectly positioned, this was the best I managed.

The airport ceiling is quite massive and geometrical, so naturally I had to take some shots. I spent ages taking pictures from various positions and angles. It was quite funny because people would walk past and look up to see what I was photographing. There were a few perplexed looks. This is one of my favourites, edited for Instagram.

And the roof from the outside is just as interesting. It almost mirrors the arches of the hills in the distance.

I have a few more hours to go before my flight. I'm sick of looking through shops, though I did take advantage of an electronics store to get a universal socket adaptor; something I'd completely forgotten to pack, apart from my Apple rechargers. So much for "Mr Super Organised"!

I'll grab some dinner soon. Then, next stop Vancouver.

After publishing my last post I lay down "only for a moment" only to wake up an hour later. I was tired. Dragged myself off the bed and down for some dinner before getting back to bed early. Considering the unfamiliar environment and the sound of flights taking off regularly punctuating the silence, I slept really well. Better than at home! 

When I woke this morning I opened the curtains to catch the first glimpses of sunlight. 

Closely followed by another plane. I wonder where they are going?

After popping downstairs for some breakfast I repacked my bag and watched as construction started again on whatever it is they're building in the bay.

I'm really glad I invested in the new lens before this trip. It has a much greater zoom than my old one. I managed to get these birds as they were taking in the warmth of the early morning.

Shortly it will be time to check out. I've just received an SMS and email from Cathay advising of possible disruption to public transport. That won't affect me as it's only a short shuttle bus ride back to the airport. However, it does make me happier with my decision not to head into downtown Hong Kong on this visit. Maybe I will when I return on my way home?

Up early to catch my 7:40 flight. It reminded me somewhat of travelling for work. Luckily everything was done and all I had to do was make myself respectable and wait for the taxi. I was at the airport relatively early and made it through international security and customs super fast. I'll remember that for next time. 

Here's my chariot waiting.

The flight was fine and went quite quickly. I watched one movie "Gravity", a documentary on NASA plans for a trip to Mars and multiple episodes of "Dad's Army". That last one was a surprise; wasn't really a fan as a kid but really enjoyed them today.

Hong Kong was originally just going to be a brief transfer on my way to Vancouver. But when Cathay rescheduled my flights, one option they gave me was to stay overnight. The hotel is right by the airport, which doesn't bother me, and it's a Marriott, so quite nice. 

There's not much of a view, but enough to remind me of when Em and I were here in 2010.

Dinner is included so I think I'll be lazy and hang around here. Feeling tired and an early night will prepare me for the next leg of this journey. Besides, I need to do some more reading up on Vancouver before I get there.