Rosie took me to the airport making sure I got a photo of the bong recreation area on the way. She’s a good friend like that.
At O’Hare Airport she dropped me off at the international terminal.
I had thought I am flying international so I’ll go to the international terminal. Turned out I was supposed to think I am flying United Airlines so I need the United terminal.
Thus I got a bonus train ride between the terminals.
I quite liked the United terminal because there was a dinosaur. I don’t mean
their geriatric jets either.
It was a skeleton of a Brachiosaurus actually not the real bones but a replica. But this is an airport people so they still get credit for trying.
Plus that’s not all folks!
To get to my gate I had to go under the airport apron and the tunnel had lights. Pretty changing colour lights ooohhh.
My flight from Chicago to Hong Kong would be the longest flight I’d ever been on. At 7,793 miles United 895 is number 23 on the list of world’s longest non-stop flights (by distance, time can be shorter for a longer flight depending on winds). It’s also the longest flight in the world operated by a plain old Boeing 747-400 (Qantas has some longer flights with the 747-400ER).
I was hoping that we would have to divert for fuel. It is apparently pretty common for them to have to stop off somewhere like Japan or China to top up the tanks and I would love to be able to say that I had been on a flight so long that it had run out of fuel!
We didn’t run out of fuel but we were delayed in taking off by an hour because they had to refuel before we left Chicago.
My carefully pre-chosen seat was yet again the best economy class has to offer (right at the back so my window seat only had 1 seat between me and the freedom of the aisle).
Because United Airlines suck more than a hooker with an eviction notice and only have main screen entertainment I was in the midflight zombie zone when the movie I wanted to see came on. Therefore I missed most of Rio as I passed out.
Luckily I had my iPod to use for my own personal entertainment when I wasn’t semi conscious and was in need of distraction. Never have I needed angry birds more, I even have the Rio version of the game.
With 15.5hrs to fill at least I had the amusement value of the 3 meals I was served.
So after we take off and set a course for over the pole I get my first vegan special meal and it has a spherical grain of some sort.
Ok I looked it up just now and apparently it’s a pasta called Israeli couscous. It came with a chickpea and sweet potato curry that even had a slice of peach on top. There was German rye bread, salad and hey vegan cookies!
Then I got my snack. Oh vegan cookies again, the exact same package, guess they bought them in bulk.
Oh and what is this in my sandwich? Oh its some lettuce and the Israeli couscous again, just stuck in half a pita bread!
Um ok so I not saying this isn’t something I might try if I opened the fridge when I hadn’t been shopping and this was all there was. But this is supposed to be a professional catering operation right? Not my experimental ghetto vegan kitchen.
Meal number three in the theme of repeating past meal components there was some more rye bread.
But at least Israeli couscous did not feature anywhere in the main dish. It was baked fruit with a side of fruit sauce (apple).
I’m not gonna lie, I ate it and I liked it.
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