A quick shower at the Admiral’s club before our flight
We had a great trip to Taiwan and Hong Kong with our toddler M in tow. Things weren’t always smooth, but we learned a lot and were glad to give her the chance to meet family. Jess refused to let us add too much to our airline pajamas and amenity kit collection so I have some stuff to give away at the end of this post – but first, a few paragraphs on our last flight.
M’s First Mile Earning Flight
The only reason why this flight was notable in any way shape or form was that it was the first flight where M ever earned any miles! An exciting day for any father, haha. We spent about an hour in the Admirals Club in ORD (which sadly I am saying bye to in the next week unless I get an amazing retention offer).
Jetlag hit M pretty hard after being overstimulated on our long haul flight. So by the time we were about to board she was in this state:
She always sleep like a baos
So despite buying M her own seat, she ended up in Jess’ arms on takeoff. On our way up she was pretty fussy – her and another child were running in stereo. A well meaning gentleman sitting next to us suggested we give her candy. I politely declined – rule of thumb, not only on planes – don’t give parents any advice. Even parents who seem super horrible. I would call the cops before I gave parents advice. There is no way you can possibly know the situation they are in, like this guy couldn’t have known M had just come off a 14 hour flight from Hong Kong and wasn’t allowed to eat candy. I wasn’t offended, but I also ignored him.
Beautiful sunset on the way home
After five minutes that felt like an hour, M calmed down and fell asleep. In the end, she spent about five minutes of the two hour flight in the seat that I had spent good money on! But it was good to have it, the flight was full and it would have been way more stressful dealing with her in her jet lagged state if we didn’t have our own row – as we had already learned.
And they’re spent…
For those curious about jet lag on the return, we ended up all getting the flu within a couple days so…who knows. Since none of us went to work school, it’s tough to gauge how quickly got over it, but by the time the flu was over (5 days after our return), we were fine.
Some Final Thoughts on our Trip
Despite it being tough at times, I was really glad we went back. Aside from the mile nerds stuff (flying EVA J and Cathay F for the first time and getting more pajamas), which was great, like I’ve said in previous posts, I really enjoyed taking M back to see relatives. It also reminded me of the fondness I retain for Hong Kong and flashed me back to times of yore. Ultimately, traveling with a toddler can be tough, and like my Uncle said – “she’ll remember nothing” – but we’ll remember, and we’ll get to tell her about it, and who knows, maybe in her subconscious she has retained some part of our trip. Here is the full list of posts in case you missed any:
Introduction
United Domestic First and LAX Star Alliance Lounge
EVA Royal Laurel Class Review
Using Public Transportation in Taiwan with a Toddler
Visiting the Taipei Zoo
Eating in Taipei
Grand Hyatt Taipei King Suite Review
A Tough Flight with a Toddler
Public Transportation in Hong Kong with a Toddler
Typical Hong Kong Tourist Activities
Hong Kong Disneyland with a Toddler
Finding Peace and Quiet in Hong Kong
Eating in Hong Kong
Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui Regency Suite Review
Cathay Pacific First Class with a Toddler
Home for the Holidays Giveaway: Cathay First pajamas, EVA Air Rimowa amenity kit, and Cathay First amenity kit
So I’ll keep this simple. I have three things to give away, which will all go to different people. There are two ways to enter – via comments or via Twitter – everyone can enter both ways so everybody can have a maximum of two entries. The contest will end Monday, February 2nd, at 9:00 PM.
Here is what I’m giving away. First, I’m giving away a pair of unopened Cathay First pajamas, including the slippers – large. I broke the seal on the bag just to look at the color, other than that I haven’t even taken them out. Here’s what mine look like (the ones I’m giving away are more gray-brown).
I’m sure you’ll wear these better than me
In terms of sizing, I got medium, at 5’6 155ish they fit fine, but I could probably fit in a large as well (which is the size I’m giving away). Here’s the bag, I have no way to prove the pajamas inside are untouched but take my word for it!
You not only get pajamas, you get this free bag!
I also have EVA’s Rimowa amenity kit and Cathay’s first class amenity kit with Aesop products (male) to give away. Those are both sealed.
What’s inside? Only one way to find out!
Honestly, I don’t really pay attention to what’s inside these things and I didn’t open them, but it’s going to be some kind of lotion, toothpaste, toothbrush, eyeshades, other random goodies. You could always re-purpose them. Anyway, I would totally keep them if my wife would let me. And if nobody wants them I’ll keep them.
How to win these amazing products
There will be two ways to enter, you can enter both ways (so two entries total per person), no cheating! The contest will end Monday, February 2nd, at 9:00 PM.
Entry Type 1: Comments
Simple. Just leave a comment on this post and be nice. Make sure you include your e-mail address when you comment so I can contact you.
Entry Type 2: Twitter
1) Follow me on Twitter @asthejoeflies
2) Copy, paste, and tweet the following: Hoping to win some Cathay Pacific pajamas from @asthejoeflies! #CXPJgiveaway
3) You can’t unfollow me until the contest ends. OR EVER. Just kidding… You may or may not have to endure a plethora of irate Superbowl related tweets…depending on whether I have thrown myself out the window or not. (Signed, a miserable and depressed Jets fan/Patriots hater).
That’s it! I will draw three winners at random and will ask each winner in succession what prize they want. Good luck!
Note: Am I trying to get more Twitter followers? You bet. However, you can also bet that if I don’t give these things away my wife is going to make me throw them out – and then nobody wins.
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