Hong Kong to Melbourne

Tracing the Tribe landed in Melbourne, Australia late in the evening on Monday, March 1.

While we are down under, posting dates and times will be local for Melbourne and Sydney. Now, it is 11am on Wednesday, March 3.

After a long flight, it was great to stretch out and get a good night's sleep at the home of Ziva and Sam Fain in Caulfield South.

It was my first flight on Cathay Pacific and very enjoyable. Although completely full, it was comfortable and the service was excellent.

The seats were the best part of this long flight. In most aircraft, the seat back reclines - generally into the face of the person sitting behind - making it very difficult for that person (the "squashee") to get up, open the table or work on a laptop. On Cathay Pacific, the seatbacks themselves do not recline, but the cushion section itself slides forward. It was quite comfortable.

Long flights are great for catching up on movies and I managed to see such recent productions as Up in the Air, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and the new Twilight sequel.

Business and First on Cathay Pacific are wonderful - wish I had managed an upgrade! Each seat becomes a flat bed, a luxurious creature comfort on long flights.

Tuesday was spent catching up on email. This morning - Wednesday - I'm trying to get posts up on Tracing the Tribe, and will also be going over to the new Holocaust museum (more on that later).