Index
Day 1: Flying
Day 2: Layover
Day 3: More flying
Day 4: Kathmandu
Day 5: Shristi & Abi
Day 6: NRT-KHH inaugural
Day 7: Kaohsiung
Day 8: Return
Nepal and Taiwan
A long day of flying, from Tokyo to Hong Kong to Nepal. The Hilton Narita Airport has a perfectly adequate (if very busy) breakfast buffet, plus an efficient shuttle ride to Narita International Airport's Terminal 2. Terminal 2, just like Terminal 1, isn't anything fancy, but it does the job-- and there's a Pop Mart store in the second-floor land-side departures shopping area, along with an observation deck that has somewhat so-so views.
With no non-stop service from Japan to Nepal, decided to take Cathay Pacific's busines class via Hong Kong. Their reverse herringbone seats by Cirrus are a getting very dated on their A330-300 fleet, with limited storage and not much privacy, although there is a substantial shoe comparment-- plus some very old school electronics connectors. Food is very good, fresh fruit including dragonfruit, quality tea, and a decidedly meaty miso sea bass alongside vegetables and rice for the main course. Service was excellent as expected from an Asian carrier.
A six hour layover between CX 509 (NRT-HKG) and CX 603 (HKG-KTM) meant ample time to explore Hong Kong International Airport for once, instead of my usual quick visits. Pretty sure I walked at least two miles over the six hours, from the Sky Bridge to Terminal 1 Satellite Concourse (great views from the Sky Bridge, especially if you can catch an airplane taxiing underneath!) to the a pair of lounge stops. Cathay Pacific's business class lounge near gate 2, The Wing, is a pretty ordinary business class lounge, albeit with nice enough views of the terminal due to its open air layout, made-to-order noodle bar, several different styles of seating areas, and a small if very good buffet. Won ton noodle soup is a tiny portion but it's pretty good by airport standards, and the vegetable dumpling hit the spot.
Much nicer was Cathay's recently reopened business class lounge near gate 35, The Bridge. As their flagship lounge at HKG, The Bridge is massive, with several different seating areas, a more elaborate (with a fairly similar menu), and then, at least off to the left, a second made-to-order hot food area in addition to the noodle bar-- although I would skip this one and stick to the main buffet, as the sticky rice, pickled veggies/mushrooms, and steamed bun were pretty forgettable. Going to the right instead leads to a much larger eating area before their trademark bar (The Long Bar), and overall is quite comfortable. Some seating areas are a bit warm, some a bit busy, the hot food area/buffet on the right is larger and more comfortable than the one on the left (but lacking in views), and for those who want terminal ambiance, there is a bit of seating open to the rest of the terminal by the main entrance/luggage storage lockers.
Not quite sure what the final verdict is; The Wing is nice enough but busy and pretty ordinary, despite being somewhat better than average for an international business class lounge. The Bridge is massive, has some nicer touches, and somewhat better food than The Wing, along with some particularly good staff at the bar... but in the end, while more than pleasant enough for a few hours, it's not particularly stand-out enough to warrant such a long layover. Not that I had a choice in layovers in this case-- there simply aren't that many flights to Nepal.
Cathay Pacific's A330-300 regional business class is a dated recliner product compared to the lie-flat of their A330-300 international business class, but at least it has quite a bit of recline, and the food was similar in quality to the morning's flight (both were similar in distnace and duration, 1842 miles vs. 1825 miles). Service was good too, and the departure time from Hong Kong was perfectly timed for sunset.
A slightly rainy arrival in Nepal wasn't the worst, Dr. Bhattachan made time out of his busy day to pick me up, and Indsu Home is a very comfortable local hotel/apartment (or at least would have been if the A/C in the room had worked). Traffic and the roads at night were a decidedly interesting experience, so much appreciated Abinash taking the time to pick me up.