Hong Kong
Thanks to the vagaries of the international date line, the date changed from 2025 to 2026 just a few hours out from Hong Kong on United 152, LAX-HKG. Celebrated with the chicken tikka wrap from my special meal and a glass of Laurent-Perrier champagne. Quite modest a celebration, but considering most of the plane was asleep and it was 40,000 feet over the Pacific, I was not going to complain!
Said farewell to Purser David and the rest of the crew on arrival in Hong Kong; they were off to a well-deserved 36 hour layover, unlike myself. I decided to find the elusive Chicha San Chen and also the (actual) McDonald's at Hong Kong International Airport, turns out both are in the same food court, a level below the departures level, accessed by stairs or an elevator right by Gate 11 (as the map says).
The food court at Gate 11 is pretty good sized, Chicha San Chen is just as slow as the airport as they are outside of the airport, but at least the milk tea is still good. They've got a full menu as well, unlike the Chagee location a few gates away, so if you have time and want some variety, they're worth a stop (okay, a lot of time). McDonald's is similarly busy, but thankfully quick, just like any other McDonald's. They have a large row of kiosks for self-ordering, and the local special of fried chicken thighs that friends have suggested. While on the small side (as typical for fast food fried chicken), it was surprisingly filling and actually tasty enough; spicy was okay, the soy was better. Can't say I would actually recommend going to McDonald's in Hong Kong, but if you do, good to know they do have some edible options.
Most of my layover was used up waiting for my milk tea and wolfing down McDonald's, so had only a short time before boarding UA 821 back to LAX. Ran into Abishek at the United Club; turned out he'd just spent a proper vacation in SE Asia and was on the way home. Combined with the same in-flight crew as my first departure to Hong Kong five days ago, and it was a great first flight to start the new year.
To be fair, it was also a pretty not-very-demanding flight to start off 2026. The late departure of UA 821 means almost everyone goes to sleep after take-off, I was tired enough I opted to skip dinner entirely. Woke up after a solid couple of hours of sleep and had the mid-flight tapas for dinner instead, while the crew (hi Mitch, hi Shane!) I think were glad to serve my original meal to someone else onboard. The beef dan dan mein was pretty terrible, the udon/baby corn was overly simply marinated in soy sauce but otherwise quite acceptable, and the cod/bok choy/rice was actually pretty good. Pre-arrival meal another six or s hours later was a chicken and mushroom congee that hit the spot as well.
This may not have been a true double-turn in the strictest sense of the word (see the legendary mileage runner, Carl Brothers), but still, not a bad way to start off the New Year.