The adventure is under way

When I checked in at Canberra airport the check-in agent printed the boarding passes and then said "and your bag is checked through all the way to Colombo". When I told her that I only wanted it to go as far as Hong Kong she was very confused, but changed it for me. I tried to explain, but even as I was saying it, it didn't sound like it made much sense. It makes sense in my universe, so please just humour me.

I don't think airlines like people on award tickets. My first flight was on Qantas between Canberra and Sydney on a 737-400, and they put me in row 20, which is 3 or 4 rows from the back. Not really a problem - it's a very short flight and the light load meant that I had a spare seat next to me.

I was more concerned when I was allocated 68K for the 10-hour Cathay Pacific from Sydney to Hong Kong. I had no idea about the seat numbering on the A330 aircraft, but 68 didn't sound like it was anywhere near the front. Once in the Qantas First Class lounge in Sydney I logged on to the Cathay Pacific website and discovered that this seat was a window, near the back of the aircraft. I dislike being in a window seat on long haul flights because I like being able to access the aisle without disturbing anyone.

I realise that award tickets can't expect royal treatment, but I would have thought that having top tier status in the oneworld alliance should have given me some chance of an OK seat.

Incidentally, ever since Qantas spent lots of money building new First and Business lounges in Sydney Terminal 1 (the International terminal), I had only ever been able to use the Business lounge. I like it a lot, but I always wanted to see what the First lounge was like. Qualifying for top tier oneworld status this year meant that I would be able to use the First lounges, but wouldn't you know it - Qantas decided to renovate the First lounge band it is closed until next year. Worse, the temporary First lounge is in the space which until a few years ago was the Business lounge, which I had visited on a number of occasions! Bloody typical!

The Sydney airport terminals (both the domestic terminal 3 and the international terminal 1) were like ghost towns on this Saturday evening. There seemed to be almost no-one around. which led me to speculate that perhaps the flight to Hong Kong was lightly loaded and I would have a spare seat next to me. The fact that one week prior to the flight there were still award seats available reinforced this idea. The Qantas staff at the lounge were unable to help me with seating questions, so I had to wait until the Cathay Pacific staff were at the gate. Somewhat more than an hour prior to the scheduled departure I went to the gate to fix the seating problem, only to be told that the flight was completely full. I was amazed. They told me that there was one aisle seat which they could move me to - in the centre block of the very last row. I wasn't happy, but took it anyway.

I boarded to find that the last row had very limited recline - not good for a 10-hour flight. The only good thing was that this row only had 3 seats in the centre block, and when a gay couple took the other two seats I knew that at least I would not have anyone trying to climb over me to access the aisle.

The flight was really quite unpleasant. Naturally the person in front used all of her recline, so my limited recline highlighted the lack of space. I also found that the Cathay Pacific seats were significantly less comfortable than those on either Qantas or British Airways. I managed a few hours sleep, but awoke many times with pains in various places.

On arrival in Hong Kong I cleared immigration and collected my suitcase. I then went the left luggage to get rid of my suitcase and wandered around the landside area for a while, deciding whether to go into Hong Kong or stay at the airport. I really wasn't feeling at all well from lack of sleep, so I decided to stay put - I can always go into Hong Kong when I return tomorrow.

Back through immigration and then the long trek to Gate 65 to the Cathay Pacific Pier Lounge. This airport is so big that there is a train to get you to the higher numbered gates. Then it was into the First Class part of the Pier Lounge and into one of their "Day Rooms", which are small private rooms with a lounge chair and TV. I watched some TV and then relaxed and slept for a while. Once I had recovered I stayed in the lounge for a while and had a meal - I suppose it was brunch.

Time for more relaxing and then I left the lounge to go to the other, bigger lounge called The Wing. This time rather than taking the train, I walked (with the help of travelators) - I must say it's a really long way. Finally made it into the Wing and relaxed some more, checked my e-mail and phoned a friend (but didn't take 50-50). I then had lunch in the Haven - basically a buffet with lots of nice food, from sushi to noodles to pasta to smoked salmon, to Hagen Daaz ice-cream and chocolates from the Peninsula Hotel. I then went to have a shower in "The Cabanas". They were even better than the Pier's Day Rooms - They had a separate shower and bath, and a separate area with a chaise longue and a flat lounge which I chose to call a bed. They provided a bathrobe and slippers, and I proceeded to have an afternoon nap there.

My flight to Colombo has a seat allocation of 19K. I logged onto Cathay Pacific's website again and found that on the 777-300 this is the second-last row of Business Class seats, and of course it's a damn window. It's a bulkhead though, so I won't bother changing it.

Now I'm just using up the remaining time relaxing and waiting for the flight. I'll go and have some more food soon, and then I'll be ready for the first Business Class leg of the journey. Whether my tickets will be waiting for me in Colombo, only time will tell.