Left Brisbane at 10:30 local time, which felt like 12:30, and headed to Bangkok. This flight was, mercifully, only about nine hours. I watched the movie, 'Cheaper by the Dozen' with Steve Martin, and tried to sleep. I like the aisle because it allows me some shoulder room but it can be miserable with all the people walking by throughout the flight. Finally made it to Bangkok at about 5:00 am local time and tried to check in for my flight to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, though, it was too early as my flight didn't leave until 10:00. So, after forgoing the 'Day Room' where I could have showered and hung out for $45 (American), I found some internet (trust me, there isn't much to see or do in the Bangkok airport at 5:00 am). Finally checked in for my flight but had no gate as it hadn't been assigned yet (my day just kept getting easier and easier). Walked around the airport for a couple of hours, bought a couple of books, looked for food (didn't find anything I was too enthused about), and finally found my gate and hung out watching last year's X-Games Snowboarding highlights (the world is obsessed by our subcultures). Got on the plane about 9:50 and left Bangkok for Hong Kong. This flight was less than three hours but felt like forever as the aisle seats on this plane had some metal box underneath so that (even me at 5'9") you can't stretch your legs. This wasn't at all comfortable and I was just hoping that I wouldn't be stuck with the same situation from Hong Kong to London. Arrived in Hong Kong, went from Arrivals to Departures (very strange), and checked into my flight. We boarded but then sat on the runway as they fixed a 'mechanical problem' for an hour. The good thing was that this flight wasn't full and I shared a row of four seats with just one other person. This was nice as I was able to use the aisle seat for my stuff and my food but use the inside seat to avoid being bumped and stretching my legs. I proceeded to watch four movies and read a fair amount. Amazing what you can do when you have 14 hours to kill. Arrived in London at 10:00 pm and made my way through customs. The nice thing about being American in England is that you seem to get some special treatment from the local authorities. I was asked where I was from and, when I replied, was ushered into a separate and much shorter line where I was questioned briefly about my stay. Got my bag, found a cash machine, and asked the best way to my hotel. The information center suggested the Tube (London's underground system) so I got on that and arrived in Russell Square at 12:00 am, an hour later.
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