Because I couldn't get an upgrade to 1st Class from Tokyo to Bangkok, I rested in the Business Lounge. It is quite nice, but usually crowded. I wanted also to take a few pics of the huge Sumo wrestlers they have hanging around in the "men's room", but there were too many people and I didn't feel comfortable taking a Cannon into the boy's room. But I did get a pic of this rather large "Traveling Buddha" On my return I should be able to rest in the 1st Class lounge and will see what would be good and safe to capture with a camera.
The trip to Bangkok took over 6 hrs due to some fairly strong headwinds. I fell asleep for a few minutes, then checked the GPS that each passenger has access too. We were very close to Vietnam, but the "time to arrival" showed another 3 hrs to Bangkok. That would have made the trip 8 hrs long. For a moment my behind and back both became really depressed. Then I realized the GPS was malfunctioning. Fortunately my instincts were correct. I recalled from previous trips that from the coastline of Vietnam to Bangkok is only 1hr 15 min.
A young man in the seat next to me was making his first trip to Bangkok for his new job with Chevron Oil. He was Canadian and was also exhausted from his long flight. I noticed he look at his GPS and then he said to me "I don't believe, it can be another 3 hours." "Strong headwind" I replied, then added "Trust me, we'll be on the ground in 1/2 that time." When the wheels hit the ground exactly 1hr 15min later I could feel him look at me and thinking "Wow, this old man is smarter than a United Airlines GPS System."
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