When we last heard from Bob, he was wandering about New York City en route to a Caribbean cruise. Once back in Dundee, he just about managed to fit in being huckled out of a Jeremy Corbyn meeting, (remember him?), for asking an ‘awkward’ question about the next Scottish Independence Referendum, before preparing for his next jaunt, this time to Asia…

by Bob Costello

Coffee, cake, Wi-Fi, and a view of Hong Kong – bliss!

In this latest instalment of our occasional series, iScot Magazine reader Bob Costello shares part of his travel diary, reflecting on the challenges, and triumphs, of a man of a certain age holidaying solo…

Early start in Dundee

Here I am on my Asian adventure, and it’s been a hectic few days. The journey started in Dundee last Thursday morning, boarding the airport shuttle outside the Malmaison Hotel at 8.30am. This is a great service which drops you right outside the departures’ door at Edinburgh Airport. I had an effortless passage through check-in and security and, with a few hours to kill, I headed to the airport lounge to enjoy a leisurely breakfast.

My flight was on time and, after a straightforward boarding procedure, British Airways (BA) transported me to Heathrow to catch my connecting flight direct to Hong Kong where I was due to join my Vietnam cruise. When BA opened Terminal 5 at Heathrow, they had huge problems with luggage transfer. Being in the transport industry myself, with regular airport pick-ups, it was a standing joke with colleagues that when you looked at the flight number and saw it was BA you knew it would be an easy job because there would be no luggage to load on to the coach! Of all the trips I have done, I think I have only had lost luggage three times, always with BA! So that was the thought I carried with me as I boarded the flight to Hong Kong – was my luggage on the same flight? The A380 Airbus is a comfortable aircraft with decent seats and plenty of legroom, not that I need much, so I settled down quickly for the 11-hour flight. There was a good selection of movies available once I worked out how to use the selection process, which apparently required a degree in quantum physics to navigate! Then came dinner, which was average to say the least, and I then managed to get a reasonable sleep before we touched down at Hong Kong International Airport half an hour early.