RTW TP Run in Jan 2026: Day 17 – Hong Kong (HKG) to Denpasar (DPS)

By Nige on February 3, 2026 at 3:31 pm
Type: Post
Story: Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026 Category: Travel
Tags: Cathay Pacific | CX | Denpasar | DPS | HKG | Hong Kong | Skycity

I could definitely feel that I was properly into the swing of this by now. Hong Kong had become something of a base for the Asia phase of my Round The World trip, and staying in the same hotel each time simplified everything enormously.

I turned the light off at around 10pm and set my alarm for 4:15am, ahead of the first shuttle bus to the airport at 5am. I was awake by 3:30am and quickly decided there was no point trying to get back to sleep.

I had another go at Cathay Pacific’s online check-in system.

It was quite happy to attempt to check me in all the way through to London — the next eight flights — only to lead me patiently through the process before eventually delivering a firm nah-nah, with no explanation whatsoever.

What I find most frustrating about these systems is that they don’t allow partial check-in.

I can completely understand Cathay Pacific needing to see my Australian visa or my ESTA for entering the US — but why not allow me to check in as far as Fiji? The lack of flexibility is baffling.

By 4:45am I had checked out and was waiting at the shuttle-bus pickup point.

The coach arrived early and I was straight into my usual front-row seat. It was a busy shuttle this morning, which was reflected in how busy the airport felt when we arrived.

Hong Kong International Airport was noticeably busier than on my previous visits.

I located the Cathay Pacific Business Class check-in desk in Aisle B and asked whether they could (1) print my boarding pass for today’s flight and (2) check me in for my remaining flights, in the same way online check-in allows.

I was politely told that airport staff could only check passengers in for flights departing within 24 hours — despite online check-in being far more flexible. So that was another nah-nah.

Security was mad busy. The queue was much longer than on my previous visits, but thankfully the new 3D scanners kept things moving at a decent pace.

Through without issue, I headed along the travelators to the far end of Terminal 1, before turning right towards Gate 65 and the Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge.

I was welcomed in, checked in with the Vickster before she turned in for the night, and then headed straight for the toaster.

There’s something deeply satisfying about sourdough toast with butter and jam. I seem to have quietly transitioned from marmalade to jam — not entirely sure when or why that happened.

My flight was due to depart from Gate 33, so I headed down early to enjoy the usual gate-area entertainment, which had provided plenty of smiles on previous departures.

I settled into seat 16K. There was a First Class cabin at the front, followed by the familiar — and slightly annoying — 2-2-2 business-class configuration.

Thankfully, this appeared to be the final flight on this leg of the trip with this layout. I figured I could cope with five hours, particularly as it was a daytime flight.

The downside was having someone seated next to me, potentially restricting my access to the aisle. I was hoping for someone who understood basic flying etiquette.

Unfortunately, that hope was misplaced.

I ordered a bucks fizz (or mimosa) as a pre-flight drink but was instead handed some sort of smoothie, which — as it turned out — was lovely. As a result, in addition to my post-take-off mimosa, I ordered another one. I still had no idea what it was actually called.

I resumed watching One Battle After Another.

For lunch, I ordered the beef rendang. I simply can’t get enough of this westernised Indonesian food.

We pushed back on time, giving me the chance to look around Hong Kong Airport as we taxied to the runway.

As with previous morning departures, it was very murky — perhaps a morning thing.

The mountains behind the airport were barely defined, with haze softening the contours of the hillside.

Passengers didn’t appear to have control over their In-Flight Entertainment until after take-off, when the cabin crew enabled it. I’d not seen that before.

I was very much looking forward to my drink, nuts and lunchtime rendang. That lounge toast already felt like a distant memory.

The salad was pretty tasty, and garlic bread was offered as an alternative to standard bread.

The beef rendang was excellent. The beef felt a little tough when I cut it up, but it was actually beautifully tender.

Strawberry-and-cream ice cream was available for dessert, and I even asked whether there were any extras at the end.

Sadly, there weren’t.

So, who sat next to me? A young woman — no older than twenty, I’d guess. She was clearly not an experienced flyer.

I was conscious about initiating conversation, especially as she had a friend seated elsewhere on the aircraft who kept popping over to see her.

I couldn’t imagine she wanted to chat, and equally I had no desire to force conversation. We happily ignored each other for most of the flight — until circumstances later made that impossible.

I managed to coordinate a restroom visit with my neighbour — although this was when aisle-seat etiquette truly failed.

She left her seat fully reclined when she got up, making it far harder than necessary for me to get out.

We managed, and after a perfunctory “thanks” for letting me back in, we returned to our comfortable state of mutual non-interaction.

Back in my seat, I shifted into shut-eye mode. I didn’t get much meaningful sleep, but it passed the time.

The views on approach into Bali were stunning. From memory, this was the first time on this trip that the weather had truly done justice to one of these incredible destinations.

We arrived at Gate 6, and I couldn’t wait to get back to that fabulous hotel — the Hilton Garden Inn, Denpasar.

Next up: Afternoon in Denpasar on Day 17 of my Round The World trip of a lifetime.

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Round the World Tier Point Run in Jan 2026