The Return of Dr. Blowhole

Snacked on some Asian fare and an Oreo cookie shooter at the Star Alliance lounge before my next leg. The food offerings were much better than the Maple Leaf lounge in Toronto with stir fries, noodle soups and novel French inspired desserts. Open bar seems to be the way these lounges run - you just help yourself to the beer fridge or whatever is sitting in the ice bucket. There were also bottles of primo hard liquor that one could indulge in, well aged single malts and tequila reposado. I went for a taste of a Francis Ford Coppola rose wine that was in a pretty bottle and one that I would never think of splurging on myself.

I'm settled into a 12 hour flight to Seoul Korea this time in a "smartium" pod on Asiana Airlines A380. The double decker Dr. Blowhole (Penguins of Madagascar) lookalike plane. The interiors are a bit chunkier and not quite as inspired as the Emirates' A380 but you can't complain if you can stretch out and lie flat while flying! ...and I do think flying is amazing even just sitting straight up!

Six of these pods appear to take up the space equivalent to about 20 economy seats (one level below me) I can do some of my yoga moves in my little pod - maybe even legs up the wall...oh, and you have to put on an additional shoulder strap for take-off & landing.

I ordered the Korean lunch, Ssambap, which sounds like a roll-your-own-wrap kind of thing with leafy greens, dips, and Bulgogi beef. Perhaps a recipe for a messy disaster but fortunately this massive plane is a smooth ride so I have only myself to blame for spills. Table cloths! Real glass glasses! Silver and linen oh my!