my new favorite airline

South African Airways is both a salute to the way airlines used to be run, and an example of where airlines should be going. If you have a chance, I strongly suggest you give them a shot. Among the highlights: coach seats with nearly as much room as United economy plus seats; free wine with dinner (and as many as you wanted), all the soda and bottled water you could handle, actual metal utensils (except knives), stewardesses who acknowledge your "thank you" with "pleashaw" (pleasure), remote control on demand tv/movies/music at each seat, overnight packets for everyone (included a travel toothbrush and toothpaste and socks meant to improve circulation) and, most importantly, none of the inefficiencies I take as SOP from US airlines. It was fantastic. Dinner and breakfast were both better than the food we had at the Tin Goose, but I was so distracted by the juke box feature of the entertainment system that I didn't sleep very much/at all. That made for a rough day today, but whatever - SAA rocks. Don't ask, just do it.

Photos: 1. coolest map ever, showing where it's light and where it's dark in the world; 2. start of sunrise; 3. breakfast (note the real utensils); 4. sunrise.