FIRST CLASS - $16,000 flight on World's Best Airline

First Class on Cathay Pacific 777-300ER (extended range) is probably one of the coolest things I've done in my life. The airline has won consecutive awards for "World's Best Airline" by Skytrax, based on a survey of 19 million passengers from around the world.

To achieve our incredible journey, credit goes to my husband, the Mo, who does all the research on which credit cards to open and I do the fun part...just rack them up!

For the trip from PNH (Phnom Penh Cambodia) to BOS (Boston, MA USA), it cost 67,500 American airline miles.  American Airlines and Cathay Pacific are Oneworld alliance and travelers get to redeem their points on airlines within the group.

The current going rate for anywhere in "Asia 2" to continental United States is now 110,000 miles ONE WAY , almost DOUBLE what we spent.  If we were to pay cash, the one way flight would costs more than $16,000 PER PERSON.

I was very apprehensive of the booking.  Cathay Pacific only releases one first class seat per flight to be booked in advance.  As the date approaches, additional tickets may become available, but there are no guarantees.

I did a 5K every week for 10 weeks and here's what happened

Hi! My name is Kim. 

I started my journey to "Running" back in January 2016 where I was actually only walking. I wrote a blog post about my First 5K in the Good Times Spring Series and I must have jinxed myself because I later injured myself for a couple months (the injury wasn't even running related), Nonetheless, I didn't complete all 10 races in the Spring Series. I returned to the Summer series with a goal to complete all 10 races! 

Here's what I learned.... 

Image via Ted Tyler / Jim Rhoades

Colombian cuisine at Asados Dona Flor

While we were still on our adventurous streak, the Mo and I went to Asados Dona Flor on High Street for lunch.  The area used to be my old neighborhood, back when I was 5 years old living on Chestnut Street. We would knock on strangers doors to buy frozen "limbe" and I have fond memories of walking to the store with my grandma and buying things with her sandwich bag full of coins.  This is also the time of my life where my older brother thought it would be comical to tie a rope around my neck and herd me on the street like as if I were a cow.

Although the restaurant doesn't have a website, the Colombian restaurant opened its doors about 8 years ago.  The exterior looks a bit shabby but once you walk in the restaurant, it boasts a great Hispanic cultural ambiance.

Wonderful Brazilian bites at Romeo & Juliet Cafe

Usual, I'm the one that picks where we go for our weekend meals but today, the Mo suggested we try Romeo & Juliet, a Brazilian eatery that he discovered on Yelp.  I was a bit apprehensive at first but I gave him the benefit of the doubt without having a chance to read the reviews.

We arrived at what seemed like an abandoned restaurant in a "rougher" area of Lowell on a side street between the transitional housing center (homeless shelter) and the infamous Appleton Street.  The small restaurant had a private parking lot on the side of the building.