A flight that was long and our first day in Hong Kong

Viv and I are crossing our fingers that good travel karma will last throughout the rest of our trip. We got off to a bit of a rocky start, when our United flight from Boston to Chicago was cancelled (mechanical), leading to a sprint to the American terminal to catch their flight and undergo the joy of "special security screening." When we got to ORD, we had to re-claim our bags at American, schlep across to the United terminal, and re-check-in (3rd time of the day, if anyone's counting) for our Hong Kong flight.

A wee bit of whining to United customer service got us some free food vouchers, which we put to good use as we waited out the remaining hours of the 5.5 hour delay (mechanical) of our flight to Hong Kong. We had a final brief moment of frustration when, on the runway, the pilot announced that we would have to return to the gate and get rid of some cargo since we had "accidentally and illegally exceeded our load capacity." Luckily, this turned out to be a "miscommunication," or at least a not-very-funny joke, and finally... we were off!

14:45, 3 meals, 4 movies, and two flight attendants named "Dieter" and "Stryker" later, we landed in the most modern and gleaming airport I'd ever seen. Awaiting us were Vivian's Aunt, Uncle Chris, and cousin Edward, who graciously treated us to dinner at the airport. We then left in Uncle Chris' space-age BMW, which reminds drivers with a gentle "ding" when one exceeds the speed limit and uses infrared technology to sense when the car's bumpers are nearing a collision. Pretty sweet technology!

Words that describe Hong Kong: vertical, efficient, cosmopolitan, muggy. I'm amazed by the population density -- the skyline is dotted with high rise after high rise, and there seems to be no other housing option. Viv's Uncle Chris, Aunt Peon and their children Haley (4) and Jolie (2) live on the 54th floor with a stunning view. I've enjoyed watching Viv catch up with her family, especially her Grandma (who seems to be busting Viv's chops quite a bit), and I have already learned one important word in Cantonese: "Bao" means full, and comes in extremely handy when you are being offered food every hour!

This afternoon, Viv and I took the tram up to Victoria Peak. Traveling up a mountain at a 45 degree angle gives you a pretty interesting perspective on the city! We took in the views, wandered through the lovely Hong Kong park, and then spent the rest of the afternoon shopping. After checking out the price tags, I'm getting good at dividing large numbers by 7 (a good approximation of the exchange rate).

Will try to post some pictures soon!

written by

GoBlue on May 17, 2007 from Hong Kong (historical), Hong Kong

from the travel blog: J-Mac's Junket

tagged HongKong and VictoriaPeak

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Congrats on finally making it! Sounds awesome. I can't believe you guys got to hang out with Stryker!! Catch you soon.

written by Carl Timm on May 17, 2007

Hi Sis! Viv's family and the gleaming airport and gentle "ding" technology sound awesome-- I'm sure they'll be followed by many more awesome parts of your trip. Can't wait to read more. Love CMM

written by Chrissy McConaghy on May 21, 2007

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