Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Arrival

My adventure started early... too early: "3:30AM yesterday" early.

At the airport I got upgraded to a quicker flight. Instead of connecting in "San Fran", I would go to Chicago and arrive in Hong Kong 40 minutes early. I gladly accepted.

The flight to Chicago was quick and easy. I slept most of the way and arrived pretty early. The terminal was packed. I couldn't find a place to sit. I guess Hong Kong is the place to be right now :)

Chicago O'Hare

Now the secret to overcoming a long flight is simple: SLEEP.
But what do you do if you are one of those few people who can't sleep on planes (like myself)?
One word: ADVIL

Out of the 14 hours I was flying, I think I was only awake for a total of 4 hours. I woke up just in time to catch the ending of Eat, Pray, Love. Ironic, right?

By this time, we had caught up to the sun and it was shining in my face... Actually, it was the reason that I woke up. It was a beautiful sight:


However, the sunshine didn't last very long because Hong Kong tends to get very foggy and humid. We were landing at around 6:00PM (4AM Austin time). I was on the brink of a panic attack as we were descending.. All I saw was water. WHERE WERE WE GOING TO LAND?!  But as you can see, the fog made it tough to see the runway. I decided to forgive the pilot.


  
The airport was busy as usual.
It's a very nice airport, actually.
Here are some photos that capture my first mission in Hong Kong:

 MISSION #1: Finding Immigration and the Baggage Claim!

 
          
            

After picking up my bags, I made my way to the hotel transportation desk. The receptionist was so funny! His favorite word was "lovely" and he would find a way to use it in every sentence. He also serenaded me with the "Pretty Woman" song. He was a great singer! Haha.

 I ended up taking a shuttle bus for about 150HKD ($20) to my hotel. It was very comfortable and quick! It makes the Austin Metrobus look a bit outdated... just a bit!

Compare:
  
Hong Kong Shuttle's Roomy Leather Seats


Austin Metro Shuttle Seats

Enough said. 

On my way to the hotel, I caught a small glimpse of Hong Kong's night life.

Harbor


Traffic

Tunnel

Busy Sreet

Market

It's a busy place and I can't wait to start exploring tomorrow... but first, I must deal with yet another challenge.

MISSION #2: FIND THE HKUST CAMPUS!

... until then, Greetings from Hong Kong!


A Geeky Tourist?

Love always,
Lina

2 comments:

  1. i love this!! glad to see you arrived safely and are already having fun pretty woman ;) ahhaha miss you already!!!

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  2. awww lina jay! i'm so proud of you! i wish i had done a blog while i was in japan, but not everyone can be as eloquent and entertaining as you! well keep us posted, i'm enjoying the updates so far.

    btw... my skype id is akarashad. let me know when you are free!

    -desmond

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