A few weeks ago I began to notice that airfare to Hong
Kong was quite cheap, so the thought of visiting a few days came to mind. With Anne starting her teaching in early
September, and the expect date for our fifth grandchild in mid-October, we
would be traveling much for the rest of the year.
The airfare turned out to be $566, roundtrip, and is the
cheapest in memory. Anne decided not to
come as she wanted the time to prepare for her classes.
Thursday 8/31. Anne
dropped me off at around 1:45 pm. I was
bringing a bottle of Keri Lotion for Larry, so had to check in my luggage. Pre-Check was straightforward, and I had a
little time to spend at the United Club.
Compared to our Newark to Nashville experience, this was
much better. First, the plane left the
gate on time, and the pilot announced that we would get into Hong Kong about 45
minutes ahead of schedule, something that rarely happens.
I have a row of three seats all to myself in the relatively
empty economy plus section. The regular
economy section is quite full. I guess a
row by the window would have been even better, but really. Food was not that great, but no complaints
since I had no expectations.
I tried to read a book I brought along but couldn’t
concentrate enough to do more than one chapter.
Watched one movie. The rest of
the time? Trying to get some sleep, managed a couple of hours.
Saturday 9/1.
Well, the plane didn’t land 45 minutes early. It landed on time at around 7:10 pm. As we were about 400 feet off the ground (as
indicated by the flight map on the monitor), the pilot turned up the engine and
gain altitude. After about 15 minutes he
came on the PA and informed us there was a weather cell in the area and he had
to abort. Later he explained that he
would try again, and given the situation, would land the plane at another
airport as the plane was low on fuel.
(Not unexpected as I understand a plane typically has a 45 minute
reserve.) We landed okay, and I encountered
no rain the rest of the evening. This
was my second “go-around” experience in my 40 years of flying; other than the
times I did it often as a student pilot.
Screen shots from Flightaware.com on UA179. The first landing approach was aborted at 6:34:30 pm, landing was at 7:14:36 pm.
After dinner at Ho Hung Kee at the airport, I ran into
Tony and Pauline from church; they just returned from a trip to Japan. We chatted a bit before we went our separate
ways.
Ran into the Chu's who just returned from Japan. Pauline took the picture.
Accommodations for trip: Causeway Bay Apartment.
Saturday 9/2. Tim
stopped by this morning before heading off to work, his usual routine. Afterwards I went off to have breakfast at
Fairwood, bought some groceries, and a ticket for a chamber concert next
Wednesday.
I met up with Alyson at the Hyatt Shatin for lunch, and
we talked for a couple of hours. This
was followed by a visit to Tai Po; Tim and Whitney would be there for the
weekend. The pool is now used as a fish
pond, and boy, do the koi grow and multiply; the two oscar fish evidently
couldn’t keep up with the small fries so many of them get to grow up as so many
eluded being eaten. Then I met up with
Anthony, Pauline, and their two girls at Jade Garden in Star House for a nice
dinner (more the company, the food was a bit disappointing) before heading off
to the Cultural Center across the street for a Hong Kong Philharmonic
Concert. All these leisurely events
added up to a long day: I left a bit before noon and didn’t get back until
10:30 pm or so.
Sunday 9/3. I
decided to attend the 11 am service at the Congregation Church down the
street. It was also communion
Sunday. I then traveled to Grand Century
Plaza and had lunch there before meeting Alfred for coffee. This was followed by a visit to a local café
to try their French Toast, again somewhat of an excitement. It was then back to Causeway Bay to have
dinner with Tim and Whitney, this time at Ming Restaurant in Hysan Place. Seeing how badly I seemed to hurt, Tim and I
dropped by his office to get an injection to relieve the pain. (This is about 2 hours later, and I am not
sure how well it has improved.)
Sumptuous lunch at a Grand Opera eatery before meeting up with Alfred.
Monday 9/4. Lunch
was with Nathan at Papparich in Central.
I thought I was smart to suggest that we start early to beat the lunch
crowd. They were smarter: our ticket had
a 45-minute time limit written on it. We
managed to sat around and talked for an hour or so. We then found a coffee house and talked for a
bit. Nathan is leaving Hope International
at the end of October, and we have gotten to know each other well over the
years. Larry got in touch with me and
asked me to join his “group” for dinner at “The Chairman.” I knew everyone in
the group, including Anne’s two cousins.
They had a lot to say, so I had to use jetlag as an excuse to get out at
around 10:30 pm.
This place in Central is very popular with the locals.
Dining for the "elite." Food was quite good, to be fair.
Tuesday 9/5. Lunch
was with Larry at Hong Kong Club. Spent
afternoon going over some paperwork.
Dinner with Tim and Whitney at this Shanghai Restaurant in Lee
Theater. It was generally a good meal,
but somewhat marred the discovery of an insect in the pancakes used to wrap the
pieces of duck with. We turned down the
staff’s offer of free dessert, they did take out the cost of the dish, though.
Matchbox used to be very close to the apartment. They moved to a less expensive part of Causeway Bay.
Wednesday 9/6.
After breakfast at Warren Café, I took the bus to Mongkok Tung Choi
Street to visit goldfish street. The
merchants there pack different types of fish in plastic bags and hang them on a
rack for buyers to peruse. Still trying
to decide if that was cruel, although the plastic contains meant the fish
couldn’t hurt themselves. Had tea with
Alfred in Hysan Place to get the latest scoop on office politics: they are
thinking of reorganizing the Board. Dinner
again with Whitney and Tim, this time at Holiday Inn Express behind Times
Square. Tim gave me a second injection
for my knee before dinner.
A "Full English Breakfast" served at Warren Restaurant. All the ingredients are there: chicken cutlet, bacon, egg, beans, toast, and tea.
Some of the fish being sold in these plastic bags cost over US$40. I wonder if this is considered inhumane. (The fish are sold as pets, not as food; well, some as food for other fish.)
I also got to see a chamber music concert performed by Yuja Wang and several members of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. A bit surprised at the number of empty seats in the house.
Thursday 9/7. Taxi
to Hong Kong Station followed by train ride to airport. Got there early enough to have breakfast in
United Lounge. Regular economy quite
full, although economy plus is reasonably empty – I have an empty seat next to
me, and some folks are enjoying entire rows.
Plane landed on time, and I managed to breeze through
customs with the Mobile Passport App.
Unfortunately, I seemed to have caught a cold from a fellow passenger
seated by the window a row behind me (he was coughing heavily.)
A plug for the Mobile Passport App on the iPhone. It made going through immigration and customs a very straightforward process.
Anne picked me up.
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