Honestly, it was hard sleeping last night. I always get jittery in anticipation of something exciting - graduations, the first day of school, travelling - and this time was no different. I should have slept like a rock after the festivities this weekend (sister's wedding part 2 and grandma's birthday), but nope!
The alarm clock was ignorant of this fact, so I still got up at 8 this morning. Checklist: 1) Hide my keys in a ziploc bag in a dirt hole under a rock in front of my apartment (to get into my house after coming back home), and 2) Go to the gym. I figured one last workout would help me sleep better on the long flight.
After I picked up lunch for us at Safeway, James picked me and Ghyrn up to go to SFO. We checked in and ate our lunch of kettle chips, Arizona iced tea, and Tuscan Chicken Safeway sandwiches. This would be our last American meal for two weeks, so we made it a good one.
Getting through security was a breeze, and even though we got to the airport two hours before our flight, the wait before boarding seemed to fly by.
The flight to Hong Kong was pretty uneventful, but these were the highlights:
1) Assumptions were made regarding me and my ethnicity, i.e., Ghyrn got immigration documents, but I didn't. I'm pretty sure this won't be the last time it happens on the trip. After all, I do represent all of Asia.
2) I watched way too many movies instead of sleeping. List: The Princess and the Frog, Lilo&Stitch, Watchmen, Shrek, Fast 5, and X-Men: First Class. Asian parents, this is why you shouldn't deprive your children of the television!
3) Our air vents weren't working and it got pretty hot in our seats so we moved to a cooler row. This led to an unfortunate happening (see below).
4) I had the best cup o noodle of my life.
We landed in HK at 7 PM, as scheduled, and got to immigration before Ghyrn realized he was missing something that was left behind during the seat change. His sunglasses! We raced back to the plane, but they wouldn't let us back on. Half an hour after talking to the Cathay reps, we got them back and headed on and Airport Express train to Kowloon station. A shuttle picked us up and brought us to our hotel. I know, I know, we're supposed to be backpacking, but we figured we needed a good night of sleep before going to Japan the next morning and climbing Fuji-San. Plus, we wanted to stay in a hotel with a nice view of Victoria Harbour!
After dropping off our packs, we walked out along the promenade beside the harbour and I immediately got dehydrated. It's hotter than we expected here! Luckily, vending machines are everywhere and I downed a bottle of water while we took pictures, and took in the spectacular views.
The time difference hit me on the way home, so instead of staying out we got room service for dinner (xo rice rolls and apple tart), showered, and slept on a bed of clouds. It was too soft for me :)
This trip is starting out way differently than my Eurotrip, but I like it because I don't know what to expect!
Night :D
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