Greetings from Asia - September, 2015

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Greetings from the other side of the international date line!











Hong Kong is hot, humid, wet and sticky – did I mention it’s hot here? Only in the mid 90’s but with matching humidity, I can barely breathe. It’s been a long day and a half but it does take time to traverse the globe, and until teleportation is developed (a la Star Trek) that won’t change. I had started out in Dallas and my first flight enroute to Asia was Saturday morning with a connection in Salt Lake, putting me back in Las Vegas by midday. I had just 10 hours in Nevada to unpack, do laundry, check all accumulated snail mail and repack an overnight bag, before it was time to return to McCarran for my redeye flight to Minneapolis. Call me crazy but I am a dedicated flyer and that obsession was about to be put to the test. We departed on time and after a couple of shots of Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey (aka Honey Jack) on the rocks, I managed to pass the next 3 hours in blissful slumber until we touched down at dawn. It was 93f when I left Vegas – I landed in a thunderstorm with torrential rains, bolts of lightning and rumbling thunder – probably not much above 55f, quite a shock and it woke me up in a hurry.



My next flight west to Seattle was scheduled within an hour but the weather prevented us from taking off. We sat in the airport for the next two hours while the heavens did their thing, but finally when the lightning stopped, they cleared us for boarding and we departed. I had a long 5-hour layover in Seattle but fortunately Delta has built a beautiful Sky Lounge in the international terminal – one I haven’t had the pleasure to visit previously – and I got to relax and recoup with a corner spot next to the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the mountain range…..it’s gorgeous. I was able to put my feet up and eat a light lunch before my nonstop flight to Hong Kong was announced. The next 15 hours would be spent in one of my favorite planes, the A330 LR, which has the business elite seats arranged at an angle so you really can’t see any fellow passengers unless you stand up in the aisles. I had selected 4A (window seat naturally) and from the few people standing around in the departure lounge, it was very obvious this was a less than a half full flight, which proved to be the case. First up was the flying waitress with my mimosa and warmed nuts – the only way to prepare for a long flight in my humble opinion. Off came the shoes and up came the foot rest – I was ready to rock ‘n roll across the Pacific. Due to the small passenger load we left 15 minutes early and by the time we cleared the Puget Sound coastline, I was making my dinner selections from Delta’s extensive menu. Being an Asian flight there were plenty of Chinese dishes to choose from – I went with the Hunan Chicken in a peanut sauce, accompanied by wild rice, salad and of course the cheese and fruit plate. Dessert was vanilla ice cream topped with caramel sauce and a dash of Grand Marnier – they get more decadent every time I fly overseas.



Next was Delta Studio and the latest movie releases. I started with Terminator: Genesis but somehow seeing old Arnold trying to recreate himself from 30 years ago, was a bit much! Fifteen minutes of that was all I could take. Then I went with Melissa McCarthy’s “Spy” – she always makes me laugh, and this movie didn’t disappoint. I saw most of it but ended up falling asleep before the conclusion – will have to see that on my return trip to the States. With a large plump pillow under my head and a cozy feather duvet blanket pulled up to my ears, it doesn’t take long for me to pass out especially when I had been traveling in excess of 30 hours. My friendly FW woke me five hours into the flight to offer a shrimp cocktail and more fruit but I passed on that – sleep was much more enticing. I did agree to a cup of coffee with Bailey’s Irish Cream which soon had me out cold once more. Two hours before landing and somewhere over Beijing, a small hot meal of Cantonese Beef with noodles and vegetables was served and then it was the final run over the South China Sea into Hong Kong. I was dead tired but at least I won’t be flying for another two days – I can live with that. Rain splattered the windows as we touched down on Lantau Island in the New Territories, and as I stepped onto the jetway the carpeting was soaked, apparently it’s raining a lot here recently. A short walk to Immigration and clearing that was a breeze. We were the only international flight landing at that time and they had most of the windows staffed. I was through in less than two minutes and walking into baggage claim, but having only my small wheeled carryon, I headed for the Arrivals Hall. Sky City Marriott was my choice of hotel for this trip – really convenient and right on airport grounds. As I approached the bus terminals, the Marriott shuttle pulled in and I was whisked to the hotel in less than 10 minutes.



I haven’t stayed at a Marriott in over two years and no longer have elite status with them, but I had remembered to bring my old Gold Elite loyalty card with me. The front desk receptionist paid no attention to the expired date on my membership card and immediately upgraded me to the concierge level of the hotel (yes of course, there is an executive lounge just in case anyone was wondering). Ain’t life grand? I swear elite status pays off like a Vegas slot machine! LOL I have a beautiful room on the 10^th floor with windows overlooking the main airport runways – I can watch planes landing and taking off while lying in bed. The bathroom is a delight and whenever I see a wide rainfall shower head, I’m delighted. First things first. I peel off my damp stinky travel wear and dive into the shower. Lots of hot water to wash away the travel stains of the past hours and then a dose of cold water to wake my butt up. Too tired to check out the executive lounge this evening and I’m certainly not hungry, but will investigate that tomorrow morning before heading to Hong Kong Island and a ride on the Star Ferry.



My room at the HK SkyCity Marriott:







A very fitful night’s sleep waking up every couple of hours, but not too surprising given the amount of time spent in an airborne bus hurtling across the skies over the past 30+ hours. I was wide awake a little after 4am but with the 15-hour time difference, my internal clock is totally upside down. Soon as I knew the lounge would be serving breakfast, I headed for the 12^th floor. A large rectangular room stretching from one end of the hotel to the other with glorious views of the airport, harbor and the bay leading out to the South China Sea. The morning mist was slowly clearing and I watched as the skies lightened and the sun peeked over the horizon – it’s going to be a fabulous day weather-wise. I was still not really hungry so yogurt, granola and fresh fruit with tons of coffee (laced with Bailey’s Irish Cream) got my day started.



The executive lounge from my window seat drinking morning coffee:











There is a high speed rail train from the airport to downtown which takes approximately 24 minutes. Easiest way to grab this transport is to take Marriott’s complimentary shuttle back to terminal 1 and transfer to the rail system. As with everything else in Hong Kong, it’s fast, clean, efficient, inexpensive and thankfully, well air conditioned. The humidity is a bear and until the sun has been around long enough to evaporate it, breathing will be miserable. By 10am I was at the main bus/train station and purchased a one day MTR pass. When I was here last year with my brother Richard, we found we could go just about anywhere on this fabulous metro system – it’s on a par with the one in Taipei. First stop was to central pier 7 and take the Star Ferry across the Harbor to Tsim Sha Tsui – wanted to do this before it got blazing hot later in the day. This is known as the ultimate Hong Kong experience and the vessels have over 100 years of history in the region. Viewing the HK skyline from the ferry rail is not an experience to be missed – with the numerous skyscrapers it resembles Manhattan. It’s scenic, cool and cheap – a round trip ticket is less than $3.00.



Back on the MTR and decided to return to Lantau Island and repeat an experience Richard and I had last year – the Ngong Ping cable car which gives an incredible 25-minute ride with breathtaking views of the island, the airport and the South China Sea. At the top of the ride is the Ngong Ping themed village which features a variety of dining, shopping and entertainment outlets. Last trip I was having trouble with my left foot not cooperating, so wasn’t able to make the hike with Richard up to Po Lin Monastery and the Giant Buddha but this time around, I was determined to see both. It’s one of Hong Kong’s largest temple complexes and houses one of the world’s tallest outdoor bronze seated Buddhas standing 111’ high.



Giant Seated Buddha:



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Po Lin Monastery:











By 3pm it was hot, humid with the mercury headed straight for triple digits - I was ready to head back to the hotel and take a nap – the previous 3 days’ travel was beginning to catch up with me. I rode the MTR back to the airport and right on cue, here came the Marriott shuttle. The frigid a/c hotel room was a blessed relief and a cold shower was the ultimate touch. I was really tired and knew a few hours in bed was definitely in order. 8pm and I finally surfaced feeling 1000% better – amazing what solid sleep will do for a body. Really didn’t feel like venturing out again so decided to check out the award-winning Man Ho Chinese Restaurant here in the hotel. They offer an exclusive dinner menu for hotel guests only, at a reasonable cost of $24pp. Just previewing the menu and I was spoilt for choice. Appetizers consisted of BBQ pork with marinated jellyfish (I don’t THINK so), roasted pork belly accompanied with deep-fried bean curd in spicy salt (I’ll pass) and then I settled on the third item: deep-fried crab shell stuffed with crab meat and onion – delicious. Soup choices were definitely easier: hot and sour with seafood (my personal favorite), over the braised creamy mushroom with truffles. The main entrees were a lot harder to pick from. When presented with shrimp and cashew with dried chili/marinated chicken with ginger sauce/sautéed diced beef with mangoes – I went with the beef because I adore mangoes. Dessert was chilled mango pudding – somehow the thought of sweetened red bean soup with lotus seeds and lily bulb just didn’t ring my bell at all! How does red bean soup qualify as a dessert? Does that make sense to anyone? No doubt it does to the inscrutable Chinese…..I was back in my room by 10 pm and instead of perusing the numerous TV channels (most in either Mandarin or Cantonese neither of which I speak a word), I decided to open up the drapes and fall asleep while watching the planes arrive and depart.



Obviously the rhythmic takeoffs and landings worked – got a fantastic solid night’s sleep and was fixing coffee in the room by 5am. It’s travel day but thankfully as I’m flying east, the time distances are shorter – only 12.5 hours to Seattle. It will be much easier on the old body this trip – I’ve caught up on rest and only have to survive 20 hours being inside that aluminum tube with wings. First I check email and the stock markets, what I saw for Wall Street definitely made my day! Great start to the trading week, for sure. Time to shower, dress, pack and head up to the executive lounge for breakfast and then Marriott’s shuttle will whisk me back to terminal 1 to connect with my 2pm flight. Delta doesn’t have their own lounge here but Skyteam does, so will spend a couple of hours or so prior to takeoff in China Airlines lounge….this will be a first…..hopefully no fish heads being served!



USA here I come – hope TSA is feeling generous and lets me back in……cheers

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