I'm posting this because it is referenced in my Hong Kong travel journal. Start here and continue reading through the Hong Kong journal.
4/20/04 5:30PM LAX Airport
Waiting again for one more flight. I’m on my way to Las Vegas. (Vegas, baby, Vegas...as it is often said.) Vegas is only one hour by plane from Los Angeles and maybe a five hour car ride (four if you go really fast) as long as the traffic getting out of L.A. isn’t bad. There are people who drive and people who fly. I fly. I’ve driven once and the view gets old fast. Lots of rock and dirt. In the summer it is hell on a car since the temperature can get over 120 degrees for most of the trip. To my eyes it really only makes sense to drive if you have a bunch of people with you. That way you save some money since gas for the car will cost less than 80 dollars for the entire trip. But, if going alone, a car really isn’t needed in Vegas, and a flight can be had for as little as 60 dollars, so I like to do that and just let the pilots do all the work.
6:04PM
We are now taxing to the runway. Deja Vu! I feel like I have been here before. Weeee! Take OFF!
A sunny evening in L.A. It was breezy and 70 today in L.A. and should be about 80 in Vegas tomorrow. I have been to Vegas at this time of year before. Sometimes it has been 100, so 80 should be nice for walking around.
6:17PM
I’m bored. Not a good sign 10 minutes into a trip.
8:17PM Bellagio Hotel.... in line for the Buffett
I made it through the line and have already eaten some food. Wow! Lots of food. I’m so excited by it all that it is hard to write. I started with sushi, tuna rolls, and california rolls. Plus some salmon, that was spicy. I haven’t eaten like this in years. A rare occurence. I can’t believe all the different kinds of food they have. I skipped the clams, mussels, crab, and shrimp dishes. They had these in combination with pasta dishes and also alone to eat. I did have some meat. I tried a little of the prime rib, vennison, and chicken wellington. It was the first time I have ever had vennison (I think it is some kind of large deer). It was fine, but nothing I would go out of my way to have again. I have never had chicken wellington either. That was great. It seemed to be a chicken breast cooked inside a pastry (imagine chicken inside a croissant). Also inside is sun dried tomatoes and some other subtle flavors. Before slicing, it looks like a large and long roll. One slice is delicious. Now I am enjoying some deserts. I can feel myself gaining weight as I write this. There is a constant stream of plates with little deserts on them available to eat. Key lime pie, chocolate tarts, flan, eclairs, and chocolate mousse just to name a few. (I tried most of what I just mentioned... all but the key lime pie). Heaven! It’s a good thing this is the first time I have eaten today. Plus I will do a lot of walking after this (if I can get up and out of my chair).
I still have to walk back to my hotel and get my room. I am not staying at Bellagio. It is probably the most expensive hotel in Las Vegas, and for good reason. A really amazing place. Once I get back to my hotel and get my room I will explain what I am doing in Vegas, and why, at 9:42PM I still don’t have a room. But first, one more different desert. I think a chocolate cheesecake. I love chocolate. And then a lot of walking... and walking (I feel so fat)
10:46PM Tropicana Hotel.... my room
I actually arrived at the hotel around 8PM from the airport. UNfortunately they did not have a non-smoking room ready for me. Since I didn’t mind waiting 2 hours for a room (Vegas is so weird. Probably only a hand-full of places in the world where rooms become available late into the night) they would be able to come up with something for me, plus they gave me an upgrade. I check my bags, walk to the Bellagio, have dinner, walk back on the other side of the street, get the room, and here I am, for the next 2 nights (trying to see how many commas I can get into this sentence apparently), and still full from dinner.
And I have mirrors, lots of mirrors. I must say I have never been in a room with mirrors on the ceiling before )and the wall behind the bed, and the wall on the side of the bed) so I can now cross off ‘sleeping in a room with mirrors on the ceiling’ from my list of things to do in life. I hope I can sleep. This is really weird. Opening my eyes and I’m staring back at me. Eeeck! No mirrors on the ceiling above the bathtub however. I wonder why they didn’t go all the way to the land of tacky. It is a pretty big room, so that is nice. My view is of the aiport in the distance, with dessert hills towards the horizon. The other side of the hotel tower has a view of the pool. Calling it a pool doesn’t really do it justice. It’s like calling the Atlantic Ocean just some water. The pool is set in a garden atmosphere that stretches for a city block. Lots of plants and bushes with offshoots of the pool scattered about.
I’m going to go down to the casino and look around. At some point I will write about why I am in Las Vegas and probably some more about that Buffet at the Bellagio.
2:39AM Back in the room
3 hours of craps and I only lost a little. Eventually I was the only person at the table so I did 3 more unsuccesfull roles of the dice, and then decided to call it a night. I was down more than 150 at one point, but a guy kept throwing 7 so I decided to let my money ride. I made back 155 in about 15 minutes and then pulled my money back and returned to my safer 5 dollar bet. It was a fun 15 minutes though.
Bedtime. I got maybe 4 hours sleep last night and hav e been up for almost 21 hours now. I wonder how much sleep I will get tonight. (Funny, I’d still be playing craps if people had stayed around.)
10:10AM On the Bus 4/21/04
I probably woke up at 9AM thanks to some noise in the hallway. For the best I guess since I just caught the second to last bus to where I need to go. Like many people, I like to sleep. I easily could have fallen back to sleep and stayed there for a few more hours. But being on the bus and on mt way to the convention center is good too.
5:30PM Paris Hotel.... Le Vilalge Cafe Buffet
A French themed food buffet. Very interesting choices to eat. At least half of the choices I will not be trying. I am getting better at trying new foods, but there is so much here that I have never had I will just have to pass on a lot of it. Since this is French style the pastries are wonderful. I need a map... getting very sleepy... ate too much.
3:52PM On the plane back to L.A. 4/22/04
I had planned on writing more before thgis, but it always seemed like I was on the go or sleeping. I’ll be able to sum up nicely in the next day or so.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Hong Kong Travel Journal (May 2004)
Here it is, my Hong Kong travel journal from May 2004. You can follow along with pictures at Flickr (link down on the right).
10:27PM 5/11/04 LAX Airport
Okay...as it turns out I wasn’t able to sum up in the next day or so. Or I didn’t get around to it. But I will soon. I’m starting another trip so I will have time to sum up Las Vegas and then get into this new trip.
I think this is the most I have ever traveled before. Right now I am waiting in line in the International Terminal at LAX. It is the baggage screening line, not the check in line. I have never flown internationally before (Canada doesn’t count) and this is already a new experience. So many lines, so many people. Good thing I got here extra early so no worries. Just lots of standing in line ahead of me.
10:49PM
Now I’m in the check-in line. My bag is in its own line too. So far this line hasn’t moved, but my flight isn’t until 1:20AM so I am not worried. Just hungry.
11:03PM
Done with check-in. The line got quicker when there were no more first class passengers to check in. Now on to security. Boarding isn’t until 12:40AM
11:35PM
There are no seats left at my gate so I walked down to a Singapore Airlines gate. The flight attendants just arrived for this flight that I’m not on. Their uniforms are designed in such a way as to emphasis their hips. I think I love Singapore Airlines. Why I am not on this flight. I must fly them soon. The airline I mean, not the flight attendants. (I don’t know what that means.) Have I mentioned I’ve only gotten 10 hours sleep over the last 4 nights. Soon I may no longer make sense if that hasn’t already set in by now.
1:15AM
This is a huge plane. I think I have only been on a 747 a couple of times in my life and I can’t even remember the last time. I am right up front and looking back, this plane goes a long way. I feel like a little kid right now. I’m very excited to get started. Once we get in the air I’m really going to need to sleep, but right now it’s not going to happen. I’m just too keyed up and excited.
1:23AM
The doors are closing. One step closer to take-off. I haven’t said where I’m going yet, but a clue is that the pre-flight announcement is being given in Mandarin followed by an English version, which seemed shorter.
6783 miles to the destination, where I change planes. There is a display screen with info like the distance so we can follow along. It is 1:34AM here in L.A. and 4:34PM where we are going. I will change my watch soon to get used to that time, if that is possible.
I have never left North America before. Have I mentioned I am excited?
We are taxing now. Once we take-off I guess we just keep going straight. I have always turned back towards the land. Lots of ocean to journey over.
I was just looking at the menu. I wonder what time they serve the first meal.
We are next for take-off. Asia here we come. I’m almost giggling right now I am so happy about this. The lady next to me is already asleep. She must not quite share the same excited feelings I do. Weeee!! Off we go!
The lights of Los Angeles fading away behind us. Blackness below us. Goodbye North America. Hope you don’t miss me, but I’ll be back. About 14 hours from now we will land in Asia.
14 hours. What can you do in that much time. Hmmm.... Maybe watch 7 movies... fly from L.A. to Boston and back to L.A. with time to spare.... Drive from Baltimore to Miami (granted, driving really fast, but it can be done).
I’ll write down more when I think of it. Just on sensory overload at the moment, especially considering how tired I am. I don’t think I will have a problem sleeping when the time comes.
2AM Los Angeles time
I guess we are now on Asia time. Supper will be served soon. I need to start thinking like it is 5PM now. Good thing I forgot to take the melatonin I brought with me or I would have slept through supper. I’ll take some after and then try to sleep.
Looking at the menu, I get a choice of stir fried pork with mountain yam (I like the idea of the yam more than the pork) or penne pasta and salmon with creamed sauce. Having fish on a plane worries me a bit, but I think I’ll choose that over pork. I also brought with me 3 peanut butter sandwiches, almonds, and fig newtons so I am good for food.
Thursday 5/13/04 5:15PM Hong Kong (Big Giveaway!)
Too tired to write. Must eat. Must sleep.
Where am I! Wherever it is I must be happy. :)
Friday 5/14/04 8:20AM
Out of the room this early. That is pretty good for me. Of course that it helps that I went to bed at 7PM and woke up first at 3:30AM, rolled over, and then woke up for good at 6AM. At 6AM, lying in bed, I had no idea where I was for a moment there. At first I thought I was in my bed at home. Finally the gears in my head locked into place and I realized I was in a bed in Hong Kong.
I was writing this waiting for the Star Ferry to take me over to Hong Kong Island, the original outpost of Hong Kong. I am staying on the Kowloon side. The ferries leave very often so I didn’t have to wait long. Plus it is only a few minutes ride, everything is so close here. Every time I go outside wearing my glasses they fog up. There is such a difference between the air conditioning inside and the humidity/heat outside that the glasses just fog up instantly. It doesn’t last long, but it is funny.
Locals are going to find me annoying. I keep stopping right in the middle of the sidewalk to look around. I do this a lot.
9:54AM Hong Kong Island..... very wet
We have rain. Makes for a great time to have breakfast. I have no idea where I am. But the UCC Coffee Cafe is in perfect position for me to escape the very heavy rain. Cinnamon french toast awaits.
I have a small umbrella with me, but once the heavy rain set in I started to get pretty wet. Once this stops I expect the heat of the day to dry me off nicely.
When I got off the ferry I started walking towards the location of the Hong Kong Tourist Board office, but I never found it. There is another office on Kowloon that I should be able to find easier.
The french toast is here. Very tasty. I learned how to say please/thank you (same word) from a good friend of mine who is from Hong Kong. It sounds like “mmmmGoy”. I must be saying it correctly so far since none of the waitresses have slapped my face so far.
After not finding the tourist office I started to wander south (I think), which is up. There is an outdoor covered walkway that also has an escalator. It is one way with wide steps next to it. In the morning it goes in the direction of people going to work, north, which is towards the city center. At some point later in the morning the direction of the escalator changes. At that point it is ready for people going up hill and going home from work later in the day. It is in sections so there is still some walking to be done, but most of the up/down part of the walk has an escalator. It must be a big help in the afternoon for people going home from work since that is the up direction. I was going in the up direction, but walking, with most people going in the opposite direction. It started to get steeper so I got off the walkway and went down to the street since I recognized the name, Hollywood Road. A lot of the shops still were not open so I kept walking. I came upon an outdoor market area. It stretched for a few narrow blocks. Fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat all being picked over by local (mostly) women. Meat hanging in some store fronts, ready to be cut. Fish in tanks and some flopping about on trays. Then the rain came, quickly got heavy, and I was able to find my way to this cafe. Time to move on. Maybe to a local temple and the former British Government House.
11AM ... not quite as wet
I am about to go into the Man Mo Temple. I can already smell the incense from outside. I haven’t smelled incense this strong since being around my cousin, who used to use incense to try to cover up the fact that he smoked pot like a fish drinks water. I don’t think the temple uses the incense for the same reason.
11:51 AM
Again, I don’t know where I am. Well, that is not exactly true. I have a map so I kinda know where I am, but I’m not sure how to get where I am going, plus I’m not really sure where I want to go. That might help. Deciding on that. I think when going someplace new it is a good idea to walk and get yourself lost and see what you find along the way. It may be very interesting. But have a good map with you. Maybe I should have mentioned that first. A good map in hand. Don’t look at it and get yourself lost. See what you find. And then look at the map again. Doing it without a map might be crazy. And now back to walking towards someplace, of which I have no idea.
12:01 PM Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
Excellent! I made it to the Gardens, and I didn’t even know that I wanted to be here. But it’s on my map. This should be nice.
It sounds like I am walking near a school. All schools must sound the same, no matter the country. Kids and kids. It seems like I am on a path to the Gardens. With residential buildings to my left. One must be a school.
2:10 PM The Peak
Eating a muffin, drinking some lemon tea, and enjoying the incredible view from high above Hong Kong.
I’ve been up here for awhile, walking around and taking in the view from different vantage points. Time to rest and figure where to go next.
Saturday 5/15/04 3:52 PM The Peninsula Hotel Lobby
I am here for afternoon tea. Apparently this is “the place” for afternoon tea. I’ve been waiting in line for 10 minutes and looking at the line and little I have moved, I expect to be waiting for quite some time. But this is okay. I have nothing better to do and I am looking forward to the tea and finger sandwiches.
I should have more time to write once I am seated, and a lot more time to write tomorrow since I am going to a race track, just to see what that is like. Since I don’t gamble on horse racing I will have a lot of time to write to pass the time away. The track is north of here and it will be good to see a different part of the countryside.
4:30 PM Seated for tea!
I think I’m going to have the classic earl grey tea. It also comes with many finger sandwiches. Earl grey is a regular black tea with just a hint of orange. A very nice and subtle flavor.
Everything is very good. I am split between wanting to write about what I am doing and actually doing what I am doing. I think I will eat.
There is a quartet or quintet playing classical music. I am almost done. So much for writing. This has been an enjoyable experience. Too bad there isn’t a view of the water. With that this experience would be perfect.
I think I just figured out what the extra hot water is for. When the tea was brought out it was in it’s own pot, the tea leaves already in it, ready to be served. In another pot was milk, which I do not put in my tea, but many people do. In a third pot is hot water. I had no idea. I was slowly drinking my last cup of tea, trying to make it last as long as possible, thinking that was the last cup and I would have to leave soon. Out of curiosity I looked into the now empty tea pot, and upon seeing the tea leaves at the bottom of the pot, I realized that the extra pot of hot water was to make another pot of tea. Brilliant! I filled up the pot of tea leaves with water and now I can stay even longer. And then they even gave me another pot of hot water. Since there is almost no one waiting to be seated I I have no guilt about staying as long as I want (well..... almost no guilt).
5:55 PM
All done.
6:10 PM Kowloon harbor front facing Hong Kong Island
great weather, great temperature and a nice little breeze. I’m down on a walkway right on the water facing Hong Kong Island. The sun hasn’t set yet, but it is coming soon. It’s crowded here, but not in a bad way. It’s a happy crowd. And there is still room to get around. This seems to be a happy place. Lots of people holding hands and many families.
Sunday 5/16 11:23 AM
I am on my way to the big horse racing track. It is a little outside of town so I am hopeful that I will get to see some of the countryside.
We are in traffic now. Makes me feel like we are in Los Angeles, yuck! The tour guide is going over the betting rules, I think in Mandarin, for the benefit of some of the guests who are from Beijing. The guide speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, English and who knows how many other languages.
It turns out the traffic is because of an accident.
3:45 PM
The day is passing by very quickly. So much for the idea of having time to write. We were given $30 HK vouchers to bet with. I won a few times so i have been betting with their money. This is all part of the package tour (except for the winning part... that is just like). We get to stay up in the club, which has A/C (thank goodness). We have a very nice view from up here, able to see the entire area.
9:20 PM The Peak (again)
Finally sitting down for dinner. I don’t think I have had a sit down dinner yet. I went to bed just after 7PM the first night after being a zombie boy for that first day. Wait... maybe I did have dinner that first day. Yes, I remember now. A place called Ruby Tuesday (I wonder what the Beatles think of that title, or maybe it is the Rolling Stones. Come to think of it I do think it is a Stones song.) So I did have what turns out to be an utterly forgetable dinner that first night. A good burger, with a waiter who was still training (by a very cute supervisor who was very patient), so the service was very slow.
Note to self, do not order a margarita again. Hard to say exactly what is wrong with it, but something is very wrong. I’ll still drink it because I think an alcoholic drink is more expensive that the dinner here, but yuck! But... as with most alcoholic drinks, it is tasting better the more I drink it. Funny how that works.
A very nice dinner. Fried calamari (not too deep fried, which is good, usually in the U.S. it is too deep fried), cream of mushroom soup (very tasty), and a steak (nothing fancy, but nice). The dessert hasn’t come yet. This was a set meal. I haven’t had the guts yet to have a real chinese meal. I know what it will be like since I have been exposed to real chinese food by friends in L.A., but it is so different from what I am used to eating that I just haven’t gotten the nerve yet to have a meal like that here yet. Cantonese food often involves fish (since it is so close to the ocean I guess) and the flavors and smells are so completely different from what we grow up eating in the U.S. There are stores upon stores selling dried fish parts (and other types of sea life) as well as stores selling dried meat parts (I won’t even get into the different meat parts available.) All of these foods are a big part of Cantonese food, the tastes and the textures, and these are all incredibly different from what we eat in the U.S. At some point I will go to a traditional Cantonese restaurant here in HK, but for now there are enough other types of restaurants to satisfy my appetite. So many in fact that I am finding it hard to choose. Pretty nice to have such a problem. I do feel very lucky at times to have such a problem. Very Lucky!
Monday 5/17/04 10:45 AM
I am switching hotels. I stayed in a very nice hotel next to a very large shopping complex (the largest in Asia I’m told) right next to the water. For the next 3 nights (4 days) I will be staying in a more budget style hotel. I am sitting in the lobby and it seems like a nice hotel. I think the rooms are much smaller. I will be taking tours these next few days so the room doesn’t concern me too much. The location of this hotel is still good. It is very easy to walk around here in HK that the hotel location isn’t too important. It was really nice being where I was the first few days. It took me a while to really get used to the time change and being next to everything helped a lot. Now that I have walked around a lot and have a good idea where everything is located, it doesn’t really matter where I stay.
Why Am I Here?
In the journalism business this would be called Burying The Lead and it is usually not a good thing. I think I skipped this part since it is hard to explain why I am here. At some point I will be able to put it into words, but not just yet it seems.
I am very happy to be here (have I mentioned that yet). Hong Kong is the best place I have ever been to, including where I am living now. Every place has it’s faults, and I’m sure this place does as well, but the happiness of the people is really great. Generally, being a tourist, you don’t end up in downtrodden places and don’t hear about problems, but even if I was here for a long time I think the happiness of the people and the underlying reasons for that happiness would outweigh any inevitable problems that were to come up.
11:15 AM
Maybe I could sum up my little Las Vegas trip back in April. I never really did that. Just too busy doing things and then too tired to write about it afterwards. Maybe flying out right after work didn’t help matters. I was on the go from that point on. Plus the flight is so short to Las Vegas from L.A. you just sit there excited instead of relaxing, reading, or writing. In short I think Vegas went like this:
WORK->AIRPORT->PLANE->AIRPORT->HOTEL->WALK TO BELLAGIO HOTEL->WAIT IN LINE FOR BUFFET->EAT TO MUCH AT WONDERFUL BUFFET->WALK THROUGH CASINOS BACK TO HOTEL->PLAY CRAPS AT CASINO AT MY HOTEL->PLAY FOR 3 HOURS-LOSE A LITTLE->BED->GET UP-CATCH SHUTTLE TO CONVENTION CENTER->WALK AROUND NAB CONVENTION FOR 5 HOURS->BACK TO HOTEL->WALK TO PARIS HOTEL->NO WAIT FOR BUFFET AND GET LOWER ‘EARLY BIRD’ RATE->EAT TOO MUCH->WALK BACK TO MY HOTEL GOING THOUGH OTHER CASINOS ALONG THE WAY->GO SIT IN JACUZZIS IN LARGE POOL COMPLEX AT MY HOTEL->FEET AND BODY START TO FEEL BETTER->GO PLAY CRAPS IN CASINO FOR 3 1/2 HOURS->WIN MONEY AND SET IT ASIDE SO WHEN DONE STILL UP FOR THE 2 DAYS->GO TO BED->SLEEP IN->GET UP AND CHECK OUT->CHECK BAGS SINCE FLIGHT ISN’T UNTIL LATER->RECEIVE $19 OFF ROOM FOR PLAYING CRAPS FOR SO MANY HOURS->DO A LITTLE SHOPPING AND WALKING AROUND->AIRPORT->PLANE->AIRPORT->DRIVE HOME
I noticed I didn’t write the word shower in the above summary. I can assure you I showered at least once a day, every morning, and probably twice a day. I try to be a very clean person. Some people are night shower people, but I am a morning shower person. It helps wake me up plus I tend to get really bad “bed head” so the shower gets what little hair I have back in order.
One gambling tip. I don’t gamble much, but I have learned that in order to have fun and to be happy when you are done is to not count your money. Let me explain. Beforehand decide how much you want to gamble with, also know how much you can lose, because the casino has the advantage so you will most likely lose. Once you start gambling do not count your money. The whole idea is to enjoy the gambling experience, which is putting your money on the line, a pretty unique feeling. If you count your money during this process you will be reminded that you are losing money, which will take away from the fun of the gambling experience. If you count your money and you are lucky enough to actually be winning then you should just stop right then. From that point forward all you will be thinking about is the fact that you were up at one point and you lost it (because you most likely will lose it). So if you are going to gamble set a time limit and a money limit. Once you reach one of those limits just walk away. Hopefully you enjoyed the experience and the feeling, the “rush” that is gambling. If you were lucky enough to reach your time limit before your money limit, then maybe just maybe you won some money and at the very least you didn’t lose as much as you had planned.
Probably best to not even gamble. I only do it once or twice a year plus I happen to find craps to be a fun game.
And that was Las Vegas. I’ve always gone for a convention. At some point I should go just to hang out and relax. Many of the hotels have expansive pool complexes and the hotels are a pretty good value during the week when I have my days off from work. I keep saying to myself to do it, but I haven’t yet. Someday.... Someday.
10:27PM 5/11/04 LAX Airport
Okay...as it turns out I wasn’t able to sum up in the next day or so. Or I didn’t get around to it. But I will soon. I’m starting another trip so I will have time to sum up Las Vegas and then get into this new trip.
I think this is the most I have ever traveled before. Right now I am waiting in line in the International Terminal at LAX. It is the baggage screening line, not the check in line. I have never flown internationally before (Canada doesn’t count) and this is already a new experience. So many lines, so many people. Good thing I got here extra early so no worries. Just lots of standing in line ahead of me.
10:49PM
Now I’m in the check-in line. My bag is in its own line too. So far this line hasn’t moved, but my flight isn’t until 1:20AM so I am not worried. Just hungry.
11:03PM
Done with check-in. The line got quicker when there were no more first class passengers to check in. Now on to security. Boarding isn’t until 12:40AM
11:35PM
There are no seats left at my gate so I walked down to a Singapore Airlines gate. The flight attendants just arrived for this flight that I’m not on. Their uniforms are designed in such a way as to emphasis their hips. I think I love Singapore Airlines. Why I am not on this flight. I must fly them soon. The airline I mean, not the flight attendants. (I don’t know what that means.) Have I mentioned I’ve only gotten 10 hours sleep over the last 4 nights. Soon I may no longer make sense if that hasn’t already set in by now.
1:15AM
This is a huge plane. I think I have only been on a 747 a couple of times in my life and I can’t even remember the last time. I am right up front and looking back, this plane goes a long way. I feel like a little kid right now. I’m very excited to get started. Once we get in the air I’m really going to need to sleep, but right now it’s not going to happen. I’m just too keyed up and excited.
1:23AM
The doors are closing. One step closer to take-off. I haven’t said where I’m going yet, but a clue is that the pre-flight announcement is being given in Mandarin followed by an English version, which seemed shorter.
6783 miles to the destination, where I change planes. There is a display screen with info like the distance so we can follow along. It is 1:34AM here in L.A. and 4:34PM where we are going. I will change my watch soon to get used to that time, if that is possible.
I have never left North America before. Have I mentioned I am excited?
We are taxing now. Once we take-off I guess we just keep going straight. I have always turned back towards the land. Lots of ocean to journey over.
I was just looking at the menu. I wonder what time they serve the first meal.
We are next for take-off. Asia here we come. I’m almost giggling right now I am so happy about this. The lady next to me is already asleep. She must not quite share the same excited feelings I do. Weeee!! Off we go!
The lights of Los Angeles fading away behind us. Blackness below us. Goodbye North America. Hope you don’t miss me, but I’ll be back. About 14 hours from now we will land in Asia.
14 hours. What can you do in that much time. Hmmm.... Maybe watch 7 movies... fly from L.A. to Boston and back to L.A. with time to spare.... Drive from Baltimore to Miami (granted, driving really fast, but it can be done).
I’ll write down more when I think of it. Just on sensory overload at the moment, especially considering how tired I am. I don’t think I will have a problem sleeping when the time comes.
2AM Los Angeles time
I guess we are now on Asia time. Supper will be served soon. I need to start thinking like it is 5PM now. Good thing I forgot to take the melatonin I brought with me or I would have slept through supper. I’ll take some after and then try to sleep.
Looking at the menu, I get a choice of stir fried pork with mountain yam (I like the idea of the yam more than the pork) or penne pasta and salmon with creamed sauce. Having fish on a plane worries me a bit, but I think I’ll choose that over pork. I also brought with me 3 peanut butter sandwiches, almonds, and fig newtons so I am good for food.
Thursday 5/13/04 5:15PM Hong Kong (Big Giveaway!)
Too tired to write. Must eat. Must sleep.
Where am I! Wherever it is I must be happy. :)
Friday 5/14/04 8:20AM
Out of the room this early. That is pretty good for me. Of course that it helps that I went to bed at 7PM and woke up first at 3:30AM, rolled over, and then woke up for good at 6AM. At 6AM, lying in bed, I had no idea where I was for a moment there. At first I thought I was in my bed at home. Finally the gears in my head locked into place and I realized I was in a bed in Hong Kong.
I was writing this waiting for the Star Ferry to take me over to Hong Kong Island, the original outpost of Hong Kong. I am staying on the Kowloon side. The ferries leave very often so I didn’t have to wait long. Plus it is only a few minutes ride, everything is so close here. Every time I go outside wearing my glasses they fog up. There is such a difference between the air conditioning inside and the humidity/heat outside that the glasses just fog up instantly. It doesn’t last long, but it is funny.
Locals are going to find me annoying. I keep stopping right in the middle of the sidewalk to look around. I do this a lot.
9:54AM Hong Kong Island..... very wet
We have rain. Makes for a great time to have breakfast. I have no idea where I am. But the UCC Coffee Cafe is in perfect position for me to escape the very heavy rain. Cinnamon french toast awaits.
I have a small umbrella with me, but once the heavy rain set in I started to get pretty wet. Once this stops I expect the heat of the day to dry me off nicely.
When I got off the ferry I started walking towards the location of the Hong Kong Tourist Board office, but I never found it. There is another office on Kowloon that I should be able to find easier.
The french toast is here. Very tasty. I learned how to say please/thank you (same word) from a good friend of mine who is from Hong Kong. It sounds like “mmmmGoy”. I must be saying it correctly so far since none of the waitresses have slapped my face so far.
After not finding the tourist office I started to wander south (I think), which is up. There is an outdoor covered walkway that also has an escalator. It is one way with wide steps next to it. In the morning it goes in the direction of people going to work, north, which is towards the city center. At some point later in the morning the direction of the escalator changes. At that point it is ready for people going up hill and going home from work later in the day. It is in sections so there is still some walking to be done, but most of the up/down part of the walk has an escalator. It must be a big help in the afternoon for people going home from work since that is the up direction. I was going in the up direction, but walking, with most people going in the opposite direction. It started to get steeper so I got off the walkway and went down to the street since I recognized the name, Hollywood Road. A lot of the shops still were not open so I kept walking. I came upon an outdoor market area. It stretched for a few narrow blocks. Fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat all being picked over by local (mostly) women. Meat hanging in some store fronts, ready to be cut. Fish in tanks and some flopping about on trays. Then the rain came, quickly got heavy, and I was able to find my way to this cafe. Time to move on. Maybe to a local temple and the former British Government House.
11AM ... not quite as wet
I am about to go into the Man Mo Temple. I can already smell the incense from outside. I haven’t smelled incense this strong since being around my cousin, who used to use incense to try to cover up the fact that he smoked pot like a fish drinks water. I don’t think the temple uses the incense for the same reason.
11:51 AM
Again, I don’t know where I am. Well, that is not exactly true. I have a map so I kinda know where I am, but I’m not sure how to get where I am going, plus I’m not really sure where I want to go. That might help. Deciding on that. I think when going someplace new it is a good idea to walk and get yourself lost and see what you find along the way. It may be very interesting. But have a good map with you. Maybe I should have mentioned that first. A good map in hand. Don’t look at it and get yourself lost. See what you find. And then look at the map again. Doing it without a map might be crazy. And now back to walking towards someplace, of which I have no idea.
12:01 PM Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
Excellent! I made it to the Gardens, and I didn’t even know that I wanted to be here. But it’s on my map. This should be nice.
It sounds like I am walking near a school. All schools must sound the same, no matter the country. Kids and kids. It seems like I am on a path to the Gardens. With residential buildings to my left. One must be a school.
2:10 PM The Peak
Eating a muffin, drinking some lemon tea, and enjoying the incredible view from high above Hong Kong.
I’ve been up here for awhile, walking around and taking in the view from different vantage points. Time to rest and figure where to go next.
Saturday 5/15/04 3:52 PM The Peninsula Hotel Lobby
I am here for afternoon tea. Apparently this is “the place” for afternoon tea. I’ve been waiting in line for 10 minutes and looking at the line and little I have moved, I expect to be waiting for quite some time. But this is okay. I have nothing better to do and I am looking forward to the tea and finger sandwiches.
I should have more time to write once I am seated, and a lot more time to write tomorrow since I am going to a race track, just to see what that is like. Since I don’t gamble on horse racing I will have a lot of time to write to pass the time away. The track is north of here and it will be good to see a different part of the countryside.
4:30 PM Seated for tea!
I think I’m going to have the classic earl grey tea. It also comes with many finger sandwiches. Earl grey is a regular black tea with just a hint of orange. A very nice and subtle flavor.
Everything is very good. I am split between wanting to write about what I am doing and actually doing what I am doing. I think I will eat.
There is a quartet or quintet playing classical music. I am almost done. So much for writing. This has been an enjoyable experience. Too bad there isn’t a view of the water. With that this experience would be perfect.
I think I just figured out what the extra hot water is for. When the tea was brought out it was in it’s own pot, the tea leaves already in it, ready to be served. In another pot was milk, which I do not put in my tea, but many people do. In a third pot is hot water. I had no idea. I was slowly drinking my last cup of tea, trying to make it last as long as possible, thinking that was the last cup and I would have to leave soon. Out of curiosity I looked into the now empty tea pot, and upon seeing the tea leaves at the bottom of the pot, I realized that the extra pot of hot water was to make another pot of tea. Brilliant! I filled up the pot of tea leaves with water and now I can stay even longer. And then they even gave me another pot of hot water. Since there is almost no one waiting to be seated I I have no guilt about staying as long as I want (well..... almost no guilt).
5:55 PM
All done.
6:10 PM Kowloon harbor front facing Hong Kong Island
great weather, great temperature and a nice little breeze. I’m down on a walkway right on the water facing Hong Kong Island. The sun hasn’t set yet, but it is coming soon. It’s crowded here, but not in a bad way. It’s a happy crowd. And there is still room to get around. This seems to be a happy place. Lots of people holding hands and many families.
Sunday 5/16 11:23 AM
I am on my way to the big horse racing track. It is a little outside of town so I am hopeful that I will get to see some of the countryside.
We are in traffic now. Makes me feel like we are in Los Angeles, yuck! The tour guide is going over the betting rules, I think in Mandarin, for the benefit of some of the guests who are from Beijing. The guide speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, English and who knows how many other languages.
It turns out the traffic is because of an accident.
3:45 PM
The day is passing by very quickly. So much for the idea of having time to write. We were given $30 HK vouchers to bet with. I won a few times so i have been betting with their money. This is all part of the package tour (except for the winning part... that is just like). We get to stay up in the club, which has A/C (thank goodness). We have a very nice view from up here, able to see the entire area.
9:20 PM The Peak (again)
Finally sitting down for dinner. I don’t think I have had a sit down dinner yet. I went to bed just after 7PM the first night after being a zombie boy for that first day. Wait... maybe I did have dinner that first day. Yes, I remember now. A place called Ruby Tuesday (I wonder what the Beatles think of that title, or maybe it is the Rolling Stones. Come to think of it I do think it is a Stones song.) So I did have what turns out to be an utterly forgetable dinner that first night. A good burger, with a waiter who was still training (by a very cute supervisor who was very patient), so the service was very slow.
Note to self, do not order a margarita again. Hard to say exactly what is wrong with it, but something is very wrong. I’ll still drink it because I think an alcoholic drink is more expensive that the dinner here, but yuck! But... as with most alcoholic drinks, it is tasting better the more I drink it. Funny how that works.
A very nice dinner. Fried calamari (not too deep fried, which is good, usually in the U.S. it is too deep fried), cream of mushroom soup (very tasty), and a steak (nothing fancy, but nice). The dessert hasn’t come yet. This was a set meal. I haven’t had the guts yet to have a real chinese meal. I know what it will be like since I have been exposed to real chinese food by friends in L.A., but it is so different from what I am used to eating that I just haven’t gotten the nerve yet to have a meal like that here yet. Cantonese food often involves fish (since it is so close to the ocean I guess) and the flavors and smells are so completely different from what we grow up eating in the U.S. There are stores upon stores selling dried fish parts (and other types of sea life) as well as stores selling dried meat parts (I won’t even get into the different meat parts available.) All of these foods are a big part of Cantonese food, the tastes and the textures, and these are all incredibly different from what we eat in the U.S. At some point I will go to a traditional Cantonese restaurant here in HK, but for now there are enough other types of restaurants to satisfy my appetite. So many in fact that I am finding it hard to choose. Pretty nice to have such a problem. I do feel very lucky at times to have such a problem. Very Lucky!
Monday 5/17/04 10:45 AM
I am switching hotels. I stayed in a very nice hotel next to a very large shopping complex (the largest in Asia I’m told) right next to the water. For the next 3 nights (4 days) I will be staying in a more budget style hotel. I am sitting in the lobby and it seems like a nice hotel. I think the rooms are much smaller. I will be taking tours these next few days so the room doesn’t concern me too much. The location of this hotel is still good. It is very easy to walk around here in HK that the hotel location isn’t too important. It was really nice being where I was the first few days. It took me a while to really get used to the time change and being next to everything helped a lot. Now that I have walked around a lot and have a good idea where everything is located, it doesn’t really matter where I stay.
Why Am I Here?
In the journalism business this would be called Burying The Lead and it is usually not a good thing. I think I skipped this part since it is hard to explain why I am here. At some point I will be able to put it into words, but not just yet it seems.
I am very happy to be here (have I mentioned that yet). Hong Kong is the best place I have ever been to, including where I am living now. Every place has it’s faults, and I’m sure this place does as well, but the happiness of the people is really great. Generally, being a tourist, you don’t end up in downtrodden places and don’t hear about problems, but even if I was here for a long time I think the happiness of the people and the underlying reasons for that happiness would outweigh any inevitable problems that were to come up.
11:15 AM
Maybe I could sum up my little Las Vegas trip back in April. I never really did that. Just too busy doing things and then too tired to write about it afterwards. Maybe flying out right after work didn’t help matters. I was on the go from that point on. Plus the flight is so short to Las Vegas from L.A. you just sit there excited instead of relaxing, reading, or writing. In short I think Vegas went like this:
WORK->AIRPORT->PLANE->AIRPORT->HOTEL->WALK TO BELLAGIO HOTEL->WAIT IN LINE FOR BUFFET->EAT TO MUCH AT WONDERFUL BUFFET->WALK THROUGH CASINOS BACK TO HOTEL->PLAY CRAPS AT CASINO AT MY HOTEL->PLAY FOR 3 HOURS-LOSE A LITTLE->BED->GET UP-CATCH SHUTTLE TO CONVENTION CENTER->WALK AROUND NAB CONVENTION FOR 5 HOURS->BACK TO HOTEL->WALK TO PARIS HOTEL->NO WAIT FOR BUFFET AND GET LOWER ‘EARLY BIRD’ RATE->EAT TOO MUCH->WALK BACK TO MY HOTEL GOING THOUGH OTHER CASINOS ALONG THE WAY->GO SIT IN JACUZZIS IN LARGE POOL COMPLEX AT MY HOTEL->FEET AND BODY START TO FEEL BETTER->GO PLAY CRAPS IN CASINO FOR 3 1/2 HOURS->WIN MONEY AND SET IT ASIDE SO WHEN DONE STILL UP FOR THE 2 DAYS->GO TO BED->SLEEP IN->GET UP AND CHECK OUT->CHECK BAGS SINCE FLIGHT ISN’T UNTIL LATER->RECEIVE $19 OFF ROOM FOR PLAYING CRAPS FOR SO MANY HOURS->DO A LITTLE SHOPPING AND WALKING AROUND->AIRPORT->PLANE->AIRPORT->DRIVE HOME
I noticed I didn’t write the word shower in the above summary. I can assure you I showered at least once a day, every morning, and probably twice a day. I try to be a very clean person. Some people are night shower people, but I am a morning shower person. It helps wake me up plus I tend to get really bad “bed head” so the shower gets what little hair I have back in order.
One gambling tip. I don’t gamble much, but I have learned that in order to have fun and to be happy when you are done is to not count your money. Let me explain. Beforehand decide how much you want to gamble with, also know how much you can lose, because the casino has the advantage so you will most likely lose. Once you start gambling do not count your money. The whole idea is to enjoy the gambling experience, which is putting your money on the line, a pretty unique feeling. If you count your money during this process you will be reminded that you are losing money, which will take away from the fun of the gambling experience. If you count your money and you are lucky enough to actually be winning then you should just stop right then. From that point forward all you will be thinking about is the fact that you were up at one point and you lost it (because you most likely will lose it). So if you are going to gamble set a time limit and a money limit. Once you reach one of those limits just walk away. Hopefully you enjoyed the experience and the feeling, the “rush” that is gambling. If you were lucky enough to reach your time limit before your money limit, then maybe just maybe you won some money and at the very least you didn’t lose as much as you had planned.
Probably best to not even gamble. I only do it once or twice a year plus I happen to find craps to be a fun game.
And that was Las Vegas. I’ve always gone for a convention. At some point I should go just to hang out and relax. Many of the hotels have expansive pool complexes and the hotels are a pretty good value during the week when I have my days off from work. I keep saying to myself to do it, but I haven’t yet. Someday.... Someday.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
George Carlin RIP
George Carlin passed away today at the age of 71. I don't know how to feel. He wasn't really young like Tim Russert but he really wasn't that old either. When older people pass away I tend to not get very sad and think of what a good life they lived. I guess 71 isn't old nor young. I hope he lived a good life.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
End of Analog Ads
For some bizarre reason there are "If you watch TV using an antenna" ads (PSA's) airing on cable channels like Food Network. They are warning people that analog TV is ending and all of them watching TV via an antenna need to get a converter box to see digital over-the-air channels. Wrong audience people! They can't see Food Network or any other cable channel with their current antenna. Are they hoping to catch these antenna people watching cable TV at a friend's house? Just bizarre.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Get Smart Premiere
Thursday, June 12, 2008
No Driver Today
The first round of the longest U.S. Open in history has started and Phil Mickelson does not have a driver in his bag. The pros play a different game than the rest of us. No driver ... amazing.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Apple Store Is Back; 3G iPhone
The Apple Store is now back. What other company would voluntarily close their online store for almost 3 hours? 3G iPhone has been announced and it has GPS (use sparingly or kill your battery). Only $199 for the 8Gig version. AAPL has come off it's low of the day and is at 183.61, volume 43,737,976 with 1 hour still to go in the trading day. I have no idea how the market will react to today's announcements. The new iPhone will be available on July 11th and I will guess that the stock will be above 200 on that day.
Someone Doesn't Like Apple Stock At This Moment
Apple is at 176.206, volume 30,102,968, down 5.08%. Someone out there hates what Steve Jobs has been talking about at the Steve-Note at the WWDC in San Francisco. This could turn around in an instant if a big announcement is made. If not, it could be a bad week for AAPL.
WWDC Steve-Note 1 hour and counting
The Steve-Note up in San Francisco is at one hour and counting. Lots of iPhone app demos but no big announcements yet. The Apple Store is still down (2 hours and counting). AAPL is at 180.90, volume 26,653,036, down 2.55% at 11AM here in LALA land.
Apple Stock 40 minutes into WWDC
Apple stock is at 181.12, down more than 2%. Volume at more than 24 million shares traded. A lot of shares sold to drop the price like that. Still waiting for a big announcement.
Apple Stock 5 minutes before WWDC
5 minutes before the WWDC Steve-Note and Apple stock is at 183.74, down about 1% compared to Friday's close, but it was down close to 2% earlier this morning. Will we see a big pop during and after the Steve-Note? Also, what companies will get a boost from today's announcements? A GPS company perhaps (I own Garmin), an iPhone app company?
WWDC Best Coverage at TWITLIVE.tv
Leo Laporte at twitlve.tv has the best coverage of Apple's WWDC Steve-Note. Leo and friends are jumping around paying attention to everyone trying to blog, audio-cast, or video-cast the WWDC. Leo has live video, audio, and a chat.
Apple Store Is Down
The Apple Store is already down, one hour to go until the Steve-Note. If the Steve-Note lasts more than an hour then the store may be down for more than 2 hours. Seems like a long time to have an online store down. There must be a lot of things going on under the hood to have it down for so long. Excitement builds! A lot more may be announced than expected. I'm hoping for something that no one has predicted yet.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Headlines Miss The Point
Yahoo's headline, "Man jumps from plane with no parachute, dies". Why include the comma and "dies"? Wouldn't it be a much more interesting headline by just saying, "Man jumps from plane with no parachute." We don't need to know that a death ensued (we assume this). But we would want to get into the story to find out what the heck happened. No one is saying yet why he jumped from the plane. Maybe he was just caught up in the moment and had the most infamous "whoops" moment in history.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Boston Pictures
I just posted pictures of Boston taken during a trip in early March 2004. The pictures go along with a travel log that a wrote.
Lexington and Concord Pictures
I just posted pictures to flickr from a trip to Lexington and Concord in Feb. 2004. A quick trip and the weather was perfect.
Monday, June 2, 2008
High Oil Prices Are Good For The Environment
Environmentalists must love ever higher oil prices. Every dollar higher makes solar and wind look that much better to government and industry. Go ahead oil traders and oil producing countries, enjoy your profits now (thank China and India for the explosion in demand for oil, causing much of this price increase). As soon as the next president is in office, expect an exponential increase in solar and wind tax breaks, rebates, and research. Of course, the airlines are still going to be screwed until demand for oil levels off and prices start to go back down. But be hopeful, the environment will get better because of all this.
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