Well I have made it across the Pacific! After a long journey I have finally (and I mean finally) made it into the special administrative region of China, also known as Hong Kong. We landed a little after 7 p.m. local time (GMT +8 or 12 hours forward of New York) and it is very apparent that I brought the rainy dreary weather with me. Now to backtrack through my travels:
I woke up Sunday morning in Washington D.C. at 4:15 a.m. I didn't really sleep that much as I was constantly checking the time afraid I would sleep through the alarm I set. Once up I did the morning ritual, making sure I had my passport and ticket for the long haul. Dad and I left Michael's house five minutes to five for the ten minute drive to Reagan Airport. Dad dropped me off at the top and I walked inside to find American Airline's counter, only to be ushered to use a computer kiosk to check-in.
Check-in was pretty uneventful, I just had to show my passport and fudge the date I am supposed to be back in the states, as Hong Kong only allows a stay of ninety days without a visa, and according to my return ticket I will be here for a few days over a hundred (going to change to an earlier date once I get overseas). I checked my bags, one coming in at 47.5 pounds and the other just over 10. Glad I decided to go for the smaller suitcase and a small bag. I look like the stereotypical student walking through the terminal as I make my way to security. I have my blue L.L. Bean book bag, iPod, Virginia Tech fleece, and various other items with me that would fulfill the collegiate requirement. I pass through security with ease and now comes the waiting game for my first flight. If you have ever traveled with me, you know how much I loathe commercial flying and the only thing that makes it tolerable is an exit row seat. I luckily got exit rows for my first two flights, but sadly I was stuck in the "regular" seat for the long haul across the ocean.
I boarded my flight Dallas-Fort Worth and we departed the gate a little before 7 a.m. Wheels were up about 7:15 a.m. and the flight was uneventful. I made some headway on the books I brought along and ordered a water in flight. We touched down at DFW a little before 9 a.m. and the trip was starting out quite well. I walked up the jet bridge and noted the warmer weather and humidity, I foretaste of Hong Kong I thought. Once in the terminal I decided I would get my last taste of home grown food and made my way to McDonald's. I got my standard breakfast, a sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddle, a sausage biscuit, and a sprite with no ice. I made my way to my gate and made friends with a girl named Sarah from UT-Austin. I forget what we talked about, but she was quite nice and she was headed to Canada for a summer trip. I made my last call on my phone to my parents and then turned my cell phone off (which will be the case for the next couple of months). The gate agents were calling for my boarding group and I made my way onto the 757 for another uneventful flight in the exit row on my way to Vancouver, B.C.
Wheels were up a few minutes before 11 a.m. and this flight was much the same as the flight to Dallas. I made conversation with the gentleman next to me as he had saw the book I was reading and had a few comments about it (I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, who doesn't have a comment about this book is the real question). Our main joke was that we couldn't really tell our neighbors what we were laughing about as the stories aren't exactly the best to recant to a complete stranger. But all was well and I finished that book and moved onto some books by Mitch Albom, which I did not have to worry sharing with my neighbors should they ask. After about four hours in the air, the wheels touched Canadian ground a little before 1 p.m. The weather here was rainy and cooler. It made me glad I brought my fleece along with me.
I made the long walk to customs, I turned in the form to the Canadian customs official which I had filled out on the plane and continued my way to the international terminal. It was quite large and had many moving sidewalks to get from one end of the desolate terminal to the other. I found my gate and attained my boarding pass and of course asked for my exit row, but this flight was full and I was unable to attain such seat. With that, I found the food court and had my last North American meal. Subway and doughnuts were on the menu. Quite a tasty combination I must say.
This flight would be my first international flight in over ten years. I remembered the last international plane I was on quite spacious, but then again I was just over eleven years old. I was quickly reminded that the Airbus A340 was not a spacious plane and my memory needed to be re-sized for my younger self. I found my seat and quickly made friends with my Chinese seat mate. I forget her name but we chatted about where we're from and the like. She was on holiday in Canada visiting her family and was now headed back to Hong Kong. We noted the long flight ahead and me looking like a sardine in a can.
We pushed back a little after 3 p.m. and I saw the wings flex up around 3:15. The long haul flight hath begun and I was already ready to get off the plane. Thirteen hours to go and no land in sight. I will say one thing, if I ever fly internationally again, I will choose Cathay Pacific at all costs. The service was fantastic and I even got a pillow, blanket, and peanuts. I guess they haven't felt the financial crunch like all of the American based airlines. Each seat had a screen on it with our position, ground speed, and estimated time of arrival on it. On these screens one could also choose from a large selection of movies. I found myself watching Avatar, Dorian Gray, and Road to Perdition. All very good movies and I even finished Albom's book and started on another. The seats were cramped and when one goes to recline the seat, it does not move back, rather the seat slides forward. To say the least, Airbus does not get points in the passenger comfort category. But the meals were quite good. I actually can say I ate all of both in-flight meals. The first was a pasta and the second beef. Throughout the flight drinks were offered so it was a nice way of sidetracking my mind into thinking I was comfortable. I never really was able to sleep even though all of the window shades were down in my cabin. After thirteen hours of twiddling my thumbs, we touched down, 7:09 p.m. Hong Kong time. I made it to Asia! Now the only thing to conquer is officially getting into the country.
Customs was not much of a chore. It was a firm twenty minute walk from the airplane gate to the customs area, but I guess in China they like the red tape. I filled out my custom card and was given my entry into Hong Kong for ninety days. Once I claimed my bags, I made my way to purchasing a train ticket (HKD100) to get into central Hong Kong. I boarded the Airport Express for the 22 minute ride into the city. The views of the city along the ride were quite nice, I just wish the weather had been a bit better as it was raining by now. I made my way into through the train station and swiped my ticket to exit.
I met Mary and it had been quite a while since I've seen her. Between little sleep, a long flight, and the twelve hour time difference; my body was ready to crash. We took a taxi home and I did my best to stay up whilst talking to Alasdair and his daughter, Alex. It was time to grab a shower as I felt disgusting and make my way to bed. Asia is great so far. I leave for my first day at RacingThePlanet at 8:00 a.m. I cannot wait! More to come.
Totals for the day:
Time in transit : 24 hours
Time slept: <1 hour
Miles covered: only God knows.
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