I uploaded pictures of our trip over to Hong Kong and they can be found by clicking the picture above. Now we are in Hong Kong and experienced our first full day here, and it was very nice. We woke up about 8:00 a.m., after going to bed the afternoon before around 5:00 p.m. As of right now, our bodies are experiencing the throws of jet lag as our circadian rhythms are all messed up.
I ran into a friend, Adam Horbach, who has just finished up his training in Hong Kong and is heading home for some R&R.; It was God that brought him to us, because he explained a lot of helpful details about starting out here in the Headland Hotel. Like: Instead of paying for laundry service, there are washers and dryers up on the 22nd floor, walk a certain trail to Tung Chung, instead of paying for a cab or bus (Tung Chung has shopping and is the cheapest train station to get to downtown Hong Kong), where to eat, that I need to wear a tie on day one and for simulator check rides (oops, gotta buy those today!), and more. I’m glad we ran into him.
After meeting him, and him giving us a general tour, we ate some lunch at the hotel restaurant and headed out for some adventure — in other words, to find me a shirt and tie! We walked to Tung Chung to look around at the shopping and then catch a train ride down town. Tung Chung is just a small district and is where I stayed on my last visit to Hong Kong, for my second interview with Cathay. It’s a little pricey over there, but if you need groceries or fancy clothes, the shopping is there for you.
Then we took the train down to Mong Kok, a shopping district that Adam told us about. He got a tailored suit with a high thread count, three shirts, and two ties for less than $300 U.S. Wow! We looked, and did find a shirt and tie, but not within the sales price that Adam found. I hope to hear back from him exactly where he went, because I want deals like that. Mong Kok is dubbed the busiest place on the planet, with the Guinness book of world records placing it as the highest population density in the entire world! Crowding through the streets, I can see why.
I saw some good deals on high-end camera equipment, to the tune of about $300 U.S. dollars cheaper than in NYC, but I couldn’t fine Wii’s cheaper here — yet. All the Wii’s I run into are more expensive than in the U.S. if I want the English, U.S. version. I’ll keep looking for a good deal. However, there is no trouble getting one like back home, as they are stacked on every street corner!
We headed back on the train to Tung Chung, and the entire train round trip for both of us was less than $10 bucks. Nice.
Our Vonage box went out when I plugged it in here in the hotel. Bummer. I read on the internet to expect them to last for around three years and mine is that old. I’m guessing that I probably should have kept it in my carry-on luggage, instead of checking it, where no doubt, it got banged around pretty hard. Oh well. My dad is sending us a new one, and if or when we get it up and running, our home phone number will be in use shortly. But, PLEASE do not call our mobile phones, for any reason — they are shut off, but messages, once received, will cost us. If our phone just rings, receives a voicemail or text, or contacts the cell tower for any reason, it’s a $1.50 and then $1.50 a minute! For emergencies, call our families, and they will have the number to the hotel and can connect you. (If you have Vonage, to call us here in Hong Kong is four cents a minute! Without Vonage, hang on tight!)
We look forward to the next day and see what it has to offer. I feel like these days of fun are the calm before the storm, so I’m trying to enjoy as much of it as possible. Only sleeping a few hours a night can make the days seem long and irritable at times, but that too shall pass. I’m certainly glad that we came early, because I wouldn’t want to feel like this on day one of class. Also, if you are headed out on a vacation to a far away land, like Australia any time soon, may I make a recommendation? Spend the money and go for an extra two or three days. That way, you will have more days to recover from the ensuing jet lag and thus enjoy your visit even more.
Well, we’ll see what happens tomorrow!
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