During my short visit to Ohio during my training, I was lucky enough to have my parents fly up from Texas for a few days. It was so refreshing to have them here, to catch up in person, and to see them, after all the stress of training.

There is just something calming and stabilizing about being around my family. I know that a lot of families stress out when they are around each other too much, but because I live so far from them and see them so few precious times throughout the year, each visit is something that I cherish.

Because of the storms that we had from hurricane Ike, my dad and I spent some time in the trees, cutting out broken branches, and my mom was a good sport by raking up all our mess.

We also picked up a Mossberg 410 pump action shotgun at Gander Mountain. The gun was my grandfather’s, and after he passed away, my grandma wanted us to have it for Laura. I never realized that UPS, FedEx, and others, including the USPS, won’t allow shipping of guns. So, my dad took the gun to the local Gander Mountain in Tyler, and they were able to transfer it to their store up here in Ohio. We picked it up, cleaned it off, and took it to the firing range for some fun and practice with it. It’s a great gun for Laura because a 410 is much smaller than the familiar 12 gauge shotgun. Also, it is very small and light because it has a pistol grip on it, instead of a big stock that goes up against the shoulder. I’m glad we have it, and Laura did a great job shooting it. We blasted a lot of holes into the paper targets in the range. Think again before entering our house unannounced!

After the firing range, we headed down to Hocking Hills to see Old Man’s Cave. My parents haven’t seen that part of Ohio, and it was fun to get out of the house. The air under the shade of the trees was cool and comfortable. Hopefully, they will be able to visit again some year when the fall colors are at their best.

It was a great day. Shooting the shotgun, visiting the views of southern Ohio, and topping it off with a great dinner at Texas Roadhouse. During stressful or sad times in my life, I’m so blessed to be able to remember, look back at pictures, and think about the fun that we’ve had together as a family. I’m blessed with parents who’ve taken an active role in my life, to pray for me, visit me, help me with projects, and be the great loving parents that all kids should have. I’m so glad they came to visit.

Click on the photo of my parents at the top of the blog to see more photos of our time in Hocking and at the firing range.

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I’m back in Groveport, Ohio this week for a quick break from training in Hong Kong. Cathay builds a few weeks break into our schedules because they don’t have the training staff to carry everyone straight through without any pauses. It saves them money on per diem and hotel costs, it allows us to recharge our batteries at home, and helps get rid of our alloted vacation for the year.

It’s certainly nice to be home for a little over a week, but on the flip side, I’d almost rather stay in Hong Kong until the job is done and training is over. Training has been very stressful and all through this break I have it lingering over my head that I have more, hard exams to go back to in Hong Kong. Also, just as I get back on Ohio’s time, it will be time to head back to Hong Kong and I’ll have to start my time change adjustment all over again, while I’m trying to pass tests in the simulator. My circadian rhythms are going to kill me.

I have a very hard and stressful simulator check to go through when I get back (I appreciate any and all prayers!) and passing that, I move on to flying the plane with revenue passengers on board as I start my line training. Line training is normal procedures that would be used each day, like flying under normal circumstances. In the sim, we practice emergencies and non normal flying that would be unsafe to learn in the real plane. After the sim, we move to the real plane to learn normal flying. Flying is really the least difficult aspect of normal flying. The hard stuff is all the knowledge that needs to be recalled and fully understood, like: fuel policy, regulations, company policy, calculations for alternates, fuel for alternates, how much fuel would we need at a certain point in our flight to get to a safe landing, etc. The list goes on and on. From what I’ve heard, the training I’ve been through so far is nothing compared line flying, so it will be time to hold on tight. If you think of me, say a prayer, it’s going to be the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my 30 years.

But this is what I signed up for, right? :o)

After getting home late on Saturday night, Sunday afternoon, the remnants of hurricane Ike rolled through central Ohio. The same storm passed over my parents house a day or so earlier and didn’t cause much harm. Because of this, I was thinking that it would be an even less traumatic event, as we live so much farther inland than my parents. I was wrong. The winds picked up to about 75 miles per hour and knocked down tree limbs all over the city, including our back yard. We now have several trees in our yard that will probably not live to see next summer. One branch fell within a few feet of our Passat that would have most certainly totaled the car. Thankfully, it missed and life continues.

Then the power went out! No lights, no cool air, no fans, no TV, no internet, no nothing! It ended up being off for almost two days, and what a bummer that was. I couldn’t sleep at night because my time was still 12 hours off, set to Hong Kong time. I woke up Sunday night about 11:30 p.m. and couldn’t go back to sleep. I tried, but to no avail, so I got up. When one can’t sleep at night, usually, it’s no big deal to go downstairs (as to not bother the other half) and pass the time by doing the usual: watch TV or a movie, read a book, listen to music, surf the web, add a blog entry, or whatever. In my case, with no power, there was absolutely NOTHING to help me pass the time! I tried to play “real old school” and read the Bible by candle light, but after almost going blind and burning my fingers on hot, dripping wax, I gave that up. The only other thing to do was go drive around in the car.

I checked up on Laura’s grandparents house to see if they had power (they did) and moved a branch out of the middle of main street. I adjusted and aligned the headlights, took out the trash, and snacked on some chips — and I still needed to kill several more hours before sunup! If you ever find yourself jet-lagged in a house with no power, be prepared for some serious torment.

The power is now back on, and I’m catching up on e-mail, this blog, and getting ready for my parents to visit in a few days. They are flying up on Thursday to stay for several days, and after all the stress of training, they will be a sight for sore eyes. I’m looking forward to them seeing all the hard work we’ve put into the house and catch up with them in person, instead of over the phone with Vonage.

Once they leave, it will be time to head back to Cathay City. It will be a bittersweet trip back into the “teeth of the tiger.” I want the training over, but at the same time, it really is an amazing experience, one that I will remember for the rest of my life: Learning to fly a 747.

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We headed down to Causeway Bay for some dinner at the Outback Steakhouse on Hong Kong Island and it was great! Click on the picture of the Outback sign I took outside the restaurant for more photos or our evening.

I’ve been so busy with studies and training, that I had one afternoon to go out, relax, and get away from the “biosphere” training center. Laura and I had a hankerin’ for some good food from the USA and since we hadn’t had steak in a long time, we found an Outback Steakhouse. It was eerie how similar it was to the ones back home. There were so many similarities: the wood steps and flooring, the Australian memorabilia, low hanging lights over the booths, the dark bread and butter, and even the same music. If we didn’t look outside, we would swear we were back in Texas or Ohio.

The steak was awesome and so was the blossom. The meal cost almost twice what it would have back home, but I guess there is a premium price for good food from the USA here in Hong Kong. It was good to get out and walk around. We took the blue line to the Causeway Bay stop and then after dinner, because we wanted to walk and sight see, we walked down to the next MTR stop, about a half mile down. The streets bustled with people, double-decker busses and taxis raced around, and old, narrow, open roofed, double-decker trolleys rolled down the center of Hennessy St. There are several Outbacks here and we ate at the one on Hong Kong Island.

Laura will be trying to head home in the next few days, but it looks like all the flights are full. Typhoon Nuri, that passed through Hong Kong last week, cancelled lots of flights and has caused havoc at the airport. Nuri caused lots of damage, with trees falling across roads and closing the airport. Nuri was a level nine, second strongest, from level 10, and there hasn’t been a level nine since 2003. With summertime in Hong Kong, the threat of typhoons seem to loom over the city every day.

I sure am going to miss Laura when she heads back to Ohio, so I’m trying to soak up as much of her as I can before she makes like a tree and leaves. Tomorrow night, we plan to eat on the top floor of the hotel we are staying in, which provides a great view of the area. As for Laura, she’s enjoyed her time here, and with the travels, seeing a new city, sleeping in, taking it easy, and being off of work, I can honestly say that she isn’t ready to leave. As all good things come to an end, she’ll be headed back soon, but a few weeks after that, I too, will hopefully be on my way back as well.

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Today we headed down to the Kowloon District of Hong Kong, to do some shopping in the Ladies Market. We wanted to see if we could pick up some souvenirs and see what else we could see. Click on the picture above to see more photos of our day out shopping.

The ladies market is a few blocks long of streets that have been closed off to traffic, and little tents have been set up to sell trinkets and knock-off watches and hand bags to passers by, usually tourists like us. “Copy watch for you?” “Gucci, Prada bag for you?” It was fun to see all that was for sale, but at the same time, it was sad to see the poor people trying to sell us stuff. There were also legless beggars and deformed people asking for money as they dragged themselves along the roadside. Pitiful is the only way to describe the beggars, and we were once again reminded of just how blessed we are.

The game to play in all these street markets is to haggle. Haggling is something that neither of us do very well. We end up feeling sorry for the people! I’ve heard that if you don’t haggle the price down, you’ll be getting ripped off, and you’ll be offending the sellers. I’m sure that’s true, but when something costs either 10 dollars or 5 dollars, is haggling even necessary?

The trouble is, if you show any interest at all in an object, even to ask its price, they latch on to you and quote you a price. If you say that you are not interested in it, they assume you are trying to wheel and deal and quote a lower price and go after you. The “hassle free” shopping experience in Asia is non-existent! When you walk away, they yell even lower prices, hoping to get you to come back. It’s sad, a ploy, and embarrassing, all at the same time.

For example, we bought a trinket from a girl, but she originally offered us the price of 190 Hong Kong dollars. We didn’t want to pay more than 10 U.S. dollars for it, or 80 Hong Kong. She came down to 160, and we started to walk away, genuinely not wanting to pay that price and happy to let her sell it to someone else for 160. But, she yelled out a lower price and then lower. We came back with 90. She asked us to please come up at least a little more. “Just a little more, a little more.” Her voice was sad and pleading, as if to say “I need this money to feed my kids.” It was either a good ploy, practiced over and over to us white skinned tourists, or she was genuine. We said, “That’s okay, we don’t need it that badly,” and turned to leave. That’s when she gave in and sold it to us for 90.

At first, I was glad to not be “taken” for something that probably didn’t cost her much at all. But then I thought about how much I have versus how little they have. I earn thousands of Hong Kong dollars a month, and am working to not overpay for something in the market by 10 bucks. Would her kids be hungrier because I was so stubborn? Am I just crazy? Maybe I should have given that 10 extra bucks to the beggars we passed. I guess in the end, the lady didn’t have to sell us the trinket, she could sell it to someone else, but in the end, making 90 dollars was better than none at all, I suppose.

We went by the Jade market, where there were lots of things made out of Jade. We didn’t buy any of it, because Laura read that if you don’t know your Jade, then best not to pay too much for it, because fakes abound.

We then headed down to the old YMCA hotel in the heart of Hong Kong. It was neat to see because I remember staying there years ago, in 1984, on our last trip out of Indonesia, heading back to the U.S. for the last time.

Finally, we headed up to Temple street, to the markets there to see what we could see. Again, they close off streets and set up shops so that people (more locals here than at the ladies market) can buy almost anything they want. We finished up with dinner at the Spaghetti House for some pasta dinner.

Going downtown here in Hong Kong is always amazing and my pictures never do the city justice. The sounds, the smells, the shear volume of people, the neon signs, the busses, the traffic, the heat, the sweat, to even the condensation from air conditioners high above dripping water onto the sidewalks below. The crowds on the MTR can be stifling or relaxing. The food can be great or scary. The air can be cool and clear or smoggy and thick. But whatever this city is, it will always remain amazing and there will always be something new to discover about it, with each visit. I’m taking away a lot of memories from Hong Kong and truly hope that someday, you to will get to come here and visit this amazing city.

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We wanted to see some views of Hong Kong from a lookout point in Kowloon. A lot of photos of the old airport were shot from the Lung Cheung lookout point, off of Lung Cheung road. The famous pictures of aircraft flying over the building tops by just a few hundred feet, and the aircraft lining up with the runway from a steep bank, were all shot from this part of Hong Kong.

Old Kai Tak airport closed back in 1998, to the chagrin of many aviation enthusiasts and photographers alike. It was built into the harbor like a long pier, and planes had to fly right over the city to land on the runway. It was a challenge for pilots and really wasn’t the safest place to build an airport, as the traffic increased into the airport and as Hong Kong grew. Building heights had to stay below a certain minimum and with only one runway, there was no potential for growth.

In 1998, as Kai Tak closed, a new airport was opened about 20 miles away, Chek Lap Kok, and is one of the newest airports in the world, and one of the most amazing. It’s new Terminal One is breathtaking and there is food and shopping all over. The airport, as land is at a premium in Hong Kong, again like Kai Tak, was built by reclaiming land off Lantau Island. Even Cathay headquarters and the hotel we are in, is on land that was reclaimed and built up into the harbor. The new airport is away from the city, so there are no views of aircraft coming in to land just over the tops of the buildings. Too bad, but that is what progress does, I guess.

There is a video at the bottom of the post shows that I am not joking about it requiring some skill to land at old Kai Tak, especially when the crosswinds were high. Not all the pilots could do it, or at least smoothly and safely. All Nippon Airways, or ANA, is notorious for having pilots that struggled when landing there. Korean Air had one of the worst, though. This 747 was one of the worst captured on tape, in posterity, for all to see. The pilot landing in this picture dragged the far left engine (number one) and it had to be overhauled. Wild stuff, to say the least. I just wish I had an opportunity to try it.

Now, all that is gone. From our lookout point, we could see the old runway that is now a go-cart center, a drag strip, bowling alleys, and more. The view of the city was pretty amazing and we could see all the growth that exemplifies Hong Kong. The view wasn’t as wild as our view from Victoria Peak, but it was still pretty cool.

We then walked to the train station to catch a ride down to Victoria Harbor. Every night at 8 p.m. in Hong Kong, they do a light show with the buildings across the Harbor blinking and set to music. Some nights they set off fireworks, but every night there is a narration that introduces each building and as that is done, each building’s lights blink as it is introduced. The narration is done in several languages, one per night. This night wasn’t in English, but we still enjoyed the show. Laser light, strobes, and flashing lights on the buildings were pretty cool.

It was dark enough that I wasn’t able to get a lot of shots that weren’t blurry, so next time, I’ll have to buy and bring a tripod. Every visit to Hong Kong needs, at a minimum, to see the light show.

Click on the picture at the top of the blog entry to see more photos from our day and the views of Hong Kong. Click below for the landing movie.

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This is just a quick view of my new home away from home. I try to spend as many hours a day as I can sitting here learning about the 747. It is a pretty amazing bird, but the voice that talks to me in my headphones doesn’t seem to care that his tone and inflection never change. It gets hard to listen to him for hours at a time.

Meanwhile, Laura is enjoying herself in the room, working sudoku and crossword puzzles and watching t.v. shows. Her favorite is on Discovery Channel, which we don’t have at home, called The New Detectives. Detectives solve real mysteries in the lab, catching criminals by finding their DNA and so forth. Also, today, she was able to hang out by the pool and only managed to burn herself just a little bit!

Off to get some sushi for dinner . . .

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