Over (the Pacific) and Out

My three-day, four-flight trip home is over, so this last "J-Mac's Junket" blog entry is bittersweet. But, spending my last 18 hours in Hong Kong was a great way to end a whirlwind trip.

one of the world's greatest skylines

My flight from Bangkok arrived in the late evening (putting me in the city at 9 pm), and although I missed the nightly Victoria Harbor light show (8 pm), I considered the skyline to be a pretty fantastic show in and of itself. My digs at the YMCA Salisbury Hotel couldn't be beat, either.

View from my room at the YMCA ... note the Peninsula next door and the HK Air and Space Museum across the street

Situated right next door to the famous Peninsula Hotel, the YMCA is a great option. They even gave me a free upgrade so that my room had a partial view of Victoria Harbor ... all for less than $100 a night, which is a steal given HK prices. Highly recommended!

Victoria Harbor

a Junk lit up by the Harbor skyline

On Friday, I ran around town to do a bit more sightseeing and shopping before heading to the airport. The Star Ferry across from Kowloon to Hong Kong was a brief but memorable ride. Once I started making my way through the pedestrian walkways connecting the MTR stations, malls, and office buildings, I immediately sensed a strong police presence. Only later did I realize I couldn't have been far from Chinese President Hu Jintao, who was in town making the rounds to participate in the celebration commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to Chinese rule.

Getting Around in Hong Kong

near Hollywod Ave., Hong Kong

Parades, ceremonies, and a giant fireworks display were all on schedule for the long weekend, and so were protests staged by those fighting for universal suffrage. It was exciting to sense all the activity.

In true form, my United flight for home left two hours late. Once I was on the plane, I re-discovered how much fun (I think) it is to listen to the flight deck on channel 9. You can really hear some crazy things coming from your pilots. For example:

Hong Kong Ground control: "United 828, once you've completed pushback, taxi right... yada yada"
Captain: "Um, we have a little bit of a problem here. Apparently, one of the passengers is having some kind of a panic attack, so we may have to return to the gate to get him off the plane. One of the co-pilots is downstairs talking to him right now. Is there anyone behind us, or can we sit here for a few more minutes?"

(Apparently the situation resolved itself, since we didn't have to return to the gate, and there was never an announcement asking if there were any mental health professionals on board.)

13.5 hours later...

Janesville, WI air traffic control: "United 828, turn right 18 degrees and slow to 25* knots."
Captain: "Roger, right turn and slow to 25 knots. Gosh, that just about turns us into a hovercraft."
Janesville, WI air traffic control: "Well, it's because of sequencing getting into O'Hare -- there's a lot of traffic."

(*I don't really know how many knots they said, but apparently it wasn't a very fast speed for a 747.)

5 minutes later...

Captain: "Any chance we can pick up the speed here?"
Janesville ATC: "Nope. Sorry."

And there you have it. Having flown over Taiwan and Japan, crossed the international date line, eaten three bad airline meals, and completed my first ever sudoko puzzle, I landed at O'Hare around 9 pm. I'm signing off for now, until the next trip... and will be eagerly keeping up with Viv, Joc, and Carl as they continue their adventures! Thanks for reading, all.

Victoria Harbor and the Avenue of Stars

Back on American soil at ORD

Over (the Pacific) and Out

Chicago, United States