Celebrating 23 years since my Trip of a Lifetime❣️
7:15am 4/3/99 – Just woke up from 8 hours of sleep. I feel great but not sure what to do with myself first? I got into the hotel around 9:15pm last night. The 15 plus hour flight wasn’t that bad. I didn’t sleep much but it wasn’t that uncomfortable like everyone warned me it might be.
It was just getting dark as we flew over Hong Kong Harbor so I was able to see a lot of the Islands coming into land. I just followed the crowd to baggage and customs. I couldn’t find the hotel shuttle bus counter at first but then found it. All the systems here in Hong Kong so far are flowingnicely with energy. No problems with speaking English either!
I checked in and then came up to my room. I tried switching the lights on but nothing seemed to work? I propped the door open so I could see. The man with my bags was on his way up so I knew it was just a matter of afew minutes wait. He came in and showed me that you putyour room key next to the door in this slot and leave it there when you are in the room and the lights stay on. How ingenious is that? I then proceeded to call my parents to let them know I arrived to my hotel in Hong Kong safely. Its 13 hours behind back home. I gave mom a quick call and she’ll pass the message to dad. I then went to unpack or at least see if everything was there…
I immediately noticed my lock was missing on my suitcase, so much for that new lock I bought for the trip. I discovered everything in order so must have been customs. Time for a hot bath, a melatonin and some much needed sleep. The bathtub was huge with jets and I took a nice bath and got ready for bed, read a little, then fell asleep.
Now here we are Saturday morning and I need to get ready to venture out today and see the sights of Hong Kong…8:20pm Saturday 4/3/99 – I called Jimmy, a friend from home who now lives in Hong Kong, but never heard back from him? I guess I will touch base when I get back from Beijing next week.
This morning I got up early and turned on the hot water but could not get it going so I washed my hair under the spout, got ready and went downstairs to eat. I had three things to get today…A CD Walkman (YES it’s the 90’s), a lock for my luggage that had been broke off and postcards. After breakfast, I stuck with eggs to play it safe, I came back to my room, got my things and went to the front desk for a map and directions to an electronics place they could recommend, after all it is the Far East. It was right up the street. My CD player was 9 years old and I had just put new batteries in it before I left but it still kept shutting off on the plane. I went off to find a new one. I went to “Fortress” an electronics store, I told the guy what was happening and he said it could be the batteries. I told him “I just changed the batteries” so I decided to buy a new one.
He was patient and helped me find a decent CD player and I stopped and got 2 locks and 2 postcards and came back up to my room to drop everything off. I unpacked the CD player and set it up so the batteries could charge. I unpacked the locks and of course the big one doesn’t fit in the holes of the zipper. I relaxed a little and it was time for lunch. I had soup and a salad and figured I would walk down to the ferries that take you to the island of Hong Kong, about a half hour walk from my hotel. I came back up to get my things to go and walk to the ferry port at the end of Nathan Road. I stopped in some boutiques along the way but nothing really struck me plus I’m going to be back on Thursday and figured I’d shop more then. When I got to the end of the street it was a huge pavilion all along the water so I walked around took some pictures and was glad to have my walkman working and pumping George Michael (don’t judge).
After walking all along the water for a while I decided to head back to the hotel, I was staying on the mainland part of Hong Kong called Kowloon. I walked on the other side of the street from which I had come down, again stopping in some stores along the way. I saw an ESPIRIT shop my favorite store and tried on 2 pairs of shoes, both were not comfortable. I decided to pass on them, thanking the man who had patiently worked with me as I made him get up and down on a ladder several times to get the right size for me.
I changed George to Madonna and headed out the store back to the hotel. I had confirmed my flight for tomorrow to Beijing and reserved a spot on the 6:55am bus to the airport. I also secured the idea that I could in fact leave some luggage with the hotel until next Thursday when I would return from Beijing to start the study tour. Then back up to my room to relax and read before dinner. Today was the first day I was really ever traveling by myself?
I ate alone, and not bad, I brought a book and it was fine. I love the Chinese teas here. So far I don’t need my teas I brought from home. After diner I repacked my suitcase so I could leave the big one here then wrote in my journal, hopped in the bath and then off for some well earned sleep…until later.
