Wonderland
Saturday March 19, 2005 2:30 AM CST, location: UA896, altitude 33000 feet, 3000 miles from Hong Kong. 9 hours until touchdown.

So much to say, so much to show, so much procrastinating...

Fudge. This blog thing was supposed to be easy, not time consuming, user-friendly. Yeah. I don't really know why, but I haven't been able to keep up with it. There are many things I could use as excuses, but they'd be just that. So here is my go at catching up...

Stepping off the plane into Hong Kong International Airport, I knew I would be entering a new world. No matter how many people I met in Hong Kong who spoke English, there would be an entire civilization surrounding me that I wouldn't be able to participate in. Sure, many signs were double labeled in English and Chinese, but the people... I'd been told that I'd be well catered to, that my co-workers would go out of their way to be sure I could get around, and taken care of. Of this I had no worry. But every conversation that would happen around me would go soaring over my head.

For people who flew into the old HK airport, the experience today is very different. I've been told stories about 747s buzzing the high-rises while on final approach. That's no longer the case. HKI is now about 1/2 hour west of Hong Kong Island on the largest island of Hong Kong - Lantau (I'll check to be sure I have that name correct). The Hong Kong airport itself is massive. Most of the traveling I've done has been US domestic, and I constantly hear people complain about O'Hare. Sure it's an older airport, not as spacious as some, and with Chicago weather, of course there will be delays. Until getting to HKI, I didn't understand why O'Hare is so terrible. It's in so many different parts of the airport. I'll tell about it in the positive. I did not see the departure area when I first arrived, since arriving passengers are directed away from departing passengers. HKI is divided into several horizontal levels to allow them to remain separated. Once through the check in area (with ample space available for queuing), the Immigration lanes funnel into the security screening area. The security screening actually flows well. The function which should not be rushed, checking the bag x-ray, is given enough time because two x-ray lanes funnel into a single walk-through metal detector lane. Once past all the official things, the internal terminal is huge. There are a variety of stores to purchase last minute gifts and food. If your gate is at the far end of the airport, there is a 'subway' tram to whisk you from one end to the other. And the best part of the tram is that you don't have to go outside and leave the secure area to get from gate to gate!

Arriving in Hong Kong was equally pleasant. Maybe it was because I arrived on a Sunday night, but the airport was not busy, the customs/immigration lanes were not backed up. The part I liked the best - my baggage arrived quickly! I dread waiting for my bags back at O'Hare. I'd been told there were several ways to get to my hotel from the airport, but taking the least expensive option would have relied on my directional abilities. After visiting someplace the first time I do OK finding my way again, but I didn't want to risk the first journey, so I hopped a sedan for the ride to the Conrad.

Since it was dark, I didn't get to see much on the way in. We crossed bridges, and went thru tunnels, and finally saw the lights of HK. I arrived the week of Chinese New Year (another posts topic). Much of the area about Victoria Harbor was well decked out in lights. That was one of my first impressions driving through the streets of HK on the way to the hotel - Las Vegas Asia. There was so much neon... bright lights, big city. Welcome to Wonderland.
- posted by LyleDeck @ 2:30 AM