The Typhoon Broke My Umbrella

The Star Ferry Terminal and Hong Kong Skyline

Crossing the bridge from Kowloon to Lantau Island on my way to the airport, the Hong Kong “Symphony of Lights” illuminated the island outside the car window. The sky scrapers were flickering with colored lights while lasers danced in the sky. It was a fitting farewell from Hong Kong and Asia. In a few short hours, I would be on board my Singapore Airlines flight to San Francisco - returning to American soil for the first time in almost three months. My heart raced with anticipation of any number of things: the excitement of flying my favorite airline in the world, getting closer to home, catching up with old friends and family, starting school, wondering when and where my next trip will take me.

My short stay in Hong Kong was pleasant enough. I can’t say I fell in love with the city, but I enjoyed myself and would be happy to return someday. I spent my first day wandering around the city in the dismal pre-typhoon weather. All of the shopping malls and various points around the city had signs stating that signal 3 had been raised for the Special Administrative Region, i.e. a typhoon was anticipated to hit within 12 hours. I had an umbrella with me, but less than an hour after leaving the hotel, a gust of wind literally ripped my umbrella to pieces. The metal frame of the umbrella had snapped into multiple pieces, and the fabric had ripped. I tossed the umbrella in the nearest garbage can and continued wandering around the harbor in the wet, windy weather. I paused to snap some photos of the statue of Bruce Lee along the Avenue of Stars.

The next day, I felt bored with Hong Kong already. The weather was still wet, sticky and cloudy, so my outdoor activities were limited, and I just wasn’t in the mood for museums. In the evening, I decided to go ahead and hop over to Macau. I walked down to the ferry terminal, grabbed a ticket, and boarded the next hydrofoil to Macau. Although the typhoon had passed without ever hitting Hong Kong, the water was still incredibly rough from the windy weather. The two Japanese girls behind me couldn’t quite handle the ride, and they spent the 1.5 hours taking turns running to the restroom, seasick bag in hand.

I would probably point a canon at that building too

I was pleasantly surprised with what I found in Macau. Floating into the port, one can’t help but notice the gargantuan Las Vegas style hotels and attractions that line the Cotai Strip. MGM Grand, Wynn, The Venetian - they’re all there, along with some local casino establishments. I took a cab into the center of town and the ruins of Sao Paolo. I climbed to the top of the fortress, snapped pictures of the old facade, all that remains of St. Paul’s church. Later, I wandered down the cobblestone pedestrian only streets that weave their way through the old Portuguese colonial buildings. Macau isn’t as refined as Hong Kong, but I found it’s rough-edged character enchanting.

Ruins of Sao Paolo

After making a couple laps around the old city, I started hunting for a good Portuguese or Macanese restaurant for dinner. I ended up at a small restaurant tucked in an alleyway near the cathedral where I enjoyed some Pasteis de Bacalhao (Fried Salt Cod Cakes) and Arroz de Marisco (seafood rice). The food was outstanding and served in massive quantities. I felt bad leaving behind so much of the giant pot filled with deliciously creamy rice loaded with prawns, squid, octopus, clams, mussels, and fish. Properly satiated from dinner, I walked back to the ferry terminal and was back in Hong Kong by 1AM.

They really are everywhere

Hong Kong was my last stop in Asia, and I was on my way back to the states, but my journey wasn’t over yet. I spent a few short hours sleeping in San Francisco before an early flight back out of the US to Vancouver. I spent a great weekend with my good friend Jon wandering around Vancouver, eating good food, and having some good laughs.

Airline Passenger Etiquette

Riding as a passenger on an airplane may seem like a fairly straight-forward activity, but after sitting next to my seat buddy for 8 hours, I've come to the conclusion that there is a very important code of behavior for plane travel.

1.) When people have their headphones on and are watching a movie, they probably don't want to talk to you.

2.) Chewing gum on an airplane is no different than chewing gum in any other public place. People CAN hear you when you chew with your mouth open. "Smack, smack, squish, smack, pop." The only oral noises I want to hear from you are words, but only when you are not violating rule number 1.

3.) If the airline meal has given you a particularly heavy case of gas, excuse yourself and make use of the lavatories. Yes, I CAN hear that as well, and we won't even talk about the smells.

4.) It is a simple courtesy to close your window shade when the sun is shining on someone's video screen.

5.) It is better to gently wake someone and excuse yourself to sneak past their seat than to awake them by straddling their lap and passing gas.

There are more rules that we may add to the list as the trip continues, but these are the ones that applied to last night's flight. I'd also like to mention that Lufthansa should really invest in some quality noise-canceling headphones for their business class seats if they are going to make it virtually impossible to use your own headphones with the inflight entertainment system. That would have made the smacking and farting slightly more tolerable.

Airline meal: Mixed greens with hearts of palm and potato salad, Spinach stuffed gnocchi with roasted cremini mushrooms and vegetable cream sauce, Manchego and roquefort cheese with raisins and dates, tres leches cake with fresh berries, topped off with a nice glass of port.