Arriving in Hong Kong
As promised yesterday, I thought I would kick things off today with tales of last Thursday:
Before I tell you about Hong Kong, I probably have to mention my journey there...
A circuitous route
Back in February, when we booked our flights, we weren't merely prompted by a special sale—rather, we wanted to also take advantage of a short-running promotion that awarded double credits to attain status with the airline as we were both in a hunt for Gold at the time. Given the offer, coupled with the fares, we decided it would be best to maximise the ROI where possible, so rather than meeting in Sydney and taking a non-stop flight to Hong Kong, we decided to meet in Melbourne. And rather than me flying straight there, I elected to spend an extra hour-and-a-half on the journey to really punch up my status earning.
I found the flights I wanted, a six-segment ripper of an experience—three each way—taking me from Sydney to Canberra to Melbourne to Hong Kong (and then the reverse on the way back), and when I made the booking over the phone (as the website wouldn't let me book in the itinerary, even though it was showing up as an option) the customer service agent was very confused as to why I wasn't just going non-stop for the same price. Though once I told her about the double status promotion, she actually totally understood. Call me crazy, but I was happy to spend a few hours extra travelling if it meant a payout in the end!
Small-Medium-Large
The journey also gave me the added benefit of not having to deal with the international airport in Sydney, which is further from my house and far more hectic with security. So on Thursday morning I was out the door just after 5:15. A short Uber ride got me to the airport by 5:30, and after checking in and showing my passport I was at the gate and ready to start my journey after a quick breeze through security. The jump over to Canberra, which is less than 150 miles by air, was on a turbo prop, the smallest of three planes I would be boarding in rapid succession. The flight took less than an hour, affording me some PhD reading time while I munched on a small breakfast. Once we arrived at Canberra's tiny airport, it was a quick walk down the stairs of the plane, and up into the terminal, where I walked one gate over and waited to board my second flight a few minutes later.
While the journey between Canberra and Melbourne isn't all that much further than from Sydney, I happened to be on one of the jet runs of the day (the mix jets and turbo props on both routes, depending on demand). After just a five minute wait at the gate, I boarded flight two of the morning and we made the quick trip over to Melbourne.
Once in Melbourne, it was a short walk over to the International Terminal (unlike Sydney, where the domestic and international are different facilities on the opposites sides of the airport, Melbourne is all connected, making the journey much easier), where I passed through security again and headed off to the gate to meet my friend, who had made it in earlier from Melbourne. We only had to wait a few minutes before boarding was called and we found our seats near the from front of economy and settled in for the nine-hour journey.
Now, I used to think that Australians were crazy when they said that nine-hour flights weren't that long, but after all of the ultra-long haul flights last year (four in what was one plane-filled November), the nine-hour jaunt across Australia and the far western reaches of the Pacific flew by (no pun intended). With two meal services, a few movies (I highly recommend BlacKKKlansman), and mining the Hong Kong guidebook for information, it seemed like just a few hours before we were making our evening descent over the South China Sea.
Border control was quick, and before 6:00 we were off on the train to the city.
A night full of food
After getting off the train at Hong Kong Station in the heart of the business district on HK Island, we made the 20-minute walk to our hotel in Sai Ying Pun, to the west, mostly via the city's amazing network of elevated walkways. While it was the end of peak hour, it wasn't quite as crowded and hectic as I had expected, which was probably a good thing as we negotiated the small sidewalks.
Check in was a breeze, and after we had freshened up, we headed back eastward on foot to meet up with a friend of my friend from growing up who happened to be in town as well. We got together in Lan Kwai Fung, a neighbourhood on the edge of the massive mountain at the centre of HK Island dominated by bars and restaurants. After scoping things out, we began our evening with dessert at Tai Cheong Bakery, known for their beignets (I couldn't resist checking them out, and as they closed at 9:00 we had to make the stop before dinner). From there, we then heading over for our first part of the meal at Dumpling Yuan, enjoying two servings of steaming hot dumplings.
With our first two courses out of the way, we decided to find a drink and explore the neighbourhood a bit. One of the idiosyncrasies of HK (which is normal for a New Orleanian and just about no one else) is that beer, wine, and spirits can be bought from any convenience store or grocery and then be consumed on the street. Not wanting to miss a local experience, we grabbed a round of beers at one of the ubiquitous 7-Elevens, and continued on a sojourn around the neighbourhood, including up a few of the Mid-Level (yes, that is the name of a neighbourhood) escalators which ferry commuters up and down the hills of the area.
After we had wrapped up exploring (and finished our beer), we decide to go a bit (way) more upscale and managed to snag a spot at Quinary—one of the top fifty cocktail bars in the world. We enjoyed the people watching, and of course, the drinks, before heading out to find the second part of our dinner at a highly rated brisket shop.
When we arrived, we clearly looked overwhelmed as we looked over the menu. The man in the shop simply said "4, 9, 14," to which we nodded (looking back at the photo I took of the menu for reference later, those were: beef brisket in e-fu noodle in broth; beef slices in e-fu noodle in broth; beef tendon in e-fu noodle in curry). Not five minutes later, three bowls loaded with meat, noodles, and broth, were dropped in front of us. All three were incredible, rounding out a fabulous first night in Hong Kong.
After that we called it a night and headed off to our respective hotels, with the plan to meet up in the morning for a busy day of exploration. The first night introduced us to the amazing dichotomies we would experience over the next few days (street beers/fancy cocktail bar) and gave our stomachs a hint of just what wonderfulness was in store. Back at the hotel, we took in the night view over the city before heading to bed, excited at what the next few days would bring!
As always, I will post better pictures on Facebook once I have culled them! More about the rest of the trip soon.
Before I tell you about Hong Kong, I probably have to mention my journey there...
A circuitous route
Back in February, when we booked our flights, we weren't merely prompted by a special sale—rather, we wanted to also take advantage of a short-running promotion that awarded double credits to attain status with the airline as we were both in a hunt for Gold at the time. Given the offer, coupled with the fares, we decided it would be best to maximise the ROI where possible, so rather than meeting in Sydney and taking a non-stop flight to Hong Kong, we decided to meet in Melbourne. And rather than me flying straight there, I elected to spend an extra hour-and-a-half on the journey to really punch up my status earning.
I found the flights I wanted, a six-segment ripper of an experience—three each way—taking me from Sydney to Canberra to Melbourne to Hong Kong (and then the reverse on the way back), and when I made the booking over the phone (as the website wouldn't let me book in the itinerary, even though it was showing up as an option) the customer service agent was very confused as to why I wasn't just going non-stop for the same price. Though once I told her about the double status promotion, she actually totally understood. Call me crazy, but I was happy to spend a few hours extra travelling if it meant a payout in the end!
Small-Medium-Large
The journey also gave me the added benefit of not having to deal with the international airport in Sydney, which is further from my house and far more hectic with security. So on Thursday morning I was out the door just after 5:15. A short Uber ride got me to the airport by 5:30, and after checking in and showing my passport I was at the gate and ready to start my journey after a quick breeze through security. The jump over to Canberra, which is less than 150 miles by air, was on a turbo prop, the smallest of three planes I would be boarding in rapid succession. The flight took less than an hour, affording me some PhD reading time while I munched on a small breakfast. Once we arrived at Canberra's tiny airport, it was a quick walk down the stairs of the plane, and up into the terminal, where I walked one gate over and waited to board my second flight a few minutes later.
 |
| Heading to flight #1 - small plane. |
While the journey between Canberra and Melbourne isn't all that much further than from Sydney, I happened to be on one of the jet runs of the day (the mix jets and turbo props on both routes, depending on demand). After just a five minute wait at the gate, I boarded flight two of the morning and we made the quick trip over to Melbourne.
 |
| Heading to board flight #2 - medium plane. |
Once in Melbourne, it was a short walk over to the International Terminal (unlike Sydney, where the domestic and international are different facilities on the opposites sides of the airport, Melbourne is all connected, making the journey much easier), where I passed through security again and headed off to the gate to meet my friend, who had made it in earlier from Melbourne. We only had to wait a few minutes before boarding was called and we found our seats near the from front of economy and settled in for the nine-hour journey.
Now, I used to think that Australians were crazy when they said that nine-hour flights weren't that long, but after all of the ultra-long haul flights last year (four in what was one plane-filled November), the nine-hour jaunt across Australia and the far western reaches of the Pacific flew by (no pun intended). With two meal services, a few movies (I highly recommend BlacKKKlansman), and mining the Hong Kong guidebook for information, it seemed like just a few hours before we were making our evening descent over the South China Sea.
 |
| Descending into Hong Kong on flight #3 of the day - large plane. |
Border control was quick, and before 6:00 we were off on the train to the city.
A night full of food
After getting off the train at Hong Kong Station in the heart of the business district on HK Island, we made the 20-minute walk to our hotel in Sai Ying Pun, to the west, mostly via the city's amazing network of elevated walkways. While it was the end of peak hour, it wasn't quite as crowded and hectic as I had expected, which was probably a good thing as we negotiated the small sidewalks.
Check in was a breeze, and after we had freshened up, we headed back eastward on foot to meet up with a friend of my friend from growing up who happened to be in town as well. We got together in Lan Kwai Fung, a neighbourhood on the edge of the massive mountain at the centre of HK Island dominated by bars and restaurants. After scoping things out, we began our evening with dessert at Tai Cheong Bakery, known for their beignets (I couldn't resist checking them out, and as they closed at 9:00 we had to make the stop before dinner). From there, we then heading over for our first part of the meal at Dumpling Yuan, enjoying two servings of steaming hot dumplings.
With our first two courses out of the way, we decided to find a drink and explore the neighbourhood a bit. One of the idiosyncrasies of HK (which is normal for a New Orleanian and just about no one else) is that beer, wine, and spirits can be bought from any convenience store or grocery and then be consumed on the street. Not wanting to miss a local experience, we grabbed a round of beers at one of the ubiquitous 7-Elevens, and continued on a sojourn around the neighbourhood, including up a few of the Mid-Level (yes, that is the name of a neighbourhood) escalators which ferry commuters up and down the hills of the area.
 |
| The Mid-Level escalator network. |
When we arrived, we clearly looked overwhelmed as we looked over the menu. The man in the shop simply said "4, 9, 14," to which we nodded (looking back at the photo I took of the menu for reference later, those were: beef brisket in e-fu noodle in broth; beef slices in e-fu noodle in broth; beef tendon in e-fu noodle in curry). Not five minutes later, three bowls loaded with meat, noodles, and broth, were dropped in front of us. All three were incredible, rounding out a fabulous first night in Hong Kong.
 |
| Dumplings, 7-Eleven drinks, and brisket, making for an amazing evening. |
After that we called it a night and headed off to our respective hotels, with the plan to meet up in the morning for a busy day of exploration. The first night introduced us to the amazing dichotomies we would experience over the next few days (street beers/fancy cocktail bar) and gave our stomachs a hint of just what wonderfulness was in store. Back at the hotel, we took in the night view over the city before heading to bed, excited at what the next few days would bring!
 |
| Looking out toward the city from the hotel. |
As always, I will post better pictures on Facebook once I have culled them! More about the rest of the trip soon.
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