Getting through Hong Kong's ticket counters wasn't difficult at all, and we had plenty of time to spare in the airport. I strongly considered getting one more dim sum for the road, but I had enjoyed such a delicious dim sum lunch on Sunday that I didn't want to spoil the memory. The dim sum at the airports was still served in the little bamboo baskets, and it looked really good. However, if you're flying into Hong Kong and planning on staying a while, just wait to get dim sum at a quality restaurant rather than the cafes. If you're flying through Hong Kong and need a dim sum fix, then it might be all right. The shops also offered wonton noodles (mien), milk tea, bubble teas, mango pudding, and cha siu pork buns. They appeared to accept both HKD and USD, but I would probably try exchange some money rather than bank on that.
Hong Kong's terminal felt more like a glamorous mall, filled with high end stores, like Prada and another Louis Vuitton. The LV Flagship store resides at the Landmark shopping centre in Central District. The only thing that felt out of place in my luxury mall experience were that the signs pointed to gates and departure notices. The gleaming floors reflected the brightly adorned window showcases that showed off the expertly designed and assembled designer purses and clothes. Occasionally, a recorded announcement explaining that you should keep an eye on your belongings and that you should give extra time in the security queues would play in two or three languages, one of them English.
The airport was really easy to navigate, because there were signs pointing out the directions you needed to go in order to reach certain gates. Are there any poorly designed, confusing airports? I'm sure there are, but Hong Kong's made perfect sense. I had never been to this airport, because we still flew into Kai Tak Airport when I was younger. The reclaimed portion of Lantau Island upon which this gleaming, new airport stands was just a collection of islands then. Now it's a bustling region with high rise apartments, businesses, another mall over the MTR, and a sophisticated-looking bus and taxi terminus. It's really nice to fly into Lantau, because it's picturesque and spacious. It's a little less excited than feeling like you're flying in between the high rise flats, but it's probably easier for the pilots. If you haven't seen those flying adventures, you can check out Lawrence Lai's photos. He captured some good shots before the airport was closed, and framed reprints of his pictures were available in several galleries and bookstores throughout HK.
Seoul's airport was equally impressive. Where we happened to disembark the airplane, after passing through security, we found the Korean Cultural Center at the Airport. It featured some history, some art, and some re-enactment actors (is that what they're called?) who were wearing some traditional Korean clothes, including jeogoris, chimas, and paji. I think the actors were depicting royalty, because they marched around the terminal in a special procession, and then they posed for pictures outside the Center. That was nice, except for all the people trying to get past the crowd that had assembled. We found ourselves quickly caught in the flow of annoyed passengers trying to reach their gates through the gauntlet of a gathering seeking to take pictures, read maps, and gawk. When we finally emerged on the other side of the bottleneck surrounding the Center, we were relieved to find that we were close to our gate.
Something that I find amusing about exchanging money is how rich you feel the minute the teller exchanges your US cash for the local currency. Immediately after thinking, "Wow, I have 4,000 won," you realize that one 8-oz latte will cost you 8,000 won. Dang it. Back to being poor again, just with different currency. We had chosen to exchange our HKD for USD, but we had to go through Korean Won to get there. So, the teller returned a crisp 5 USD and a 1,000 won bill to me. I was confused, but then I realized she'd given me about ninety cents in Korean cash. Grg. So, armed with a bill worth less than 1 USD, I tried to find something to spend it on. After walking in and out of three cafe-shops, I settled on a bottle of water for 800 won and donated my remaining 200 won to the UNICEF box on the counter. It will probably cost the staff more to retrieve the bills from that case.
Besides our short layover in Korea, we spent our flight enjoying the rather gracious and attentive service of Korean Air, a partner of Delta. I'm so glad Korean Air was flying us. The airplane we were on was new, the in-seat tellies were new, the cup holders on the back of the tray-tables were whole, and the windows lacked the usual scratches and smudges of older airlines. The headphone jacks were also normal input holes rather than those over-large plastic dual-holes. The attendants handed out little disposable wet cloths with which we could remove airport grime. Haagen-Dazs ice cream was served in between our Korean-style dinner of Bibimbap and breakfast. Water, tea, coffee, and wine were also offered periodically throughout the flight.
We attempted to sleep, but apparently sitting in an airplane seat has the opposite effect of lulling me to sleep. I am instantly wide awake, filled with enough energy to embark on "the next great book." Instead, I satisfied myself by watching some recent hits, including "Black Swan" and "King's Speech." Not a bad trade-off. One minus to the especially attentive staff of Korean Air is that every time the airline experienced turbulence, which was minor and not really noticeable initially, the pilot would implement the fasten-seat belt-sign and the attendants would announce the change - in Korean, in Chinese, and in English.
We arrived in Seattle just after lunch. Our bodies thought it was 4:00am. We attempted some conversation with Joshua's mom, who had left work early to pick us up. We even attempted to wash our clothing. While we waited for it to wash, we laid down next to the Schaub's basement fireplace to rest a little. About an hour later, we managed to drag ourselves to the washer and dryer and start to pack our clothes into our bag again so we could head back to Seattle. We were going pretty slowly, but our nap had revitalized us a bit. At least it wasn't a long drive.
These past few days have involved getting used to Seattle again. Josh commented yesterday that he had never thought of Seattle as a small city - until he saw what a big city could be like. Hong Kong has redefined what busy, packed, rush-hour, and other adjectives for densely populated regions. Two million people pales in comparison to nearly 7 million in roughly the same amount of space.
Hong Kong was enchanting, and now it feels like it was 100 years ago. I almost feel like I never went, because our friends and family welcomed us back so completely that we didn't really feel like we'd left.
I guess maybe one friend's hair has grown out, and our nephew-to-come is getting more and more ready to arrive in May, but other than that, everything is the same. Top Pot still bakes its intoxicating donuts, which we can smell as we walk home. The rain still drizzles down, covering the streets in a glowing, reflective sheen. Buses still glide back and forth on Third. Ambulances and fire-trucks still blare their sirens as the zoom by beneath our window.
I walked to catch the bus this morning to go to Capitol Hill at 8 am, about the top commuting time. I probably walked with about twenty people. Nobody jostled me or squeezed in front of me at the intersection as we awaited the green light. No hand trucks or trolleys were barreling down the street, fighting for space between the red taxis that appear determined to squeeze between pedestrians. Nope. Just orderly, jegging-clad, Ipod-wearing commuters walking swiftly to their offices. All the same. All predictable. Comforting, familiar, and usual.
But I know that Josh and I are different, touched and changed, even just a little. I already find myself yearning for the bustle and startle of walking through such a packed city that serves as home for so many different people. Seattle almost feels homogeneous compared to Hong Kong, and yet Hong Kong was definitely overwhelmingly Chinese. Maybe being surrounded by a "minority" made it feel diverse. We have already gone to the International District to see if we could find some of the treats we had enjoyed in HK. We found some, but not all. We recognized a few idiosyncrasies that were unique to the Chinese culture that we had missed in our past days of walking through the ID. But it certainly wasn't the same. We miss HK already, but we know our place is in Seattle...for now.
The airport was really easy to navigate, because there were signs pointing out the directions you needed to go in order to reach certain gates. Are there any poorly designed, confusing airports? I'm sure there are, but Hong Kong's made perfect sense. I had never been to this airport, because we still flew into Kai Tak Airport when I was younger. The reclaimed portion of Lantau Island upon which this gleaming, new airport stands was just a collection of islands then. Now it's a bustling region with high rise apartments, businesses, another mall over the MTR, and a sophisticated-looking bus and taxi terminus. It's really nice to fly into Lantau, because it's picturesque and spacious. It's a little less excited than feeling like you're flying in between the high rise flats, but it's probably easier for the pilots. If you haven't seen those flying adventures, you can check out Lawrence Lai's photos. He captured some good shots before the airport was closed, and framed reprints of his pictures were available in several galleries and bookstores throughout HK.
Seoul's airport was equally impressive. Where we happened to disembark the airplane, after passing through security, we found the Korean Cultural Center at the Airport. It featured some history, some art, and some re-enactment actors (is that what they're called?) who were wearing some traditional Korean clothes, including jeogoris, chimas, and paji. I think the actors were depicting royalty, because they marched around the terminal in a special procession, and then they posed for pictures outside the Center. That was nice, except for all the people trying to get past the crowd that had assembled. We found ourselves quickly caught in the flow of annoyed passengers trying to reach their gates through the gauntlet of a gathering seeking to take pictures, read maps, and gawk. When we finally emerged on the other side of the bottleneck surrounding the Center, we were relieved to find that we were close to our gate.
Something that I find amusing about exchanging money is how rich you feel the minute the teller exchanges your US cash for the local currency. Immediately after thinking, "Wow, I have 4,000 won," you realize that one 8-oz latte will cost you 8,000 won. Dang it. Back to being poor again, just with different currency. We had chosen to exchange our HKD for USD, but we had to go through Korean Won to get there. So, the teller returned a crisp 5 USD and a 1,000 won bill to me. I was confused, but then I realized she'd given me about ninety cents in Korean cash. Grg. So, armed with a bill worth less than 1 USD, I tried to find something to spend it on. After walking in and out of three cafe-shops, I settled on a bottle of water for 800 won and donated my remaining 200 won to the UNICEF box on the counter. It will probably cost the staff more to retrieve the bills from that case.
Besides our short layover in Korea, we spent our flight enjoying the rather gracious and attentive service of Korean Air, a partner of Delta. I'm so glad Korean Air was flying us. The airplane we were on was new, the in-seat tellies were new, the cup holders on the back of the tray-tables were whole, and the windows lacked the usual scratches and smudges of older airlines. The headphone jacks were also normal input holes rather than those over-large plastic dual-holes. The attendants handed out little disposable wet cloths with which we could remove airport grime. Haagen-Dazs ice cream was served in between our Korean-style dinner of Bibimbap and breakfast. Water, tea, coffee, and wine were also offered periodically throughout the flight.
We attempted to sleep, but apparently sitting in an airplane seat has the opposite effect of lulling me to sleep. I am instantly wide awake, filled with enough energy to embark on "the next great book." Instead, I satisfied myself by watching some recent hits, including "Black Swan" and "King's Speech." Not a bad trade-off. One minus to the especially attentive staff of Korean Air is that every time the airline experienced turbulence, which was minor and not really noticeable initially, the pilot would implement the fasten-seat belt-sign and the attendants would announce the change - in Korean, in Chinese, and in English.
We arrived in Seattle just after lunch. Our bodies thought it was 4:00am. We attempted some conversation with Joshua's mom, who had left work early to pick us up. We even attempted to wash our clothing. While we waited for it to wash, we laid down next to the Schaub's basement fireplace to rest a little. About an hour later, we managed to drag ourselves to the washer and dryer and start to pack our clothes into our bag again so we could head back to Seattle. We were going pretty slowly, but our nap had revitalized us a bit. At least it wasn't a long drive.
These past few days have involved getting used to Seattle again. Josh commented yesterday that he had never thought of Seattle as a small city - until he saw what a big city could be like. Hong Kong has redefined what busy, packed, rush-hour, and other adjectives for densely populated regions. Two million people pales in comparison to nearly 7 million in roughly the same amount of space.
Hong Kong was enchanting, and now it feels like it was 100 years ago. I almost feel like I never went, because our friends and family welcomed us back so completely that we didn't really feel like we'd left.
I guess maybe one friend's hair has grown out, and our nephew-to-come is getting more and more ready to arrive in May, but other than that, everything is the same. Top Pot still bakes its intoxicating donuts, which we can smell as we walk home. The rain still drizzles down, covering the streets in a glowing, reflective sheen. Buses still glide back and forth on Third. Ambulances and fire-trucks still blare their sirens as the zoom by beneath our window.
I walked to catch the bus this morning to go to Capitol Hill at 8 am, about the top commuting time. I probably walked with about twenty people. Nobody jostled me or squeezed in front of me at the intersection as we awaited the green light. No hand trucks or trolleys were barreling down the street, fighting for space between the red taxis that appear determined to squeeze between pedestrians. Nope. Just orderly, jegging-clad, Ipod-wearing commuters walking swiftly to their offices. All the same. All predictable. Comforting, familiar, and usual.
But I know that Josh and I are different, touched and changed, even just a little. I already find myself yearning for the bustle and startle of walking through such a packed city that serves as home for so many different people. Seattle almost feels homogeneous compared to Hong Kong, and yet Hong Kong was definitely overwhelmingly Chinese. Maybe being surrounded by a "minority" made it feel diverse. We have already gone to the International District to see if we could find some of the treats we had enjoyed in HK. We found some, but not all. We recognized a few idiosyncrasies that were unique to the Chinese culture that we had missed in our past days of walking through the ID. But it certainly wasn't the same. We miss HK already, but we know our place is in Seattle...for now.
