Day One

Trip Start Feb 08, 2007
1
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15
Trip End Jun 12, 2007


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Flag of China  ,
Saturday, February 10, 2007

We arrived safe and sound in Hong Kong -- or at least no less sound than when we left. The flight was long but smooth going. (I'm tempted to say "uneventful" but we're inexperienced enough as travelers to consider moving halfway around the world in 24 hours, in itself, quite an event.) We rode puddle jumping prop planes from Kalispell to Missoula to Seattle to Vancouver.  Nearly ten hours later (including layovers), we boarded one of the big boys for the 14 hour leg to Hong Kong.  Cathay Pacific was true to its reputation for good food and service.  We were struck by the pilot's apologetic tone when he announced a half hour before landing that he was unable to make up all the time lost from a late Vancouver departure and that we would be pulling into our gate 5 minutes late.  A 6400 mile trip over the ocean and his accepted margin for error was under 5 minutes?!!!
After exchanging some dull greenbacks for some colorful Hong Kong dollars (current exchange about 7.2 Hong Kong dollars to $1 US), we boarded a subway-like "airport express train" for a speedy journey to Kowloon Peninsula where our friend Case and his new wife Nicole have lived for the past few months Apartment View of Kowloon's Skyline
Apartment View of Kowloon's Skyline
 .  Visiting these friends is the reason why Hong Kong was on our list of destinations and our primary goal for being here is to spend some enjoyable time with them.
Case had recommended taking a taxi from the train depot to his apartment but we were cramped from the plane ride and excited to start experiencing Hong Kong directly, so we walked instead.  We chose busy streets and given it was 11:00 pm local time on a Friday night the air was filled with a youthful energy.  The air was also filled with a humid smog that will take some getting used to.
Seeing Case was terrific.  We talked into the early morning and went to bed ready to sleep!

On our first full day we took a ferry across the bay to Hong Kong Island.  Its great fun to be immersed in so much that is new.  Sights and sounds that locals no doubt take for granted register as completely novel for us.  Hopefully, some of this is captured in our photos.
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Comments

malrandamom
malrandamom on Feb 16, 2007 at 01:48AM

hi guys
Hi how are you guy? It is Mallory Miller of corse and I am so sorry but I have to go Mallory

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