Last full day in HK! I sleep a little late. The hotel room is very quiet, and the bed is softer than my previous bed. In the late afternoon I meet my friend T in Central and we take the ferry to TST. We walk around the waterfront area and I enjoy my last evening of the lights and harbor view. It is dinner time--time for my last supper in HK-- and we go to a place near the Star Ferry terminal that has a definite Chicago connection. It is named "Dan Ryan's Chicago Bar and Grill". It is interesting that last night I had dinner at the restaurant that is most identified with Hong Kong, and tonight I am eating at a Chicago style place. For the first time since I left the USA I enjoy a real steak for dinner. Hmmmm, very good! After dinner T and I say goodbye and I go back to the hotel room where I watch some TV (more choices than where I was).
Day 107; Sunday, Jan. 11, 2004
I am feeling a little blue this morning as I prepare to leave HK for the last time this trip. I have really enjoyed HK. The weather, the hills, the water, the people, the food, the shopping, the nite life, the culture. All of it together makes a very interesting and good city. After a quick breakfast at McDonalds I finish packing-up and take my bags down to the lobby and check-out. I take a taxi to the Airport Express station, where I check-in for my flight to Manila. I am flying Philippine Airlines. Unfortunately this airline has a rule that my carry on bag (other than my computer bag) can only weigh 7kg. Mine weighs over 15kg, which means I must check-it, and this puts me even more over weight (the limit on checked luggage is 35kg). So, I must pay about $450HK overweight charge. Ouch! Other than this check-in goes easily and I soon have boarded the Airport Express train. I am now only carrying my one computer bag. My other bags will be transported to the airport by the airline and loaded on the aircraft. Cool!
At the airport I only need to go directly to the security check-point and immigration. I already have my boarding pass. I go to the currency exchange where I unload my unused HK money and get Philippine pesos. As I am walking from there to the gate where my flight is I pass a small snack stand. I see they have a can of iced coffee and I each into my pocket to pay for it and realize that ooops, I don't have any HK money! Oh well, I give the can back to the clerk and walk away. A few seconds later a young man who was standing in line at the snack stand comes up behind me and hands me the can. He is from Australia and took pity on me! What a nice gesture! I thank him for his kindness, but he just smiles and walks away to his plane to Sydney. I am again a victim of a random act of kindness!
The flight to Manila was smooth and easy, but the lines at immigration are long. But I finally get thru and get my luggage. On the advice of E (the sister of my friend N in California) I arrange for a taxi inside the airport, and am assisted to an assigned car and driver for the ride to Greenhills. I am staying in a vacant apartment owned by E and her husband. It is a Sunday and so traffic is relatively light. It only takes about 45 minutes to get to Greenhills. E is waiting for me at the building entrance, along with F, the building engineer. They help me take my stuff up to Unit 2010, on the 20th floor. C and B, the son and daughter of E, are waiting in the apartment. I had already met C (he is the avid golfer), and B is a college student. It is a very nice studio apartment, fully furnished. There is a swimming pool up on the roof. Yes, this will be very satisfactory, and the price (no charge) is certainly right!
After giving me the keys and the basic instructions E and the others leave and I get settled in. Later I walk down to Greenhills Mall (about a 6 minute walk) where I find a KFC. I get the food to go and take it back to the room. After doing some reading in my Bangkok travel book I fall asleep.
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