Hong Kong

I have arrived in Hong Kong in one piece, and thankfully, so has my luggage. I left my apartment in Toronto at 4AM on Thursday morning, and landed in Hong Kong at 7PM Friday night, which basically means it took about 24 hours to get here. For the most part, the trip over was uneventful. I flew from Toronto to Vancouver, had a quick sushi lunch with my brother, and then hopped on the plane for the 13 hour ride to Hong Kong. While getting to Hong Kong proved to be straight forward and simple enough, finding my mother in the Hong Kong Airport was like a game of cat and mouse! Without getting into the details, it basically took an hour to find my mom, which was just enough time to begin to feel slightly abandoned and panicky....

Since arriving at the family house a couple of hours ago, I've done nothing except for attempt to unpack (i.e. unfurl some wrinkled clothing and throw them over the back of a chair), and let my grandmother peel and feed me lychees. I'm pretty pooped, but I'm trying to hold of sleep for another hour or two, hoping that it'll help beat the jetlag. The weekend is looking to be relatively low key. I think that I might go to visit some of the walled villages in the New Territories area of Hong Kong tomorrow, and maybe hit the beach on Sunday. Most people don't realize it, but Hong Kong actually has some really beautiful beaches and hiking trails, so I'm going to try to take some of it in before jumping over the border into China. Anyhow, there's really nothing else to write about right now.... Oh, I will mention that the air in Hong Kong is pretty nauseating. As the plane was coming down through the clouds towards the airport, the clouds weren't your typical white-grey; instead, they're a delightful blend of purple and brown. The pollution combined with the heat and humidity makes walking through Hong Kong feel a little bit like you're having a picnic in a dumpster. And on that cheerful note, I bid you goodnight.

Steph