Tuesday, September 29--Going Home!

Tuesday--Going home

Got up early Tuesday; think both of us were ready and somewhat excited. Not rah-rah excited, but ready and past ready to get home. It is rainy and overcast outside, National Day is approaching (Everything is going to shut down for several days.), and we are dog tired.

We packed yesterday as it had been raining. Rain again today, that typhoon is getting closer--the cloud movement out our window shows us that. We are both dressed and packed when we get our wake-up call at 7:30.

Grace goes downstairs at 8:15 to checkout and wait for the bus to the airport at 9:00. I stay a little longer to wait for the bell hop to come for the bags. Boy, are the bags heavy; too heavy I am afraid. But Grace’s is not as heavy as mine, so just maybe we will get through. Wonder if they go on individual bag weight or if they average? We’ll soon find out. Used to be you were allowed one bag to Hong Kong, but two bags when leaving. I have not asked this time.

Bus is delayed, and the concierge is worried. He is making phone calls and looks agitated. Not sure what all that means, but if he is worried, that is not comforting to us. It’s 9:10 and the bus shows up. The driver is 10 minuets late, seems in a hurry. We are his last stop, and he assures us all in rapid-fire multiple languages that he will have us at the airport in 40 minutes. He does, and all is well. We are the second stop and start talking to a young man from Atlanta who does importing and sourcing out of China. He says he has flown to China 19 times since 2007, and I make the comment that is not much fun. He agrees, but it is part of his job. We kind of follow him to United and talk while in line.

At check-in we are overweight. I am 5 kilos over, about 10 pounds, but Grace is 3 kilos under. So we get down on the ground and pass several things from my suitcase to hers and move some things into my backpack. She tells us we can check two bags each, so I am thinking maybe to check my backpack, but it has my computer and some papers I don’t wish to be separated from. Back on the scale, and she grimaces when I put Grace’s on the scale, but then says, “Let’s pretend I didn’t see that.” And I put mine up. Mine is OK now, so I decide not to check my backpack. Grace thinks I am silly to carry such a load but it is a habit of mine.

Security is a breeze, I do not set off any bells, and the bags pass too. Immigration is just a formality and we go towards the gate. Luckily we have 1 ½ hours to flight time, so we stop for a meal. They have Burger King, Ben and Jerry’s, Popeye’s Fried Chicken, Starbuck’s and other western fast food places in addition to several Japanese and Chinese chains. We have hot fried chicken and the fixings at Popeye’s.

Everything in this airport that we see is very high end. No, not the food stands, but everything else. We had planned on spending our last $300.00 HKD here, but everything is way up in the $2000.00 plus range, luxury items all. Saw one coat, forget the brand, but one of those famous designer brands, that was priced at $156,000.00 HKD. In an airport? Gees!

Get to the gate in plenty of time, but the flight is delayed: “mechanical problem.” Delayed time approaches and they announce a further two-hour delay, same reason. Most passengers head back towards the terminal from where they came but Grace and I stay put. We have had enough walking. But have to say I really, really, want them to fix any mechanical problem while we are still on the ground rather than at 30,000 feet.

Close to 2:00 pm (original flight departure time was 11:40 am) the flight crew starts boarding, so I assume we are headed out. Every one of the crew that goes to the plane sets off the alarm: very reassuring.

We board, but do not get away from the gate. Plane is almost full, and then the captain or someone comes on and says there is a further delay due to congestion. The sky is quickly getting more ominous, even thought the typhoon is several hundreds of miles away. I want to get airborne. We pull away from the gate at 2:30, but then sit some more. Another announcement that we are delayed another 30 minutes, tower congestion. Finally get off around 3:00, so we are 3 + hours late getting off, for a 12hr 45min flight.

Hum, bus late, plane late, bad karma?

Flight is uneventful, except neither Grace nor I can sleep. We try, but it just does not happen. They show four movies, but we saw two of them coming over so they do not help pass the time much either. Usually they show different movies each way, and they change on the month, but it is still September. Grace has a book she got in Hong Kong and that helps her, but for some reason, I have not brought anything to read. Strange, as I almost always have something.

Arrival is smooth. We get in about 2:00 pm, I might add the same day we leave, which always confuses me. Traveling back in time, or getting someplace when you leave, is unsettling and of course makes you wonder if time travel really is possible.

Immigration goes well, but getting our bags proves disquieting. I see both bags come up from downstairs, but then mine is the only one going around the carousel. After two trips around, I suggest Grace walk over to the exit and kind of eyeball those leaving in case someone has gotten hers by mistake. As they say, lots of black suitcases look similar. I keep watch on the carousel. She comes back after a while, but saw no one, so I suggest she walk around the carousel and see if it is possibly on someone’s cart. About then a young lady behind me lets out a quiet scream. One of the hounds that sniffs for contraband has just sniffed her leg and startled her. Grace comes back several minutes later with her bag, Seems it had been going round and round the whole time. I was just missing it.

Loaded up we head for customs. Guy looks at our declaration and tells us to go left. We do, but then notice it is for connecting passengers, so we continue until we can figure out which direction to go to get out. Turns out we escape going through customs altogether. That is OK, we have nothing to pay duty on, and of course we look like upstanding and honest American citizens. (Had to throw that one in.)

Take the Airtrain over to the rental car garage and pick up a Dodge Caliper for three days. Head down to my brother’s home in Los Altos.

The air is clean and clear, the sun is shinning, it is cool, but not cold. We are back and it feels oh so good.

Good trip.