Ika 5 ng Marso 2009: HK, Here We Come!

I jolted out of bed. It was 4:30am. I was supposed to be in the airport at 5:00am. My body was shaking as I felt my adrenaline surged uncontrollably...... I took a quick shower, dressed up and woke hubby up. I grabbed some more toiletries, put them in a paper bag before shoving it in my bag. Hubby was dressed in a jiffy. I bade MD and my son goodbye and told them to be good. I picked up my bag and rushed downstairs. Hubby started the car and I got in. We went off. I searched through my stuff and realized I forgot to bring money. I told hubby to go back. I dashed to get my precious commodity. I went back to the car and off we went.

There was hardly any cars at that time. It was 4:50 am. We were at the Centennial terminal soon. My friend was still nowhere in sight. I called her as I was about to enter the gate. She and her other friend who is joining us were near the airport. I told her i would check in and would just wait for them at the waiting lounge.

At the airport, I was not expecting any hassles.....that was until my stupidity crept in.... I forgot to fill up my immigration card.... I was almost deported even before I flew.... Noticing my discomfort, the immigration officer asked if it was my first time. I said no. Then, he asked where I am working. I mentioned my office, a government agency. As a public servant, I cannot travel without travel authority even for a personal trip. Immigration officer 1 said I should have one. I walked away and thought about what to do.... I didn't apply for a travel authority for this and thought I would just file a leave upon my return. Anyway, it's just a very short trip.... I decided to try my luck again and slipped quietly back to the immigration area and lined up at another window careful not to be noticed by IO1. This time I know how to answer but I was so nervous as I thought the worst..... IO1 could have put me in the watchlist.... oh no.......I was thinking about this all the time and I can feel my frayed nerves eating me up.... until it was my turn..... I gave my passport, the filled-up immigration form, ticket to IO2. I was careful about looking at IO1 even fixing my hair to cover my entire sideview ..... It wasn't long until IO2 let me in.....Yay.... I'm out! I hurriedly went to the waiting area.....

I called my friend again. She said they are lined up at the immigration. I relaxed and look around. In a while, my friend and her friend were getting out of the clearing area. At last, we would meet. Her friend and i would be introduced....... We went around and took pictures, exchanging cameras to ensure that we would have enough pictures. My friend said she only has enough memory for about 800 pictures while her friend has more than 300 pictures...... I thought we were not really camera-shy..... in fact, we love to hug it. Soon it was boarding time. I texted all the people who matter in my life to say goodbye and even one who does not really matter but need to know that I would go on leave. I made one final call at home to tell my helper to take very good care of my beloved dogs. I also texted my friend Dayap that we were enroute.

In the plane, I sat beside a couple who appear like they are on their way to their honeymoon. I was so hungry at this time. Soon, the captain announced that we are about to take off..... and we did in a while. I put on the headphones provided and listened to some music. Soon, breakfast was served. I chose pork tapa and rice. As soon as it was served, I devoured it like there was no tomorrow. I was watching Samatha Who, a sit-com starring Christina Applegate. It was the first time I have seen this show and it's amusing. I continued watching until the plane was about to land. Touching down, we all felt relieved. We are finally in HK and will explore the wide expanse of its ultra modern HK airport.

We went out and lined up at the HK immigration. It was a breeze. It doesn't matter if I am a government employee. Although at the back of my mind I could still be deported if IO1 alerted the HK immigration. After immigration, we collected our luggages. My friend asked how we can get to the hotel. The information officer was quite helpful. ......... We took the airport express train going to the city. From the city, there was a shuttle service which fetched us and brought us to the hotel.

We were billeted at the Dorsett Seaview Hotel which is near the shopping center. At the hotel, we checked in and settled down. I was alone in my room while my friend joined her friend in another room. We chose non-smoking rooms. From my room window,I looked outside.... It was like nighttime when it was only 2:30pm. My friend called me and told me to go down the lobby so we could have lunch. There were a lot of restos around the hotel but we walked towards the main street. Suddenly, the rain poured. We sought refuge in a nearby restaurant. Near it was an opportunistic vendor who happened to sell umbrellas whose price suddenly skyrocketed. Then the rain halted a bit as if giving us a chance to find a place to eat. We continued our search which led us to another umbrella vendor selling umbrellas at a more reasonable price. My friend bought two emergency umbrellas that would be our life saver for the rest of our stay. Soon after, we found a place to eat........a Chinese resto....The next problem was how to order...... there was a language barrier..... I think they know this pretty well.... that is why the place is adorned with pictures of yummy chinese dishes..... Pointing to our desired dish, we ordered noodles with prawns and fried dumplings..... It was yummy..... The hot meal was very good for our tummy.......or could it be that we were just starving.......

The rains was still poring when we went out. We went back to the Temple Place which is in front of our hotel. Out of curiosity, we observed what those people we saw on our way out were doing. It was some kind of a ritual. One would buy a pack of stuff and bring it to a woman seated on covered ground. There were burning incense and some food offering. Then, there is this caricature of a man and a woman. The woman would then pound the pictures and there would be prayers I guess. After the rites, the pack will be put in a container and burn. We took pictures and some people were telling us something........ The three of us would wonder what the ritual was all about as we left. I was thinking that it is some kind of exorcism as the woman remove evil from those laid out for the ritual. Another thought was it could be some kind of witchcraft...... the persons involved in an illicit tryst who could be the wife or husband and the lover of the patron.

Armed with umbrellas, we braved walking the long stretch of Nathan Road to Tsim Sat Tsui........ The rain was non-stop. We would stop at shops to look and admire....... sometimes to seek refuge or use the wash room. My friend would say she must have brought the rain. It was raining when she left the US...... it rained while they were in Lucena where her friend hailed...... and now it is raining here. We were in the middle of all these shops. I did not intend to shop in HK. I'd like to find out how I could hold off buying in the middle of all these temptations. Let's see as I document this trip........


At the end of Tsim Sat Tsui is where Peninsula is. In this area, we would meet up with my friend, Dayap. Her sister and cousin were also in HK at this time and we would meet them also. We took pictures by the fountain in front of the hotel What is it about that fountain? People seem drawn to it........ I also had pictures by the same fountain some years back on a trip with MD and I think even that time with hubby, ED, and MIL. At the Peninsula, we would go to the LV shop to look around. Meeting Dayap proved more challenging than it seems... what with first timers in HK.... and one who can't find her way....... I was communicating with both Dayap and her sister on the phone at the LV shop. Instructions were given but there were confusion..... We were supposed to meet at Starbucks but there were one too many Starbucks in the area. We went back to Peninsula....... and finally, Dayap was entering the back door of the Pen. We went out........and soon her sister and cousin were in sight.

Dayap would bring us to the Spring Deer Resto .... We were all craving for roast duck and this is the place according to her. True enough, the place was jampacked..... and we didn't have reservation. Dayap used all her charm so we could get a table..... and we did......

She seemed to know what food to order for weary travelers. She ordered one-way roasted goose, spicy beef in pocket bread (love this dish so much!), stir-fried udon with shrimps, bokchoy in garlic, sweet and sour fish fillet, and sweet corn soup...... love the food..... love the company as well....... We would catch up while having dinner. In the midst of the conversation, there would be some connections detected..... and this could probably be explored later for business and personal purposes.......

After dinner, we walked back to Nathan Road to catch a bus going back to the hotel. Too tired, we all retreated to our rooms. I freshened up and changed for a relaxing sleep. I turned on the TV and there were only two English channels. It took a while before I slept. I turned the TV off and called it a day..........

PS: Parang mga 20 kilometro yun nilakad namin sa Nathan Road..... kaya pala yun... Sabagay pag pupunta kang HK kailangan talagang handa ka sa paglalakad......