Hong Kong Millionaire
The Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong departs at 12:10 am Friday from San Francisco. The flight will take 14 hours and time zones will add 16 hours. Arrival is 6:30 am Saturday.
Just after boarding, we are served our choice of three excellent evening meals. So, skipping dinner and lightly snacking before the flight turned out to be the correct approach. There are several movies that I can choose to watch during our night flight. Cathay Airlines and the economy section of the 747 feel first class.
First, I watch "Wimbleton," with Paul Bettany, the actor who plays the imaginary friend in "A Beautiful Mind." In this love story, boy and girl get each other at the beginning of the movie. So, it avoids the cliche of relying on the love scene to denote a happy ending, and therefore "Wimbleton" gets deeper than many love stories. "Sideways" is a funnier and even more powerful love story. After sleeping, I watch most of "Sideways" a second time and wonder which lessons apply to me.
The South China Morning Post headline says "Number of Hong Kong millionaires hits 274000." My house proceeds went through HSBC, which stands for Hong Kong Shanghai Bank Corporation. The article says most millionaires are unemployed, since they do not have to work. I realize that I am a Hong Kong millionaire! I really fit in! Did I explain that 7.8 HK$ equal one US dollar?
We land and I change clothes and brush my teeth for a new day in a new place.
I take a deluxe round trip train ride to Central Hong Kong. It seems like splurging to spend 100$HK, but I only have six hours to see the city for the first time. The MTS is a super nice version of BART with a computer screen offering news and video on each of the captain`s chairs. We wiz past hundreds of skyscraper apartment buildings and arrive. There is a beautiful bay view and many ferry boats. (It is sort of like Pier One, San Francisco.) I get 100$HK out of an ATM and have a 20 dollar breakfast in the fancy Internation Financial Center area. I walk all over and notice storefronts up and down each block with skyscraper apartment buildings above. If you`ve been to Chinatown, San Francisco, you know what the stores are like. This is an extra, extra large China city.
I buy a 45 dollar alarm clock, with thermometer. A pay phone says calls to the United States are 99 cents per minute. I try to call Donna to wish her a happy birthday. (I am a day ahead.) The phone does not accept the 2 dollar coin even when I insert it the proper way. I am a bargain hunter, despite my millions.
I spend 11 dollars on Giant Prawn Wonton Soup, just like you might get in Berkeley. I feel like I am really fitting in, until a local explains that I just added a sauce for vegetables to my soup. He explains this in English, and tells me about all of the condiments. I am no longer a Hong Kong millionaire.
I see too many Starbucks and McDonalds, but still feel comfortable in this inexpensive, world class place. Maybe, I should live here.
Just after boarding, we are served our choice of three excellent evening meals. So, skipping dinner and lightly snacking before the flight turned out to be the correct approach. There are several movies that I can choose to watch during our night flight. Cathay Airlines and the economy section of the 747 feel first class.
First, I watch "Wimbleton," with Paul Bettany, the actor who plays the imaginary friend in "A Beautiful Mind." In this love story, boy and girl get each other at the beginning of the movie. So, it avoids the cliche of relying on the love scene to denote a happy ending, and therefore "Wimbleton" gets deeper than many love stories. "Sideways" is a funnier and even more powerful love story. After sleeping, I watch most of "Sideways" a second time and wonder which lessons apply to me.
The South China Morning Post headline says "Number of Hong Kong millionaires hits 274000." My house proceeds went through HSBC, which stands for Hong Kong Shanghai Bank Corporation. The article says most millionaires are unemployed, since they do not have to work. I realize that I am a Hong Kong millionaire! I really fit in! Did I explain that 7.8 HK$ equal one US dollar?
We land and I change clothes and brush my teeth for a new day in a new place.
I take a deluxe round trip train ride to Central Hong Kong. It seems like splurging to spend 100$HK, but I only have six hours to see the city for the first time. The MTS is a super nice version of BART with a computer screen offering news and video on each of the captain`s chairs. We wiz past hundreds of skyscraper apartment buildings and arrive. There is a beautiful bay view and many ferry boats. (It is sort of like Pier One, San Francisco.) I get 100$HK out of an ATM and have a 20 dollar breakfast in the fancy Internation Financial Center area. I walk all over and notice storefronts up and down each block with skyscraper apartment buildings above. If you`ve been to Chinatown, San Francisco, you know what the stores are like. This is an extra, extra large China city.
I buy a 45 dollar alarm clock, with thermometer. A pay phone says calls to the United States are 99 cents per minute. I try to call Donna to wish her a happy birthday. (I am a day ahead.) The phone does not accept the 2 dollar coin even when I insert it the proper way. I am a bargain hunter, despite my millions.
I spend 11 dollars on Giant Prawn Wonton Soup, just like you might get in Berkeley. I feel like I am really fitting in, until a local explains that I just added a sauce for vegetables to my soup. He explains this in English, and tells me about all of the condiments. I am no longer a Hong Kong millionaire.
I see too many Starbucks and McDonalds, but still feel comfortable in this inexpensive, world class place. Maybe, I should live here.
Labels: travel
posted by David Rasmussen at 7:14 PM
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