In Beautiful Hong Kong... and enjoying the last few weeks before the "real world" begins

To the many who doubted if my bags would actually be packed, fully zipped, and ready at the airport before my flight left... well, I made it. Yes, indeed some last minute suitcase opening, rummaging and re-arranging did happen at American ticket counter in front of a line of 13 angry passengers. I can't be expected to comply with an arbitrary 70 lbs weight limit when moving abroad- a healthy assortment of books and an extensive selection of shoes is imperative.

The 5 hour lay-over in LA was as exciting as could be expected. Luckily, I managed to sneak unnoticed onto someone's wireless internet and steathily downloaded my last precious songs from I-tunes and chatted on AIM to pass the time. As my last meal, I wisely chose chorizo and eggs with horchata from Rosie's Authentic Mexican Cabana located level 3 of LAX and sat against the the huge floor to ceiling windows in the lounge, and watched the sun set behind the Californian mountains.

Thanks to Rosie's very filling chorizo (some dramamine, no sleep in 2 days, and a new i-pod) I was out cold on the plane within 30 minutes of arriving in my seat. Didn't come to full consciousness until 12 hours later as the chinese breakfast cart rolled past my aisle. Definitely one of the most un-memorable-- and best flights-- of all time.

Since I arrived in Hong Kong at dawn, I figured I wouldn't truly experience the full force of the humid, wet, sticky climate until later that day and could avoid sweating as I had to navigate 3 pieces of weight-limit luggage through the airport, taxi line, and city. Unfortunately, it had been raining for a couple days, and I had forgotten how hong kong heat + coastal humidity = discontentment. After a few agonizing moments of me trying to throw/kick my suitcases in a little hyundai cab trunk, the driver sees a solution and ties the trunk's lid to a random piece of pipe protruding from the car's underbelly with a neon yellow bungee cord. There was a good 30% of my suitcases still overflowing the capacity of trunk, but I figured my ancient cab driver with a ciggy dangling from his lips is definitely a professional, and if his professional bungee cord can hold that trunk lid down "securely" I'll buy it. Plus, I can't deal with the heat any longer, so give up and resolve to sit in the back seat facing the rear windshield, steadfastly watching my suitcases, ready to holler if they roll out the back and explode in the middle of a six lane highway during morning rush hour.

After employing a variety of hand gestures and grunts to overcome some difficult language barrier which arose when communicating the location of my destination in the city, I safely arrived at my friend's place in Hong Kong. Grabbed some coffee, changed clothes, and I was ready to hit the city.

More updates in a bit...