Settling Into Hong Kong

Well, we made it. It was one hell of a long flight from Newark to Hong Kong (16 hours!), but it went well. We wondered how the girlies would be on the long flight, but we comforted ourselves in the knowledge that they do a lot of flying and that they’d be just fine. Turns out we were right. There was not a single moment of trouble with them. For 16 hours, they either slept, ate, or watched movies. The best part was how 3 or 4 of the folks sitting near us told us as we de-planed that the girls were “superb” or “so well behaved”. Whew!

Our transportation was waiting for us when we landed and we made it to the hotel without a problem. We were shown up to the private check-in counter and watched the nightly laser light show Hong Kong puts on each night at 8:00. By 9:00 we were in our rooms and by 9:30 we were asleep. The only problem is that the girls worked so hard at staying awake that they were a bit wired and had trouble sleeping…which means WE had trouble sleeping. That first night was a long one. Not more than a couple of hours of sleep for anyone. My dad and Sandy, on the other hand, slept like babes. Hmmm…

When we woke up yesterday morning (Thursday), Colleen wasn’t feeling well and chose to stay in the hotel while the rest of us ventured out. The girls and I, along with my folks and Danielle, took the ferry across the harbor and then caught a cab to the Peak Tram, which took us to the top of Victoria Peak. The views of Hong Kong were so-so due to the haziness, but we had a good time. There was a Starbucks up there, and we rushed toward it like a hart to a cooling stream. Re-energized, we trammed back down. My dad was eager to re-live old navy memories from 1958, so he and Sandy chose to stay on the Hong Kong side of the harbor and hunt down old haunts. The girls, Danielle, and I caught a ferry back across the harbor and made it back to the hotel for a rest. The girls were falling asleep as the walked; they even took a pass on lunch in favor of a nap. The previous night’s goofed up sleep patterns were taking their toll on all of us.

I cleaned up and headed back out by myself. My first stop was to see Elton Ho, the tailor I’ve gotten to know over here who makes first-rate custom clothing. An hour later, I had ordered 10 shirts and was scheduled for a fitting the next day (today). Gotta love Elton. If you read this, Elizabeth, you’ll have to see this guy if you ever visit!

Later that night, the girls, Danielle, and I (and Colleen, who was feeling a bit better) went to the Hard Rock Café for dinner. But by 9:00, we were all back at the hotel and anxious to get to bed. Happily, the girls slept much more soundly than they did the night before, which meant Colleen and I got a halfway decent night’s sleep.

Today (Friday), the whole group met for lunch in the top floor lounge. We learned that the Olympic torch would be running past the hotel at about 10:30, so we all headed to the lounge windows to watch. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! We literally had the best perch in Hong Kong to watch this special moment (see photos of our group kneeling and watching out the window, of the HUGE celebrating crowds below, and of the actual torch going by...you can see the guy with the torch in the center of the pack of runners, the flame itself being slightly visible). Even from 18 floors up and with insulated windows, the roar of the crowd was easily audible. Aside: it’s nice to see PRO Chinese sentiments at times like this. Unfortunately, there is an element that has chosen to exploit the Olympic games to protest political issues…a mixture that was never meant to be. And, even though China has its issues, there is MUCH to celebrate and be proud of here, and I was very happy to see that the pro-Chinese counter-demonstrations eclipse the anti-Chinese demonstrations.

After watching this event, we all went outside and walked the streets randomly, eventually settling on some local shopping, another Starbucks refreshment stop, and some lunch back at the hotel. Danielle was nice enough to offer to watch the girls in the hotel while Colleen and I went out for a few minutes, so we took her up on her offer. Chinese security was still everywhere after the morning’s event, so waterfront walks were temporarily off limits. Still, we managed to stroll for about an hour and relived being here 2 years ago to get Annie. By 3:30, we had had enough of the heat and humidity and decided to head back. Colleen was up for a nap, so she retired. I chose to do a little blogging and relieve Danielle so she could have a little free time. She’s been AMAZING to have along, by the way…one of the best decisions we’ve made!

Tonight, Colleen and I are going out for steaks with my folks while Danielle and the girls order room service and watch movies (thanks, Danielle!). Then, early to bed to beat this jet lag once and for all.

Tomorrow, it’s off to Stanley Market for some shopping and sight-seeing (and 1000 thread-count sheets for Rebecca!). With all of this, though, the main issue in our minds is getting our Josie on the 6th. Colleen and I have mentioned to each other more than once how wonderful (and odd, at first) it will be to walk down the street with THREE daughters in less than a week. We are very blessed and simply can’t wait for the moment Josie enters our lives. Thanks to all for looking in on the blog and reading. We miss all of you!