Safely in Hong Kong!

Hello everyone!

I arrived safe and sound in Hong Kong with very few mishaps! I left Seattle for San Francisco late as the plane needed to be deiced (a cruel cruel April Fools joke if you ask me!) Arriving in San Fran, I hurried to find the International Terminal, unsure of how many steps it would take to get me on to my flight which was leaving about 1.5 hours from that moment! That was when I was told that because of bad weather in the east, the headwinds were too strong to make a direct flight. My plane would now stop in Taipei for refueling! (Bummer, but no so bad in the grand scheme of things...)

Arriving in Hong Kong was exciting- though I was able to sleep some on the plane, I was so thrilled to be getting off, I probably could have done jumping jacks! Stepping into Hong Kong International Airport was overwhelming to say the least. Everywhere around you are people and different languages! I felt completely and totally in the minority! And tried to pay close attention to what others were doing, so that I didn't mess anything up. (For example, following others' lead by pushing my way onto the train to the main baggage area). I went through customs and got my FIRST STAMP in my passport! Then I grabbed my bags which came quickly- I rounded another corner and there was Brett waiting for me!

Ever the planner, he'd already grabbed me an Octopus card to ride the buses and MTR, so we made a quick stop at the ATM for me to grab my first Hong Kong Dollars and were off to wait for our bus. The ride up to Tai Po was an invigorating change from the plane. Perhaps I should have assumed this due to the once-British rule, but I was surprised to see cars driving on the left side of the road, and drivers' seats on the right side of vehicles! The lights of the cities we passed were just a taste of what is yet to come! I hope we might explore Kowloon or even get into Hong Kong Central district this weekend.

We arrived in Tai Po, dragging bags with us. I felt so grateful for Brett's help, and kept imagining him dealing with his awkward bags when he first came; he was literally looking for a home, dragging all of his possessions behind him! Brett's apartment feels SAFE! There are two guards on your way in and an ornate metal "fence" or guard door which must be unlocked and shifted to the side to access his apartment door with it's own two locks. (Just to be clear, there is no real "need" for all of these security precautions. Brett says they are very careful about security around here). The apartment is very functional for day to day needs- I'll tell you later about the cool insta-hot shower water heater. It's small compared to apartments in the States, but large by Hong Kong standards. Most notably, there is a stunning vase full of Lilies and heather that Brett bought in celebration of my arrival. I swear I've never seen a bouquet so big! They are beautiful!

It is now Friday morning, and I'm about to head out into Tai Po on my own. Brett told me to try and get lost. LOL. He said this because he gave me his phone with GPS. This means that no matter where I am, I press a button and the phone shows me where I am on google maps, and tells me how to walk to my destination. I'm meeting Brett for lunch in a bit, so I should get going. Getting lost could be a challenge!

Sorry there are no pictures yet- I'm on it, I promise!