Urgent Trip To Hong Kong Jan 20 (2007-02-06)
KL and I just came back from Hong Kong on Jan 28 after attending his mom's funeral who passed away on January 7. Her death wasn't totally unexpected as she's been battling the complications from multiple strokes and deteriorating health. I could almost look at her passing away as a tremendous relief for herself as well as the family who suffered as much emotionally as she did physically.
Incidentally late January is my favorite time to visit Hong Kong
because of its mild weather and proximity to Chinese New Year which
means there are tons of delicious New Year food on the market. So
although there is a lot of sadness in this trip, there's also much
belly happiness for me. I've always loved eating, and I don't
think trying to enjoy the food in HK while I was there makes me miss or
mourn my mother-in-law any less. So enjoyed the food I did and I
will report on the meals we had in later posts.
This time we entered Hong Kong using our new Smart ID card for the
first time and I must say it was mind-blowingly impressive. The
process is simple: you insert the card into a sleek machine which takes
a few seconds to read it, then a set of doors open, you step inside,
press
your thumb for the machine to read the print, then a second set of
doors open and you are out and done. The entire thing takes maybe
10 seconds. It was the quickest way I've ever experienced
clearing immigration and it was FUN!
The airport express train with 3-day all-you-can-ride MTR pass is
even more efficient than the last time we used it. The package is
rolled into one single octopus card which allows the rider to add value
to it at any station should he/she chooses to use it beyond the third
day. The ride to the city (Kowloon Station) was smooth and
fast. We arrived at our hotel (including taxi time from Kowloon
Station) in just half an hour from the airport.
We got a great promotion deal from Sheraton which gave us a room
with a fantastic harbor view. Watching
Symphony of Lights in the
comfort of our own room is fun and there're even more lights on the
buildings by the time we left as Chinese New Year's fast
approaching. Sheraton has the best service and amenities of all
the hotels I've stayed and the "million-dollar view" alone is worth the
cost.
We needed a good night's sleep for the funeral the next day.
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