For those who’ve never had the thrill of landing at the old airport in Hong Kong, ‘Kai Tak’ was better than any amusement park ride. You enter Hong Kong airspace from the west, fly over the outer lying islands, then make a steep right bank to land in downtown Kowloon. Let’s get this straight: not [...]
I knew there was an area called Khao San Road in the west of the city that was a haven for backpackers. I boarded a bus outside the airport and rode it downtown. When in the center of town I noticed we were stopped at a large intersection. I took this opportunity to jump off [...]
One afternoon I bumped into the guy who had directed me to my guest house, the English guy Dave. He told me he was representing a Chinese tailor’s shop and would stand on the busy street trying to lure customers into the shop. I told him my situation and he suggested I should work for [...]
The following day I phoned my parents in England. I had a small amount of cash in a bank account and needed it. I went to a booth on Nathan Road and after getting through to England heard the message, “This number is no longer in service.” My God! I thought, breaking out in a [...]
Homeward Bound – March 13, 2000 I said goodbye to my pal Lochie and flew to Bangkok. I was on a frequent flyer ticket and hadn’t gotten quite the itinerary I’d wanted and so I signed up to fly standby on the next flight to Hong Kong. If I missed this flight, I’d certainly be [...]
Hong Kong Airport – January 14, 2000 As I settled down to a coffee and muffin in Hong Kong’s new airport, the nearby stationery kiosk went blurry and I realized that I was really out of it. My New York to Hong Kong leg of my flight took 20 hours, including the hour spent waiting [...]
