Hong Kong to London

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The time seems to have gone very quickly.  We are already in our third day of the holiday. 

We were up relatively early so that we could get to Hong Kong Station for checking into flights and the subsequent journey to the airport.  Getting out of our flat was interesting.  It was on the third floor of an older apartment building that does not have a lift.  The stairs are wide enough but they are also a storage place for those that live in the flats.  I remarked that it would be interesting getting out of the place if there was a fire.  Carrying heavy bags down was a bit of challenge as the bottom steps had worn rather smooth.   We got a taxi almost immediately and the whole process from there on was quick and smooth. 

The flight left on time although the aircraft was not very full in contrast to the plane on which we came up to Hong Kong.  There were very few people in Business Premier and in Premium Economy it was about three quarters full.  It was probably about the same in Economy.  I went for a walk down the back and it was really noticeable how cramped it was if someone reclined their seat.  It would be almost impossible to use the computer and reading difficult as well.   The only downside of the flight is the request to pull down the blinds so that a few people can sleep.  I get a window seat so that I can see the world go past so there was no way I not was going to have view and Bev was of the same opinion. 

Bev spent about five hours watching the views which were stunning as the flight takes a route alongside the Himalayas.  As it was winter there was snow and ice everywhere and in some places nothing as there was no moisture but waterways were clearly frozen. 

I spent an interesting half an hour talking with an expat Flight Attendant who was worried about being made redundant from her job due to the cessation of the Hong Kong – London service.  She would like to come home but was worried that financially it was not possible.  She said that it seemed to her that most things in NZ were dearer than in the UK, whether it be electricity, food or communications.  She then talked about how she had bought a house in London in a really good area using a shared ownership scheme.  At one point after she had told me about the jewellery that she had bought I got this big hug.  Not sure why but it seemed she wanted to be close to someone from home. In the meantime Bev was watching the world go by oblivious to what was happening to me. 

Over Russia there was nothing to see as there was cloud everywhere.   Further west in Poland and Germany the cloud had cleared away and initially all we could see was a snowy expanse with bits of green which I assume were forests. 

We arrived over Heathrow a bit ahead of our arrival time but had to do several circles before we landed due to a queue of planes waiting to get in. 

The weather was overcast and cool although in the scheme of things not much cooler than Wellington on a cool day.

We took the Piccadilly Line to Kings Cross and were going to transfer to another line but it was closed for maintenance.  Getting to our hotel instead consisted on finding a bus to get us to the same place as the train.  We got to the right area but required the help of a person to point us to the hotel which in my tiredness I had not seen the signage for it.  After checking in we went looking for a pub for a meal.  The excursion was a bit of a waste of time due to not finding what I wanted and the fact that all I wanted to do was go to sleep. 

We came back after a drink and some peanuts.  Finally I was in bed a little before 7:30pm and after looking for a few minutes at TV I rolled over and was out to it. I had close to 12 hours sleep!!!

Thirteen hours on a plane gives a considerable amount of time to reflect on the impressions that Hong Kong left in the short time that I was there.  One of the most notable things was the absence of graffiti in the places that we would normally see them in Wellington, for example on the fences (not that there any apart from security fences) and in accessible places around railway stations or on walls and buildings.  The train stations are spotless, the public transport system reliable and cheap.  Even the taxis are seriously cheap.  While there are lots of taxis around there are also lots in Wellington but in Wellington they have almost priced themselves out of the market.  We found people generally courteous.  It also feels pretty safe on the streets at night.   On the downside the pollution is noticeable, the density of population, the proliferation of highrise apartments to accommodate the millions of people.  An interesting place and if they can keep their freedoms into the future and perhaps a hint of what China might be like in the future.