Days 1-3

 July 19-21, 2012

Our morning started at 6 am US time. We had piles of items lying on the floor that we thought we needed. Joel’s parents drove down to Wichita to say farewell and eat breakfast before we departed. All parties were to meet at the airport and after check-in we would choose a restaurant.

 When checking in we discovered that there had been some changes on the airline on how guitars are allowed to be carried. So at the last minute, we had to unpack 2 carry on suitcases (one from each of us) and stuff them into a larger one. This situation may sound easy but that was not so. We were throwing out items that did not fit and were not essential.  Bringing an additional bag brought our total to $370 for luggage.          

                We then decided that we had enough time to get some drive through food from McDonalds. Once we had scarffed down our food we raced back to the airport for our departure to Chicago. We said good bye to our families and headed to security where all our bags had to be seized and searched due to the amount of electronics we had. With 10 minutes before departure we arrived at our gate and headed down 2 flights of stairs and outside with our 2 carry ons and 2 guitars. Most of our carry-on luggage had to be put under the plane. But then we were on our way.

                 Upon arriving in Chicago, we knew we had to race to the international terminal to make our connecting flight. Once again we had to go down 2 flights of stairs with all our baggage to get onto the transferring tram. After heading up the flights of stairs we headed towards our gate.  When reaching our gate, no one seemed in a rush and all the passengers where sitting. We both knew this did not mean good things.

                We checked the information board to find that our flight was delayed 6 hours.  6 hours normally wouldn’t be a problem except the last ferry from the airport to the island leaves at 10pm and our flight was to arrive at 11pm. There was nothing to do but wait.

                While waiting we met a man from Atlanta named Anderson. He was travelling to Hong Kong for business. Anderson gave us great advice for being able to communicate with family back home.  Eventually our time came to board the plane.

                Our 15 hour flight seemed intimidating at first. We were chasing the sun and flew over the North Pole so there was minimal darkness. We were fed 2 meals and 2 snacks. Considering that it was airline food, it was not that bad. We were able to have a row to ourselves which made sleeping easier.  To pass the time we watched 2 episodes of our favorite show “The Office” and a new release “1000 Words”. We played cards, listened to music, read magazines and each slept 8 hours.

                Once at the Hong Kong airport, we realized how hard it was going to be to communicate. We had no idea where to go and the signs were not that helpful. A few of the flight attendants pointed us in the correct direction. There were several areas to get your temperature checked with surgical masks available. 

                The bonus to arriving in the evening was that the immigration and customs process only took about an hour to complete. We then loaded 2 carts full of our luggage and tried to find a way to let our contacts know the situation we were in. We received an email with instructions to take a taxi to the Hong Kong Macau ferry port. This all seemed easy enough, but no it wasn’t... There are 3 different kinds of taxis and each has its own purpose. Ours was the red local taxi.

                Stepping out of the airport into Hong Kong brought a whole new meaning to the word muggy. Instantly we were drenched with sweat and it was only 1 am.

                Our taxi driver spoke little English, but we were able to tell him our destination. An airport attendant gave us a card that they apparently give to all visitors stating what rights you have as a passenger so you do not get ripped off or taken advantage of. This made my comfort level higher. This was around the same time we found out that no one tips here; not for luggage assistants, taxi drivers or in restaurants.

                 Immediately we noticed that the driver sits on the right and drives on the left like in Europe.  We stuffed our luggage into the trunk so much so that it could not be closed, making me a little nervous. Behind the front passenger seat was a built in TV that played for entertainment. Needless to say we were unable to understand any of it.

                Our journey to the port only took 30 minutes. Once there, our items were piled and we were left to handle it all on our own. We bound 2 suitcases together with a guitar on top and each took an additional bag on top of our back packs. I have never received so many stares.

                We purchased our ticket for the 4 am ferry to Macau and waited. We met a woman named Justyna from Poland who was going to Macau to head a men’s teasing club. She was a great informant of how women should act while in Macau and being a little drunk, kept us entertained for the next couple of hours.

                There were 2 escalators that we had to pass through to get to the gate. I had no problem, however Joel had an issue. On the first escalator he had the luggage facing the wrong direction, lost control of 1 bag sending it tumbling down at me while he almost went tumbling with his other bags. This helped to lighten the mood and frustration.

                Once through customs at the bottom of the first escalator we came to the second. Once again I went down with no problem but Joel sent the same bag tumbling again and his other linked together luggage all fell apart. I could not contain my laughter along with everyone else in the terminal. No one offered to help but one gracious worker that took pity on us and lead us to a back elevator which made boarding the ferry easier. They allowed us to get on first and get settled in. I have never seen Joel so completely drenched in sweat before. The ferry ride was an hour long of nauseating swelling seas.

                At the Macau port, we allowed everyone to get off before we started to bind our luggage together again. We had to go down a long ramp while trying to prevent our bags from running us over and the up a long ramp where we had to drag 300 pounds each up. On the plus side the locals thought it was hilarious. We went through immigration and customs again. At the end of a long hallway, we finally found our new friends that were to take us to our apartment.

                Joel, our escorts and I crammed our luggage into a small van that is about the size of a large car. The ride was only 15 minutes. We were so relieved to hear that there was an elevator since we are on the top floor of the school.

 Finally, at 6 am we arrived at our new home.  We took a shower, drank some water, ate a little bit of food and went to bed.