(Hong Kong Flag)
(Hong Kong Map)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2016:
I left Kuala Lumpur Sunday afternoon at 1:05.
My first flight of the day was back to Bangkok on a Thai A330.
I had a two hour layover at Bangkok International Suvarnabhumi Airport.
My second and final flight was to Hong Kong on a Thai 747.
It was about a half hour transfer to the Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel for a three night stay.
This five-star hotel overlooks the spectacular Victoria Harbour in Tsim Sha Tsui,
at the heart of the city's busiest commercial, shopping and business hub.
The Star Ferry is at the hotel's doorstep, while shopping is right next door
with the hotel forming part of Harbour City, Hong Kong's largest shopping complex.
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Hello Folks, Did you miss hearing from me yesterday? I pretty much stayed in bed all day and nursed my cold. My ribs are very sore from coughing up a lung or two. Today I had to get out of bed because I had a flight to catch. My ears were bleeding by the time I got to the Kuala Lumpur Airport. My driver never stopped talking for a single second. It was a nearly one hour drive and he told me the history of his country every second of the way. My first flight today was back to Bangkok. I had less than a two hour layover there. My second flight was to Hong Kong. On my flight to Hong Kong I flew in the upper deck of a Thai 747. There were only three other people up there beside myself.  I've flown on a lot of 747s but this was the first time flying in the upper deck. I prefer the main deck. The windows are so low it is hard to see out of them. One nice thing about this flight they actually had a meal I could eat. On the other three Thai flights there were three meal choices. Two were always some kind of fish, YUCK! And the third was chicken thighs with mushrooms, YUCK! On this flight there was the usual two fish options, but the third was roast pork. So I was able to eat that, it was very good. I got to my hotel in Hong Kong at 9:30pm. I am staying at the Marco Polo Hotel in Kowloon. I don't have a huge room like I have at the past several hotels. This room is about the same size as my stateroom on the ship. The room is still very nice. The hotel is nicely located. The ferry into Hong Kong is only a block away. There is also a metro station nearby. And as usual the hotel is attached to a mall.  I can see some of the Hong Kong Skyline from my room.  Not too impressive looking tonight. It is raining. According to the forecast it is supposed to rain all four days that I am here. This is the last stop on my journey. I'll start my LONG trek home on Thursday night. Tim |
(Note: Screen grabs can not be enlarged.) |
MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2016:
Click on the images below for the original full-size image.
It was a very gloomy day on Monday, my first full day in Hong Kong.
Below is the view from my hotel window at the Marco Polo Hotel.
I took the Peak Tram, a funicular railway, up to Victoria Peak.
Victoria Peak is a mountain with an elevation 1811 feet on the western half of Hong Kong Island.
The Peak is a major tourist attraction that offers views over Victoria Harbour.
Watch the video below to see my journey to Victoria Peak.
I watched the nightly Light Show from my hotel window at the Marco Polo Hotel.
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Hello Folks, I feel like death warmed over. I was up all night with my cold. I usually sleep in my recliner when I have a cold because you seem to cough more when you're lying down. The chair in my room isn't very comfortable. It was a mostly cloudy day today. The sun did manage to peak through the clouds a time or two but that was very short lived. I forced myself to get out of bed and took the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island.  Upon arriving on Hong Kong Island I got on the hop on, hop off tourist bus.  I disembarked the bus at the Peak Tram. It is a funicular railway that carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island.  This is Victoria Peak where you get the best view of the city.  Locally known as The Peak it has an elevation of 1,811 feet and is the highest hill on Hong Kong Island.  With magnificent views of the city and its waterfront, The Peak is a major tourist attraction drawing some seven million visitors every year.  I took the tram back down the mountain. Folks on the tram kept giving me the evil eye because I had a coughing fit on the way down. I decided to call it a day and return to the hotel. Tonight at 8:00 I watched the nightly light show from my hotel room. It's misting rain again tonight but the skyline is a lot brighter than it was last night.  Hoping my cold goes away soon. I had a cold the last time I was here. Tim |
TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2016:
Today I took a sightseeing cruise around Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour on the Star Ferry.
With a total land area of 427 square miles and a population of over 7.3 million,
Hong Kong ranks as the world's fourth most densely populated sovereign state or territory.
Hong Kong's skyline, with a very high density of skyscrapers
boasts the second largest number of high rises of any city in the world.
Officially this is Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.
You can watch the video below for all the details of my cruise.
Tuesday afternoon I went to the top of the ICC building.
The International Commerce Centre Building is a 108-storey skyscraper in Kowloon.
It was the 4th tallest building in the world when it was completed in 2010.
Sky 100 is the building's observation deck.
The gloomy weather made the views less than breathtaking.
The ICC faces the second-tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong,
the 2 International Finance Centre (IFC) directly across Victoria Harbour.
You can see video of my visit to Sky 100 at the end of the complete Hong Kong video below.
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Hello folks, It was another ugly day in Hong Kong. After breakfast at the hotel I took a Victoria Harbour cruise. Below is a picture of the Hong Kong Convention Center. That is also one of the Star Ferries in the picture.  The most popular building in the Hong Kong skyline is the Bank of China. It was designed by famous architect I.M. Pei. The 72-story building was the tallest building in Hong Kong and Asia from 1990 to 1992. It was also the first building outside the United States to break the 1,000 foot mark. It is in the center of the picture below.  Another picture below of the gloomy Hong Kong Skyline.  The picture below is the IFC (International Finance Centre). At 88 floors high it is the second tallest building in Hong Kong.  The last time I was here in 2009 they were still building the sister of the building above across the harbor in Kowloon. It is the ICC (International Commerce Centre). In my opinion it is one of the world's ugliest buildings. It has 108 floors and is the seventh tallest completed building in the world. Just ahead of the Petronis Towers in Kuala Lumpur which are #8 and #9. I went up the building this afternoon.  Very large observation deck and only about ten people up there. The picture below was taken from the 100th floor of ICC. It is looking down on my hotel which is the building at the end of the pier.  With no sun or blue skies the view was not at all impressive.  Below is the view from the other side looking down on Kowloon.  I'm still battling my cold. If I cough one more time my lungs are going to explode. This Chinese cough medicine is not helping. That's it for today, Tim |
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2016:
I was going to spend Wednesday in Macau, but I just didn't feel up to it.
Since I wasn't up to any more sightseeing there was no reason to continue to stay at an
expensive downtown hotel. So I left a day early and checked into the Regal Airport Hotel.
I spent the day nursing my cold and plane spotting from my hotel window.
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Hello folks, I tried to get my Hong Kong hotel to give me a late check-out tomorrow since my flight doesn't leave until 9:30pm. They would not do it so I left and checked into the Regal Airport Hotel. I'll be here watching planes until my flight leaves tomorrow night. I was lucky to get here alive though. My cab driver was driving at least 100mph, weaving in and out of traffic all the way here.  There's an arrow pointing to my hotel in the picture above. I am at the end of one of the runways and I get a nice view of the planes landing.  I still have that cold. I hope the coughing stops before I get on that plane tomorrow.  It will be a short walk to the gate tomorrow. My hotel is attached to terminal one and that is where my plane leaves from.  Tomorrow night at 9:25 I'll board my Royal Jordanian 787 and fly back to Bangkok for the third time. I don't have to change planes this time, it's a quick one hour pit stop. It's then a nine hour flight back to Amman. I change planes in Amman and after a six hour layover it is a 13 hour flight to Chicago on another Royal Jordanian 787. I have to wait four hours in Chicago for my flight back to Indy. From wheels up in Hong Kong to touchdown in Indy it will take me 39 hours to get home. Bye for now, Tim |
This was my second visit to Hong Kong. I was also here in 2009.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016:
I spent the day at my hotel at the Kong Kong Airport.
I checked out of the hotel after 7:00pm and made the short walk over to the airport.
It would take me over 41 hours to get home from this point.
I did not take any video of my flights coming back home.
The first leg of the trip was yet another flight to Bangkok. This time on a Royal Jordanian 787.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016:
After a short stop in Bangkok I continued on the same 787 to Amman, Jordan.
It was over a nine hour flight to Amman leaving Bangkok just after midnight.
We landed in Amman around 6:30AM and my flight to O'Hare did not leave until 11:30AM.
I spent the time in the Royal Jordanian lounge.
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Howdy, I have started my LONG journey home. I just finished a 13 hour flight from Hong Kong to Amman, Jordan. I have five hours to kill here in Amman and then it's another 13 hour flight to Chicago. Current local time in Amman is 7:00am, the sun just came up.  No reason for me writing except to kill time. I am looking forward to getting home. My feet need the rest. If my flights go as scheduled I'll be home at 10:30pm. Tim |
Next it was an over twelve hour flight to Chicago O'Hare on another 787 Dreamliner.
They searched every piece of hand luggage by hand before the flight.
This took forever and we were late leaving Amman.
We touched down in Chicago around 5:00PM local time.
I had over three hours to kill at Chicago's O'Hare Airport.
A lot of that was spent clearing customs. I was searched repeatedly.
The the final leg of the arduous trek home was an hour long flight to Indy.
Click on the arrow above to begin my next adventure in OHIO!
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