Almost there. In Hong Kong, a city of legend, for the first time in my life. Unfortunately all I'll see of this world wonder is the airport. This journey to Manila began at 3:30 a.m. Jan 14 in Winnipeg. I completed last-minute cleaning, fussing, and readying my house for my house sitter. Then the cab was early so I couldn't finish breakfast. Argh!
Alfie, Charina and Evawwen joined me at the airport around 5:45 a.m. and then we were off to Vancouver. Who should I see riding first class but Ali Dekhordi, also on his way to Manila for work. We made arrangements to attend the Symphony on Friday - the Philippine Philharmonic. How Winnipeg is that? Ali was on a Waterton Lakes trip with me about 7 years ago in Grizzly country and scared off any hope of bear-spotting by singing at the top of his lungs in Farsi. That was also the summer of his infamous bearspray incident that has become legendary in the Alpine Club Manitoba Section history. But that's another trip from another chapter in my travels. Here is Evawwen commencing his travels at the age of three in the cockpit of the first airplane he ever set foot in:
I have never flown for 13 hours straight - until today. With a feisty two-year-old in front of me. Evawwen and I made a little finger game to keep him entertained while his mom and dad slept on each side.
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| Evawwen with his dad, Alfie: first plane ride ever! |
The plane flew north west from Vancouver, over the range close to Mount McKinley - such huge mountains!! I wanted to walk the ridges of all of them. Then we crossed the Bearing Straight and flew south west over Russia and Mainland China. Now, it's humid and raining in HK and we've a couple hours yet to board the last flight - 2 hours flying time to Manila. Alfie's parents are supposed to meet us at the airport and take us to his sister's place in Pasay City.
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| Charina, bright and cheerful after a 13 hour flight in the Hong Kong airport. |
The currency exchange for HK dollars is $7.50 to the US dollar. Coffee, yogurt and a Canadian maple granola bar cost $69 - HK!
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