The breakfast room is packed but I�ve a long day ahead so I chow down. I check out and walk to Paddington Station, catch the Airport Train to Heathrow. Heathrow is a madhouse as usual but I manage to check in efficiently and immediately head for the Cathay Pacific affiliated Admiral�s Club. I spend the next two hours drinking Bloody Marys to ease the back of the plane pain and trying to find a seat near the TV to watch the Olympics. The Club is packed. The attendants forget to announce my Cathay Pacific flight so in a slight vodka induced fog I rush to the gate and board. No upgrade this trip.
The flight is boring which is the best kind and I am happy to be back home in Hong Kong again. I realize, I now consider Hong Kong my home not the U.S. A big change from just a few years ago.
It has, to understate the truth, been a great trip - five countries, 22 towns and cities, innumerable museums and historical sites, dozens of restaurants and bars, 18 train rides, etc. I don�t think, though, I will do a seven-week stint again. A month seems ideal. I can see what I want to see and get back home to rest up before my next trip. Right now, it�s time to consolidate my notes and write about this trip. I�m sure it will take a lot longer to write about the trip than seven weeks.
Author�s Note: I wasn�t kidding about how long it would take - 41 weeks was the final figure.