Shannon and I got up really early that Friday morning at the YMCA in Chiang Mai. We had a flight to catch to Hong Kong. I was up, sort of. She was up, barely. It was 5:30 in the morning. Would you want to be up?

Anyway, we were up. Up enough to go to the airport or go through the boarding process. One funny thing that happened that morning is that the same customs guy who checked us into Thailand was checking us out of the country. Even he saw his own signature and pointed it out to the two of us. I love coincidences.

Another great coincidence was bumping into a few other ELIC people while we were boarding. We weren't the only two silly bears up early in the morning. That made me feel a lot better. It was someone else to talk to.

We were quickly on our flight and zipped down to Bangkok. We had about an hour layover. I'm kind of glad we didn't spend any real time in Bangkok. The city is big and crowded and not exactly relaxing for a vacation. That's my outsider's impression.

The airport, though, was quite good. It had a nice shopping strip in the transfer area. In fact, Shannon picked up a little goodie for her mother. A nice little bracelet. It was very pretty. Remember, I've picked up this thing for jewellery. I wonder if she ever gave it to her mamah. She said it looked really good on her own wrist.

We were up in the air once again. This time Shannon insisted on sleeping and reading. So I was left to my own devices. I basically fooled around with the magazines, wet nap, and food. Oh, and I found a Made in Canada channel on the on board radio. It was cool to listen to some Canadian pop classics I hadn't heard for a while. I was truly excited ... in a Canadian way- reservedly.

The closer we got to Hong Kong, the more excited Shannon got. She really couldn't wait to see her mother. Oh yeah, I should tell you. Her mother flew from Phoenix to Hong Kong to meet her, and my own parents arrived in Hong Kong a few days prior to me. Anyway, she was really shocked at how "unexcited" I was to see my parents. Fair enough. So I don't always show my excitement. I'm Chinese. I know. Crutch. I didn't dread seeing my parents. I was just mildly happy. Am I not allowed to feel that way? Maybe there's more. I don't wanna think too deeply right now.

The view of Hong Kong as we were descending towards the airport was spectacular. Those of you who have experienced the old descents at Kai Tak, Hong Kong's old airport, will be a little disappointed with the new descent, but it's still very breathtaking if the weather is right. We flew from the southeast over Hong Kong Island. It was a partly cloudy day. So the clouds sort of played with light before it landed on terra firma and the glass buildings below. It was a wonderful effect. Then over Victoria Harbour and the eastern part of Kowloon. I could see the old airport has we passed over. The plane proceeded over the mountains and into the New Territories. We must have hung a left over Sha Tin and made the final approach towards Chek Lap Kok International Airport. The clouds were playing all the way.

Once we got off the plane and into the terminal, she was starting bounce off the walls. Not too bad, but you could tell she was getting impatient, in a fun way (she paid me to say that :P ). We still had to get to the customs desk, go through customs, and pick up our luggage. We were not going anywhere in a hurry. But that mini-subway train to the main terminal was very cool.

After a while, we got everything done, got our luggage, and were on our way out to the crowds. I saw my dad first. He hadn't coloured his hair, so it was all white. That was a surprise to me. Shannon didn't see her mother yet, though. It wasn't until we got closer to the opening in the railings that I saw her and pointed her out to Shannon. And she calls me anxious. Okay, maybe I am. Okay, yes I am, ... but only in certain situations.

Shannon and I said goodbye and parted with our respective parents. I was very happy to be with my parents. And Shannon says I wasn't excited (Sorry Shannon, I'm taking a lot of shots at you. No hard feelings.).

We took one of the CityBus Flyers into town. It was a very cool double-decker bus. I could stow my luggage on the bottom level on these racks and I could sit on the second floor. There was a TV to let me keep an eye on the luggage and still enjoy the view. The bus also had an LED sign that greeted us and told us what the next stop was.

Then I heard it. Cantonese on the loudspeaker. Yes, I do understand Chinese. Just a different form of it. Ahh. I've arrived. I've arrived in Hong Kong.