In Transit

Greetings from Hong Kong! After a stupidly small amount of sleep last night I made it in one piece to the airport with (hopefully) everything I need packed in my suitcases. My first flight was relatively uneventful, I was sitting next to a Chinese gentleman who laughed at my lucet and gave me an epic smile of relief when the plane touched down in Hong Kong safely. That was the extent of our communication during the flight. I didn't mind, I was enjoying the awesome Cathay Pacific in-flight entertainment system. They also serve epic foods. Instead of just a little tray of questionable contents and a juice box, we got full on meals with multiple dishes. Lunch was interesting, the hostie said it was fish and mashed potato. There was definitely fish, and something mashed. Something bright green yet potatoey in texture. It tasted alright though, and it I seem to still be in the land of the living :P

I arrived here at 3:30pm, and right in front of us as we came off the plane was the transfer information. There's three big screens, but the latest flight posted was still three hours before mine is scheduled *sigh* EPIC WAIT. This place is huge! I've walked up and down it multiple times dragging my suitcase and my feet hurt :( I spent more than an hour trying to find a good place for a nap. I found a place, and I napped, but it wasn't a very nice nap. I feel better now though. Well enough to stalk the free internet computers because my stupid laptop won't connect to the free wireless that's available all over the airport, and other people are using on their own computers in the comfy chairs without other people stalking them waiting their turn. Stupid Lucinda failing me *shakes fist* Anyway, it took me ages to finally get a computer, and then I had to figure out how to get it to type in English characters, and the mouse is all weird. I wish I could use my stupid laptop *tantrum* I'd be able to surf at my leisure as well and use up some of my eight hour stopover.

Marina wants to know what the number of my train to Stuttgart is, but the ticket is printed in German. I can't find a number that looks like it might be the right one. Maybe I'll ask someone when I get to Frankfurt and call her from there.

Anyway, I might go get something to eat and find something else to fill in the next four hours until my next flight boards, then it's twelve hours to Frankfurt! Oh joy.

EDIT
Magic! I fixed the interwebs! *flail* I'm not exactly sure how but somehow after lots of clicking on things and setting and whatnot, a browser window popped up asking me to agree to terms and conditions for using the airport wireless, so I did and now it's fixed!

I'm in the foodcourt now, eating McDonalds. It's just as gross here as it is back in Australia. I got a bit anxious waiting in the line because I was the only white person, and as far as I could tell all the cashiers were speaking Mandarin. What do you even do in a situation where you don't know the language OR the alphabet it uses? I could point to the picture, but there's no way I could spell out the word. If I was somewhere like France, I could at least make an attempt at the word underneath the picture. But then they all spoke English anyway, so no problem :P

Now that I'm no longer frazzled by a grumpy old man breathing down my neck and coughing pointedly (coughing pointedly? Can you even do that? You guys know what I mean, right?) in two minute intervals to remind me that he's looking at every word I'm typing and will keep doing so until I give him a turn, I shall share some observations about Hong Kong airport.

1. The airconditioning in this place is FREEZING. IT IS SO COLD IT IS RIDICULOUS! It's probably set to a balmy 18 degrees or something, in which case I am in a lot of trouble when I arrive in negative temperatures tomorrow *wibble* I'm currently wearing my green long sleeve (possibly some sort of wool blend) top, and my cardigan. I'm contemplating getting out my scarf, except it's the epic pink fluffy thing mum got me for Christmas one year in the form of two balls of wool and knitting needles. It's perfect for wrapping around my neck with room to bury my face in, which I thought would be appropriate when I get to Germany.

2. You get instructions in multiple languages every time you get on an escalator, or one of those flat conveyor belt airport dealies that are AMAZING in an airport this size. Every time you step on there's big signs telling you to HOLD THE HAND RAIL, and this lady tells you how to mount correctly and some safety precautions for your journey, then she says it all in Mandarin, at which point you're already at the other end where she's telling you how to dismount safely and blah blah blah. It was novel the first time, but you know, there are a lot of escalators here and I'm pretty sure I know how to use one. Especially now that I've heard the instructions a million times. Although I've been very rebellious and I haven't ever held onto the hand rail :P REBEL! Except I've never had a free hand to do so, so I don't get much choice really.

3. SELF FLUSHING TOILETS. What even. When I got off the plane I ran straight to the loo, did my business and then proceeded to change into warmer clothes. I was rather surprised when the toilet flushed itself, but whatever. Then while I was changing it flushed itself another two times. I have no idea how the thing works, because the next time I needed to go I waited for it to flush and it didn't. I stared at it for a while, pondered just leaving and hoping it would sort itself out, but then I found a button with which I could flush it manually. What is even the point?

4. Maccas only serves big size. I couldn't even buy a single cheesburger meal. It has to be double, and then it's a large. I have a massive coke, which I am seriously going to regret when I spend my next flight going to the toilet every five minutes, all night.

5. It's all foggy outside. When we were landing I thought we were miles away because we were still flying through cloud. Then I saw the ocean, then realised I could see individual waves and boats, and then we hit the ground. Out the windows of the terminal you can barely even see the runway, but there are some looming building-like shapes in the distance that look like it could be a city of some sort.

6. There's really annoying accordion music playing constantly. The kind that goes with the little French restaurant with the guy wearing a beret and a goatie sitting outside smoking. After five hours of this music I am seriously ready to kill someone *twitch* 

There's a guy with a really disturbing cough sitting over on the next table. It's like he's trying to get a chunk of something out of his windpipe. It's kinda hoarse, and he always coughs and sniffs in the same pattern and gives the impression of a nervous tic sorta deal. I would seriously hate to be his friend, sitting next to him on their flight. I hope he's not on my flight. Maybe I'll kill him, and dress the body up in a beret and goatie as a warning to Hong Kong airport to CHANGE THE DAMN MUSIC.

Wow, this entry got really long all of a sudden. I'm sorry, I'm bored and there's still three more hours to wait *dies*