Southeast Asia Trip - Day 20

This is the final day of my Southeast Asia Trip - or, should I say, "DAYS"?  The reason for this query has affected me every time I've ever been on a trip to the west side of the International Date Line and today was no exception.  In anticipation of the very long "days" head, I managed to sleep until 0745 (!) and then spent some time reading and doing puzzles.  I even caught up on Duolingo exercises before going to breakfast (pancakes, eggs, sausage, croissants, cereal, beans) at the Hyatt Regency restaurant (0815).  Back in my room, I relaxed, read, packed and worked on eBird entries.  Overall, it was a very relaxed morning and I made no attempts to go anywhere or do anything outside my room.  Meanwhile, outside, the temps were again in the 80s and it was very humid.  I finally departed my room at 1400 and weighed my two bags with a handy scale located in the hotel lobby.  The results were 14 kg (16 kg actual) & 5.8 kg (same at airport).  After checking with the Viking Cruise ladies, I found out that nearly everyone else had already departed for Suvarnabhumi Airport (Bangkok).  Thinking I could chance a bit longer delay before going over there, I stowed my bags and purchased a lunch (goat cheese, tomato & lettuce baguette sandwich, Fanta) from a food station in the lobby (1415).  About 15 minutes later, I was ready to depart the Hyatt Regency (via hotel shuttle bus).  Even though we were within walking distance of the International Terminal, the roads were very busy and it took a bit of maneuvering to deliver me to the correct ticket area.  Fortunately, I had very quick lines for check-in, although the EVA Airways kiosk "survey" was quite confusing.  From there, I quickly made it through the bag drop and Security lines.  Along the way, I was able to choose a better seat (swapped middle for aisle) - I was quite happy about that.  Overall, 1430-1500 seemed like the perfect time to arrive!  On the gate side of Security, I found my waiting area quickly (not much walking) and stayed there (Terminal G) until about 1610.  When it opened, I moved to the authorized lower gate area until boarding time (1645).  When the door was opened to passengers for EVA Airways B777-300ER, I got on quickly (Group 2).  This was fortunate because the baggage bins filled up quickly - it was a full flight and it seemed that almost everyone had done some shopping while in Bangkok.  Probably because of this, we were still at the gate by takeoff time.  During this time, I realized we had a totally different entertainment system and I had to really search for things I wanted.  This was my second time trying to leave on time from Bangkok and I concluded that it might be a place that is used to delays.  We finally pushed back at 1735 but didn't get airborne until 1755 local (40 minutes late).  Meanwhile, I realized that I was again surround by lots of sick people.  I passed the time by watching movies and using the free WiFi.  Went the flight attendants appeared with meal selections, I asked for chicken - somehow, though, I ended up getting Japanese fish, rice, shrimp salad and fruit salad.  For the first time in the entire trip, I concluded that the food wasn't safely edible and only ate about half of my meal.  I was consoled by a Taiwanese beer and, later, some hot tea.  The entire flight was over three hours and things looked good for our arrival in Taipei.  Before we could land, though, we had to hold for about 20 minutes.  Due to all the delays (Gate, Takeoff, Landing), my two hour layover shrank to one.  I started wondering if my checked bag would get onboard the new flight in time…  Ultimately, we landed in Taiwan at 2250 local time.  After getting off the aircraft, there was LOTS of walking, more security and then even MORE walking before I arrived at the gate for my next flight (2315).  Boarding had already started but the announcements mentioned “patience” so I assumed there was some kind of delay.  Eventually (2335), we started boarding and I lucked out with an empty seat to my right.  EVA Airways B777-300ER pushed back at 0010 of Taiwan’s November 7 and we took off at 0030 local time (more than 30 minutes late).  The flight attendants did their park to make things better by bringing around drinks almost immediately (I had some OJ).  Again, people all around me were coughing loudly.  Like I've done on almost all my flights, I passed the time by watching movies, reviewing social media and reading a book.  Our first "official" meal was pretty substantial (kasubi, rice, mixed veggies, kimchi?, fruit salad, cold slaw, roll, blonde brownie, red wine).  After finishing that, I spent a while trying to get comfortable for sleeping (the crew turned the lights out).  Eventually, I dozed for a few hours (off & on).  Meanwhile, our flight route took us close to the Japanese Mainland.  Before long, we crossed the IDL and I started repeating my day.  Sadly, I was mostly awake by that point and watched the moving map as our aircraft flew near the Aleutian Islands.  Soon after that, we were served a second meal (“chicken” pasta with broccoli, cheese & crackers, roll, fruit salad, beer).  The food tasted better and I was satisfied.  For the rest of the flight, I watched movies and played games on the entertainment system.  We started our descent into Los Angeles just after 1900 (Pacific Time) and landed at LAX at 1925.  With the huge size of the airport, it then took more than 15 minutes to reach the gate and a further 10 to started the unloading process.  Like I'd seen in Taipei, it was a LONG walk to the Customs and Border Patrol checkpoint.  After that, though, I had a quick pass through with my Global Entry and arrived at the baggage claim area by 2005.  Fortunately, I didn't have too long of a wait on my checked bag.  With that retrieved, my next project was locating the hotel shittle for the Cambria Hotel in El Segundo.  Starting out, I exited on the wrong level for Hotel Shuttles.  With help from some hotel staff, I figured that out and went to higher level - even then, though, I needed more help to find the shuttle waiting area.  Meanwhile, I was unsuccessful in reaching the Hotel Shuttle with the number I’d been given by the hotel. Eventually, I called the front desk and they told me they couldn’t reach the shuttle company either.  The best they could do was to suggest “try them with text”.  I took their advice but had no luck.  Suddenly, I saw a shuttle with the actual hotel name on it (VERY lucky) and a driver who was calling out “last call”.  Feeling a bit relieved, I got onboard at 2030 and rode around on the shuttle while it made additional stops for pickups and drop offs at the other LAX Terminals.  As I'd seen on the first night of my trip, there was LOTS of traffic around LAX.  The next phase of the shuttle bus ride was making stops at other hotels.  In the end, I arrived at the Cambria Hotel by 2055.  After all that, though, I was the only passenger that needed to check in and the processes went quickly - I was at my room by 0910.  Feeling out of sorts and completely exhausted, I spent the rest of the evening organizing and repacking (moved stuff from car to/from my room).  Somehow, I was able to stall bedtime until 2230 - I hope that gets me back on US time again soon...  To sum up, this cruise adventure was definitely quite memorable, with many amazing images, thoughts, smells and sounds to recall when I want to think about it again.  I've got a new appreciation for several countries that I'd previously only read about and a deeper affection for the people who live in the formerly war torn areas of the Planet Earth.  Their open hearted forgiveness and drive to make their world better was very inspirational too - hopefully, I can take some of what I've learned and apply it to my own life and living environment.  Speaking of that, Nomad Life resumes in the morning!

Southeast Asia Trip - Day 2

After crossing the IDL, we had several hours of darkness and quiet.  I noticed that we flew very close to Iwo To (AKA Iwo Jima).  About one hour before we landed, we were served breakfast (cheese omelet, sausage, melons, yogurt, tomato, tater tots, croissant, tea & juice).  Unusual for me, I did almost no talking with anyone during this flight except for the FAs.., Overall, my flight to Taipei, Taiwan was more than 13+ hours - we saw the lights of Taipei during arrival.  As we landed (0500 local), I realized I'd been (mostly) awake for 34 hours (0400 PT on October 17 until 1400 PT on October 18).  Once outside of the aircraft, I was able to avoid Customs because I was an International Transfer.  This allowed me to walk around the terminal area for over 90 minutes before I had to be in the gate area for my next flight.  It took a lot of creativity but I managed to log almost four miles of walking during my time in the busy airport, mostly because one area (D Gates) was relatively empty.  There were a lot of interesting cultural, historical and natural wonders (100 mountains) displayed in the little lounge areas I passed - wish I had more time.  Meanwhile, it was raining outside... Along the way, I saw lots of ROC flags that were lining the streets.  Once in the gate area for my next flight, I started to meet lots of Viking Cruise passengers.  I boarded an EVA Airways B787 and took my seat near the front - there was an older couple from Hong Kong sitting next to me.  Unlike my earlier flight, it was clear that English was now primary language.  We departed Taipei a bit late (0725 local) - by then, the sun was coming out and the day looked like it would be a good one.  Surprisingly, we got meal service on a flight just over an hour.  I guess you could call it "lunch"(Chicken Parmesan, light cookies, apple juice).  We also got some Chinese tea service - the flight attendant held out a tray and, when I realized I needed to place my cup on it, she poured me some hot tea.  At 0845 local, we landed in Hong Kong to more beautiful weather.  Once I was able to deplane, I walked as fast as I could to the Immigration area.  Since I'd been sitting near the front and took took no breaks, the resulting clearance process was quick (short lines at that point).  Even better, my bag showed up quickly too.  Feeling a bit "ick", I changed shirts and then walked through the Customs area to the airport exit.  I found Viking representatives there but there were two ships involved.  Once I located the Viking Venus group, I queued up with other passengers (they were wearing red stickers that I apparently never received).  Later, we walked to a waiting shuttle bus and departed the airport (0935 local).  It was sunny and nice.  It was strange to watch the left side driving.  Around me, all the other passengers were older couples...  We crossed the bay (looking for Disneyland Japan but never saw it).  Using my map of the area, I deduced that we were headed to Kowloon.  This turned out to be true and, after entering the Ocean Terminal, the bus dropped us off so we could begin the check in process for Viking Venus.  Sadly, the pushy Boomer couples started to get on my nerves.  They seemed to be in such a hurry (no patience), had very little regard for others (including the staff) and I just got out of the way.  At the end of the line with me were the first people I met from among the passengers: Dan & Elaine from Bremerton, WA.  Otherwise, the only thing that was on my mind was the destination for my untagged bags (because I hadn't received the special destination tags that Viking apparently mailed to my old address).  The ship's staff made copies of our passports and took one of my (four) photos for visas. We were served some champagne - that was nice.  I texted my daughters to let them know that I’d arrived.  Then we got to the kicker (I'd expected this): we couldn’t go to our rooms until after 1500.  Realizing that this was the time to make the best of my "free time", I stopped at Guest Services to give them descriptions of my bags, verify processes for meals, excursions, etc.  I then ate lunch at the World Cafe (it was still early enough that it actually seemed like breakfast).  There was lots of charcuterie type food and I snacked on that.  I also had a Norwegian double amber beer (good).  As expected, everyone in the crew was so warm and welcoming.  Afterwards, I made appointment for Cruise Coordinator (to get onboard cruise credit).  During this whole time, I was exchanging WhatsApp messages with Steve L and we made plans for a rendezvous,  At 1130, I left my backpack in the Cruise Coordinator's (Wes') office and left the ship - I had to follow maze of corridors to get out of the port area (sure hope I can find my way back inside...).  I turned on my phone at that point (AT&T Day Pass) to help.  I soon found myself in the Harbour City Mall (Tsim Sha Tsui) and, with Steve's help, quickly located the Star Ferry line.  Steve had hinted that I might have to change US dollars into Hong Kong currency but I figured out that they took Visa for the 5.6HK fare (it turned out to cost $0.72 for a one way ticket!).  There was hardly any line or delay and I was soon onboard a "junk" that took me from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island.  We still had great weather (low 80s, sunny).  We got dropped off at (Central) Pier 7 but it then took time to coordinate my meeting with Steve.  We eventually found each other at Ferris Wheel (1225) and took a cab to Steve’s house on Old Peak Road (mid level on Victoria Peak).  On the way there, we passed lost of Filipina cleaning ladies in a Sunday celebration.  I saw signs commemorating the 76th Anniversary of founding of Communist China and lots of Communist flags.  Steve's neighborhood was characterized by very high terraces towards the top of Victoria Peak.  After arriving at Steve's apartment, I met his wife (Paula) and son (Justin) and we all visited for a few hours.  The family had just hosted a Notre Dame versus USC party and the family was in good spirits after an ND victory.  At 1430, we (Steve, Justin and I) adjourned to the nearby Ladies Recreation Club, an exclusive, private sports and social club founded in 1883.  With some good beers (1.5 pints of Young Master Unfiltered Pilsner), we talked about Hong Kong business, Ex-Pat life, etc. By this point, it was VERY warm (high 80s).  During our afternoon visit, I was struck by the difficulties in tagging up with Tim T (a school friend of over 50 years) contrasted with the ease of coordinating with Steve L (an ND Alum who I just met in May).  Both live in Hong Kong but it's been night and day on setting up a meeting.  Sad that it's so hard to make plans with some people but it is uplifting that many others are motivated (by curiosity or personality) to socialize...  Eventually (1600), Paula joined us towards the end (1600).  As we were wrapping up, Steve gave me 50HK cash (in exchange for $5) and he coordinated for a cab to take me back (via very steep roads) to Star Ferry Pier 7.  The resulting fare was 40HK and then I paid another 5.6HK to ride the ferry back to Kowloon (1700).  During this transit, the boat was much more crowded and water was a bit rougher.  Once off the boat, I made my way inside the Harbour City Mall - unfortunately, it then took me a lot of time to locate the entrance to the Viking Venus check-in line.  I consoled myself with the knowledge that I was still getting steps for my daily goal...  Eventually (1720), I found my way through the correct route and easily reboarded the cruise ship.  I first retrieved my backpack and then went in search of my Stateroom.  Once inside, I found one bag was there but the other one wasn’t.  Fortunately, I got help in retrieving it from Guest Services.  By this point, I felt so sticky and tired!  As required, I watched the ship's safety video but then was finally able to shower and change.  At 1800 local, I went to dinner (sushi, cheeses and fruits, desserts) at the World Cafe.  Looking back, I believe this food was supposed to be “China themed"... I learned later that I’d missed a (un-hosted) Church service.  Next, I explored Decks 7 through 9 and got to experience a bit of Hong Kong by night.  I found several pools, the Sun Deck (for walking) and then went down to Decks 1 and 2, which featured theaters, lounges, spa, gym, pool, etc. I finally finished my 10K steps and returned to my room at 1930.  Upon arrival, I met the stewards (Felix & Jean).  Though I felt exhausted, I carefully reviewed the Viking Daily (prep for excursions on the following day) and unpacked.  Before bed (2045), I watched part of a movie.  It's been a heck of a few days but I'm ready for my Southeast Asia Adventure!