Greetings from my room on the eighteenth floor of the Charterhouse Causeway Bay Hotel in Hong Kong. What a day(s?) it has been! The flight over was, as fifteen hour flights go, relatively painless. The middle seat of my row was empty, so I was able to stretch out a bit while still remaining extremely uncomfortable. I made friends with and received licorice and Reeses pieces from the two IT guys sitting in my area. It was both of their first times to Asia so I gave some advice and in turn listened to a lot of chatter about H6410 computer systems (or something, don't quote me). I watched most of the newest Mission Impossible (highly recommend it) and slept all in all probably a good eight hours. Yes, I know I am a champion.
Getting through customs, finding my bag, exchanging currency, taking the train to downtown HK and then a taxi to my hotel went extremely smoothly. No complaints, other than that I felt like a zombie and was only able to half-appreciate the incredibly lush island landscape of Hong Kong. Once I was able to get to my room and shower, things began to look up. The hotel was nice, and my room was both comfortable and hilariously tiny. My suitcase took up the only remaining floor space not being used by the bed. I was only here for one night though, so nbd!
I met Sarah Xu, CEO of the largest outdoor sporting goods retail store in China, in the lobby and we went out for a delicious Chinese dinner. Ready to be jealous? Here's what we had: jasmine tea, whole fried shrimp (yes the heads were still on, and yes I managed to get them off using chopsticks...I've got some pretty serious skills), roasted duck with dipping sauce, steamed baby bok choi with garlic, and shrimp and fish fried rice. If you can't tell, Hong Kong is known for seafood. The meal was unbelievable--the perfect re-introduction into China. I love this place!
After dinner, Sarah and I walked around the downtown bar district and had a glass of Sangria at a Spanish bar. There were Chinese minstrels playing Spanish guitar and singing "Hotel California" ... Oh, the irony. After drinks, I headed back to my Polly Pocket room now, ready to collapse into a bed perfectly sized for a Chinese person and wake up well-rested for a full day of travel and business!