The trip to Hong Kong
The current time is 3am and I'm sitting alone on my bed in a tiny one person room in the middle of Mong Kok, Hong Kong.
I have to ask myself, why am i writing this instead of sleeping?
The answer is, well, honestly, i don’t really really know. Other than the hope that someone who is in the same circumstance as I have been, comes across it and it brings them some comfort or even just makes them smile for a minute or two. Perhaps that they know they aren’t alone in their struggles, also because part of me wishes to share my story.
My trip thus far has been both a blend of the fantastic and the frustrating and i feel no embarrassment in admitting that I’ve shed my fair share of tears, however that being said, I have also laughed, smiled and felt a deep sense of peace and joy like I haven’t in a while.
Anyway
The first piece of advice that I can give you is, never, ever, assume that your carry on luggage will be in weight (AirAsia who I flew with is 7kg) or that the desensitised people behind the desk will empathise with you (let alone see you as another human like they are with feelings and emotions).
So my journey began $140 AUD out of pocket due to my pack being 2kgs overweight (Though I do hold myself solely responsible for the oversight, it was a great way to learn to not be so… frugal.) The gentleman who informed me of this, smugly might I add, seemed to enjoy that he had caught one of us travellers out and could now charge the exorbitant fee to get my stuff on the flight, lest I leave it all in a bin in the Perth Airport (Which of course is just silly).
After the payment cleared and I put my bag on the baggage check-in to be sent on ahead of me (minus my sleeping bag and laptop, though being in a rush I left ALL my chargers in my pack), I found my way up a lovely escalator which led me to the Customs Declarations area, the (awesome) X-Ray Machines and Metal Detectors. Once I was through, with little degree of difficulty might I add, it was just a matter of sitting and waiting for my flight, boarding and jetting off.
Now flying, though one of my favourite things to do, is not usually a pleasant experience for me as I stand 6’6, and the seats are not made for men of my… stature. However I found this flight to be reasonably comfortable, even with the bent neck from having the window seat. Now many people would say “why didn’t you just pay for the seat upgrade?”, to which I respond “I didn’t choose to be tall, so why should I have to pay for it?, I understand charging obese individuals extra, as usually their circumstances are of their own creation, but why should I pay extra for something that is outside of my control?” (Plus it was only a 5 hour flight, so the relative discomfort was acceptable).
Now lets fast forward to my late night arrival at Kuala Lumpur Airport, which was rather uneventful but ill fill you in anyway.
I decided to treat myself to a Penang Curry at the Airports restaurant (which I would later regret) as by the end of my flight I had been overcome with a ravenous hunger and I needed sustenance immediately. After my meal, I found a somewhat shielded place to attempt to get some sleep, which wouldn’t happen since at this point I was now aware of my folly in leaving my chargers in my pack and I was to afraid that my phone (which only had 20% battery) would go flat and I would sleep through my boarding the following morning. I got to talking with a young blonde haired, blue eyed, German fellow by the name of Sam (Who shall henceforth be known as Mr Germany) who was also trying to get some sleep while waiting for his flight to Melbourne and having no success. We shared stories and jokes for a few hours until an American lady (At this present moment her name escapes me so she shall be Lady America) decided to sit nearby. Mr Germany and I struck up a conversation with her and the next thing I know, the three of us, as a trio, have gone in search of a new location to try and rest our tired heads. I had limited success as I drifted in and out due to my attempts being interrupted by a particularly loud and inconsiderate group of people nearby, who seemed to give little care to the fact that everyone around them was trying to sleep so after shooting them a venomous stare I decide to go for a stroll (Next piece of advice, if people nearby are trying to sleep, find soemwhere else to make noise). Upon returning a little later I found not only had both Mr Germany and Lady America succeeded in falling asleep, the loud group was now all asleep as well. I did what I could to get some rest however every few minutes I found myself looking at the pending departure board.
9am slowly arrived and I said farewell to my new friends to board my flight though I began to notice something felt off. As I made my way to the plane I was overcome with nausea and had to make a beeline for the nearest toilet to relieve my stomach of its contents; It would seem that the Penang Curry had caught up with me. Once I made sure that there was no residue on the toilet or myself, I found some antacids at the nearby airport chemist (Thanks the creator/s) and boarded the plane.
Now if the last flight was slightly uncomfortable, this flight was, for lack of better wording, just plain s**t (both literally and figuratively). If not for the fantastic pair of single serve friends, who allowed me to have the aisle seat, this flight would have been a straight up nightmare. I quickly learned that even the tiny airplane seats can get even smaller. I had to position myself in the seat and then just slide down and let my legs lock into place between my seat and the one in front of me (don’t get me started on the joke that was trying to fold down the tray without kneecapping myself). Not only was this quite uncomfortable, but extremely inconvenient as at this point the Curry decided to return with a vengeance and this time it wasn’t wanting to exit from my mouth. To add to this, it was right as the plane began to take off and ascend (and if you have ever been on a plane, you know when that seatbelt sign is on, there ain’t no moving). It was in this moment that I was very glad that I had learned mindfulness and meditation exercises (No pun intended). Once that light switched off though, I was shooting up the plane faster than a fat kid chasing an ice cream truck (Don’t worry, its cool. I used to be 150kgs so I’m down with the chubsters, and have even chased my fair share of Mr Whippy Trucks). Thus began the repetitive cycle of ‘Sit, chat, toilet, repeat’ (which, funnily enough, I got stuck in at one point due to their tiny tininess but thats a tale for another time), this went on until our flight finally landed at the Hong Kong Airport.
Once I had disembarked the plane (and the thoroughly destroyed restroom facilities), I went to collect my luggage only to discover the little torch I kept on it and metal clip which I had on the outside of my pack were now missing and the inside contents had been rearranged (definitely worth that 140 dollars they charged me for that added security). After locating a free power bank, I charged my phone and computer while drinking some flat lemonade and contacted family and friends to let them know that I had arrived (relatively) safely. I then proceeded to purchased an OCTOPUS card (Which ill cover in my next blog) and began the trip into the City of Hong Kong.
And with that, we come to an end to the First Chapter in my Solo Campaign of Asia and the surrounds.
So yeah
Until next time, this is the SpaceMonkey, signing off.
