Aug 27, 2007

Let me take you there


IMG_1743
Originally uploaded by dragonx

I don't know if one flies to the other side of the planet to find oneself. It was never really my goal.

What I did find though, was the end of routine.

Hopefully I'll remember enough to share it later.

Aug 18, 2007

Thoughts on flying

I think it's the relative efficiency of travel in North America - great highways and extensive air coverage, that you would never think of travelling for more than 24 hours at a time. Even flying from Toronto to Hong Kong, practically the other side of the planet, only takes around 18 hours.

So I didn't really expect that it'd take more than 36 hours to get to our Indian office. I think it didn't seem quite as long last time, since I stayed in a hotel overnight in between flights in Delhi. This time it was an 8 hour layover in Hong Kong, followed by a 3 hour drive from Mumbai to the office.

The highlight really was Hong Kong. I landed, got through customs quickly (it was 5am), got some HK dollars at an ATM in the airport and got on the Airport Express train to Central. The ticket is about US$20 for a single day round trip ticket (unfortunately, if you're not coming back on the same day, then it's the same price for a one way ticket). I was intending to go grab some wonton noodles, but ended up cabbing over to my uncles' place for a quick shower, hung out with my cousins for a while, and had a Shanghainese "brunch" with my grandmother before getting back on the Airport Express and getting back to my gate with plenty of time to spare.

Oh, and there's free wifi in the departures area in the Hong Kong airport.

On the topic of free wifi at airports, it seems like Northwest lounges don't secure their wifi, so hanging out around their lounge will get you free internet access. You can also find free wifi by the Fairmont Hotel located inside the Vancouver airport. I haven't found anything in the Toronto airport yet though.

Aug 11, 2007

A Good Day

Fly into YYZ, get picked up by my sister, have Shanghainese food for lunch, and a 3 hour pho dinner. It was a good day.

Wake up and chat with a reporter for 2 hours about journalism and photography, get some work done, pick up my shoes, dumplings, opera in the park, and dessert at Blowfish. It was a good day.

Climbing in the morning (although, I feel like I should have done better), where they played the entire Shins album, smoked salmon sandwiches for lunch, watching M&D pledge their undying love for each other, Congee Wong, wedding banquet, watching Garden State before going to the airport and (hopefully) getting my visa approved (again). It was a good day.

Thank God for good days.