Hong Kong – Carlsberg don’t make airports, but if they did…
Saturday, May 6th, 2006It is with no small amount of incredulity that I realise I have now reached my third country on this trip. To those of you at home forced to read my meanderings out of politeness or family ties, it probably seems an eternity, but for me, it’s absolutley flying by. I guess the old saying really is true. Cast ne’er a clout till May be out. Oh, and time flies when you’re having fun.
I arrived at the airport in Sri Lanka ridiculously early, even by my standards. There were a couple of reasons for this – firstly, my flight was at 2am and I’d been told by a few people that it wasn’t safe to get the night bus alone. And, secondly, I’d completely run out of things to do in Negombo. Negombo was my last stop in Sri Lanka, because of its proximity to the airport, but it is utterly barren of any entertainment. It’s a run down old seaside town – think Blackpool, but less glamorous. Really. I’d been to the post office three times, the internet cafe five times, and I’d even splurged on a buffet lunch at a posh hotel. Despite my dedication and perserverence to the dual causes of eating and time wasting, I couldn’t spin it out for more than three hours. Bear in mind, though, that’s three hours of eating. My dedication knows no bounds.
When I arrived at the airport, it was too early for my flight to be on the board, so I posted myself on some insanely uncomfortable chairs – I’m now convinced they make them that way on purpose, probably as penance for feeling smug about being early – near a couple of girls, one of whom started talking to me. She was Becky and her friend was Erin, and they recognised me from Kandy, where we’d spoken briefly and seen each other around town after that. They were in what politely might be termed a bit of a pickle, and impolitely would be called something that I’m not going to write because my Mum reads this. Basically, they were booked on the 2am flight on Saturday morning but had somehow looked at the tickets, seen the date and the time, and assumed it would be 2am Saturday night/Sunday morning – the flight I was on. Becky was now booked on to my flight but Erin was only on standby, and would fly out for sure the next day. They were amazingly good humoured about it, considering they had been at the airport for 24 hours, and hadn’t slept for 48 hours, and they managed to keep me entertained with card games, and also with their superior knowledge about the airport, being long term citizens. They told me which were the best loos and which had the attendants that watched you wash your hands a bit too closely (to give marks out of 10, maybe?), who were the friendly security guards, and how much the coffee was at the upstairs lounge. I suppose they were prettier versions of Tom Hanks in that film ‘Terminal’ (which I haven’t seen but am obviously an expert in, having viewed the trailers and spoken one time to someone who had seen it).
As soon as we saw a Cathay Pacific Uniform, at about 11pm, we bolted over and Erin pleaded her case – lone female, another 24 hours to wait in the airport, separated from her friends, and so on. I felt like I was in a Sri Lankan version of ‘Airport’ only with fewer orange uniforms, less orange foundation, and friendly, helpful staff – the lady even apologised when she couldn’t guarantee Erin a place.
Becky and I checked in and I went through to Departures, while Becky hung back with Erin to see what the verdict would be. 10 minutes before we boarded, I saw Becky come through alone. She was gutted to leave Erin, but it seemed unavoidable – the flight was completely full, with no room for her. Then, just to make the situation laughable again, Becky got called back, and it turned out she’d been upgraded to Business Class. At least she’d manage a good sleep on the plane, although she declined my (selfless, I thought) offer to swap seats with her.
The flight was excellent, even when I was only one of a couple of passengers to stay on past Bangkok to Hong Kong. I’ve never been on a plane during a turnaround before, and it was so much fun to watch. You know those plagues of locusts that can strip a place clean in minutes? This is what the Cathay staff at Bangkok were like, they descended and, in just a few minutes, then whole plane was clean again for the new set of passengers. They each had their own job – one woman ignored a piece of tissue on the floor, and I was about to point it out when a guy, obviously on the Tissue on the Floor Team, came by and nabbed it. Impressive. Then I had some lovely dim sum for breakfast, which made me delighted to realise I was somewhere so completely different I wouldn’t be constantly comparing it to India, as happened in Sri Lanka.
Now I’m at Hong Kong Airport, a worthy winner of the Best Airport In The World title (yes, these things really happen. I want to be on the panel that decides. Sri Lanka would be ruled out because of the hard chairs and the Snickers Bar costing one pound. No, the peanuts weren’t gold plated). Hong Kong has free internet access – which is why I’m being so wordy – and is easy to get around. I’ve only managed to get lost once. So in a few hours I’m off to Beijing, and I couldn’t be more ready for it.
Suzanne