Like all good trips, mine started with a panic the night before my departure... quite simply, my passport never arrived. Normally something I would have caught right away, however, when I called the office in the afternoon to make sure a package was waiting for me, they told me they had gotten one today and I could pick it up anytime. Later that night around 1am after I had finished my packing I went down to fetch it.. and sure enough a package was waiting, a beautiful framed photograph of myself and my buddy Greg who joined me this year at the Sundance Film Fest. The big smile on my face at seeing the photo was coupled with a sinking feeling in my stomach and a racing heartbeat. I would have to track the missing passport down in the morning before I was picked up at 10am.
My head was filled with thoughts of staying home, missing my flight and never finding my passport as I waited for the local Fed-Ex office to open an hour before my airport pick-up. Lucky, my package was there waiting for me. Back to the loft, and Jim picked me up to take me to the airport. We hung out for a bit before I walked the red-carpet and boarded the monstrous double decker 747-B. I was seated in the upper bubble business class section. It was an amazing and smooth 14 hours to Hong Kong. An attentive staff, delicious meals, personal video and humongous seats that extended out and laid almost flat made the trip literally fly by. As I watched the map of us arriving over China I could feel the tethers of my life in the US slowly snap away, finally absolving me as we touched down in Hong Kong.
My local buddy Jay had arranged for a car to pick me up and bring me across the channel to Hong Kong Island and my hotel The Island Pacific in Central. Looking out the window on my trip I was amazed at the number of towers rising into the sky. It seems all of Hong Kong is built on top of itself. My room is comfortable though small and on the 18th floor with stunning views of the harbor. It's 5am LA time, 9pm KH time, I'm gonna try and stay awake till 10pm so I can get a fresh start on my day tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who sent me good wishes, don't forget to comment on my blog, and stay in-touch to keep me from getting homesick!
Posted by Josh Gray-Emmer on Monday, March 10, 2008
Posted
6th March 2008
by Josh Gray-Emmer