Flying off into the sunset: YVR - HKG

8:00 PST
1 hour of sleep.  That bodes well for snoozing on the plane.
But everything is done.  Laundry, packing, storing the bicycle, cleaning, refueling & returning the rental car, etc etc.

9:11
I hope the bus departure time is not a bad omen, LOL.

It's actually worse than it looks.  Gray sky and a COLD wind
Because of that, I'm standing at the bus stop NOT in shorts...
but in long pants and a hoodie.  Utterly useless clothes in Cambodia, LOL

The bus is PACKED already in North Van and in downtown Vancouver displays the BUS FULL sign and stops AWAY from the bus stops to prevent more people from boarding.   GREAT public transit system, Vancouver !

The following advertisement is not quite clearly visible. You have to thank Vancouver Translink for not adding lights where they charge to hang these (It's dark). But that is NOT the point.  

The point is that the destination mentioned in this ad is the reason why my Ferry Consultant earned that particular nick-name.  

And I like the ad.  See the world.   GOOD advice ;-) 

Still Life in Gray with Cars:  What else could symbolize Vancouver better?

Vancouver:
Yes, you do get the red carpet
But it's stained and colour-mismatched
And the cops are always watching

After a 15 minute lineup at Hong Kong Airline's check-in counter, I am lost for a few seconds when the very attractive woman at the counter (from Somalia MAYBE?) says "Wo geht's denn hin?" in FLAWLESS German intonation and accent after seeing my German passport.  It takes me a few seconds to figure out that it's German (being spoken by an African woman at Hong Kong Airlines counter in Canada ;-)

Fish with Rice.  Not the best airplane food ever but MILES ABOVE Air Canada's Yuk Grub !

The long flight gives me opportunity to watch 2 New Release movies.   Churchill (OK to miss it) and Guardians of the Galaxy II (Great Fun !).

The 13.25 hour 'ordeal' (by now I'm used to it though) ends when the plane lands on Lantau Island before 5 pm local time.

Now I do something I have NEVER done on all my travels before.  But I just can't help it.  I stop in that passenger funnel right after you get out of the plane door to dig through my backpack to find a camera:

And YES, the term 'flying off into the sunset' couldn't really have anything to do with Vancouver.  WHAT SUN? LOL

The inter-terminal train

I actually can't remember how many times in the past I have approached the Hong Kong Airport immigration counter.  This is AT LEAST the 7th time.  While in the past I faced a waiting line of usually more than 20 minutes,  today there is NO WAIT AT ALL.  

Which means that I can storm out to my smoking spot without delay ;-)

smoking area with a view

After 24 minutes on the Airport Express,

it is time to walk between Hong Kong Station & Central Station.  This takes place right in the middle of  RUSH HOUR.  

The amount of people flowing through the transit system is mind-boggling.  But the Hong Kong public transit system manages to accomplish something that neither Tunis, San Francisco, or Vancouver are able to do:  It is able to manage that flow without floods.

6 more stops on the Island Line, and I'm getting close to my destination:

WHERE ELSE would I stay? LOL

On the 2-blocks walk to my hotel, I notice the clothing store where I bought FABULOUS clothes during my forced stay here last February (hint: NO expired Canadian Permanent Resident card).  A good opportunity to update my wardrobe ?

I finally get to my room at 7 pm local time which happens to be 4 am PST.  No wonder I'm EXHAUSTED. But while I'm typing this, I notice that the person reflected in the mirror exhibits a smug smile ;-)

the horizontal black band in the centre is Victoria Harbour