It feels like it was eons ago when I traveled to Hong Kong. In fact
it was, 1983, as a matter of fact, but by what people tell me the place
remains as vibrant as ever.
I was there on business, and could not do much sightseeing. We had to stay in the room and wait for phone calls that never came. Life is much more difficult without cell phones.
We had to change hotels four times, because it was very close to the ASTA convention that was taking place in Seoul that year. Upon arrival, we stayed at the Regent, which was indeed regal. The hotel used Daimler limousines to pick up guests at the airport, only rivaled by the Peninsula, which employed a fleet of Rolls Royces.
Whereas the Peninsula was more traditional, the Regent was stunningly new. Plenty of open spaces, flawless service and large rooms. I soon understood why oriental hotels were rated so highly.
At one point it seemed as if we might have to go to the People’s Republic of China. Mind you, this was 27 years ago, and things were different. China was much less friendly to westerners back then. How the world changes. Now people go to China as if they are going to the Bahamas.
The city setting is beautiful, for some reason, it reminds me of Rio de Janeiro, with plenty of mountains surrounding the water. The airport at the time was built fairly close to the city, so landing and take off was a bit scary.
The travel was decided on the last minute, in fact we bought tickets at the airport. Again, how times have changed! We actually got a bargain price from Pan Am. If it were today, we might have to pay as much as four times an economy ticket from any airline. Last minute travel is indeed punished these days.
A funny thing happened inside the plane. I was traveling as an interpreter for a gentlemen that spoke no English, so I needed to stay with him at all times. It so happens that Pan Am had sold my seat to somebody else, so they offered me a place in first class. I had to decline, and let the person who was occupying my seat travel like a king, because the flight attendant could not offer us both upgrades (my client and I). Adding insult to injury, there was a kid crying behind me all the way from San Francisco to Okinawa (the plane had to make a fuel stop). Oh, well, such is life.
I was there on business, and could not do much sightseeing. We had to stay in the room and wait for phone calls that never came. Life is much more difficult without cell phones.
We had to change hotels four times, because it was very close to the ASTA convention that was taking place in Seoul that year. Upon arrival, we stayed at the Regent, which was indeed regal. The hotel used Daimler limousines to pick up guests at the airport, only rivaled by the Peninsula, which employed a fleet of Rolls Royces.
Whereas the Peninsula was more traditional, the Regent was stunningly new. Plenty of open spaces, flawless service and large rooms. I soon understood why oriental hotels were rated so highly.
At one point it seemed as if we might have to go to the People’s Republic of China. Mind you, this was 27 years ago, and things were different. China was much less friendly to westerners back then. How the world changes. Now people go to China as if they are going to the Bahamas.
The city setting is beautiful, for some reason, it reminds me of Rio de Janeiro, with plenty of mountains surrounding the water. The airport at the time was built fairly close to the city, so landing and take off was a bit scary.
The travel was decided on the last minute, in fact we bought tickets at the airport. Again, how times have changed! We actually got a bargain price from Pan Am. If it were today, we might have to pay as much as four times an economy ticket from any airline. Last minute travel is indeed punished these days.
A funny thing happened inside the plane. I was traveling as an interpreter for a gentlemen that spoke no English, so I needed to stay with him at all times. It so happens that Pan Am had sold my seat to somebody else, so they offered me a place in first class. I had to decline, and let the person who was occupying my seat travel like a king, because the flight attendant could not offer us both upgrades (my client and I). Adding insult to injury, there was a kid crying behind me all the way from San Francisco to Okinawa (the plane had to make a fuel stop). Oh, well, such is life.
No comments:
Post a Comment