From USA to Hong Kong/China (5/5/07 - 5/6/07)

Above is our plane we took from San Francisco to Hong Kong. Yep...a 14 hour flight! Being in the San Francisco Airport was like being in little China. There were little boys and girls there...all of whom were a steady reminder of seeing our Maddie for the first time. I was so nervous. I'm not normally a crier, but I burst into tears at the airport...out of nervousness, joy and being completely overwhelmed. On flight service was terrific. Noodles for a snack.

Long flight in...and surprisingly we flew north by Russia versus south into Hong Kong...hence all of the ice you see in the above pictures.

Flying into Hong Kong was beautiful...seeing Kowloon, Lantau and all of the islands. We took a taxi to our hotel at the Royal Pacific (gold building above)...over a bridge and through many tunnels and through crowds of cars, people and buildings.

We arrived to our hotel - the Royal Pacific at about 7pm on May 6, 2007. Small room but comfortable. Rock hard bed. Off to sleep early because of a tour first thing on the morning of May 7. People were friendly and helfpul. Almost all spoke English. We were struck by the humidity, the greenery and the crowds. Immediately there is a very intense energy...people walking quickly with a purpose.

Under our hotel were 3 levels including the lower level to catch the local subway...extremely efficient. Also...a level for the locals with restaurants. George and I made a valiant effort one even at extremely local cuisine. I was glad for a Tums.