MAR 13, 15 .. HONG KONG AIRPORT .. INCOMING ARRIVAL HALLS ..

Friday the 13th .. Odd how we attach significance to a day and a date isn't it?

This evening I made my second trip out to the Hong Kong Airport to meet an arriving friend. My buddy Simon was arriving from a business week-of-work in 'KL' ..

What's that 'Zilla? .. What on earth is 'KL'? .. What would I do without you 'keeping me honest' here 'Zilla? Try this .. Just GOOGLE the two letters .. 'KL' .. 

Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia and here in 'these parts' everyone just calls it 'KL'.

Just going out to the Hong Kong Airport is a grand adventure for me and when I asked my buddy Simon IF he would like me to come out and meet him as he returned from 'KL' he said enthusiastically .. "Yes Cap!" ..

Up to this point-in-time going to the Hong Kong Airport has consisted of me just buying a HKG $ 100 (US $ 12.90) ticket on the Airport Express Train and sitting back for a lovely ride.

Here-to-fore the first step has been me catching a luxurious Airport Express Shuttle Bus to the Airport Express Station.

Then catching the train to the Hong Kong Airport.

And sitting back and enjoying the ride!

And in about twenty-five or thirty minutes .. Voila we are there!

Well .. Thanks to Jim a visitor who .. never ever having himself been to Hong Kong! .. showed me how to ride the Tung Chung MTR Line ..

So thanks to Jim's teachings I caught the Hong Kong MTR train from HKG Station out to Tung Chung! 

For the grand price of HKG $ 2 (US $ 0.26)!

THAT IS THE GOOD NEWS !

And Captain .. the BAD NEWS?

The Airport Express Train looks like the below .. cool and air conditioned .. quiet .. calm .. 

THE BAD NEWS?

The Hong Kong MTR on a busy Friday rush hour evening at the end of the frantic Hong Kong work week looks like the below ..

Well? 

After a 28-minute ride I actually made it alive and in one piece to Tung Chung!

Then at Tung Chung Station .. with some assistance from a very nice young man .. I found the S1 bus and rode to the airport! The bus fare was HKG $ 1.8 (US $ 0.23).

So my BOTTOM LINE cost was .. 

HKG $ 3.8 (US $ 0.49) .. using the MTR ..

As opposed to the HKG $ 100 (US $ 12.90) .. riding the train ..

It did take about thirty-minutes longer and I did incur a bruise or maybe two or three on the MTR! And I was just a tad 'sweaty' but only slightly the worse-for-wear.

Now there is .. The Rest Of The Above MTR Story.

I could have simply waited for the next MTR Train when I got to the entry door of my train thus assuring I would be among the very first to board the next train. By doing this I would have had a much easier ride. I just opted not to wait. In boarding at the Hong Kong Station I was at the beginning of the Tung Chung line and the following train would be empty upon boarding.

BUT IT WAS NEW AND YET ANOTHER GRAND ADVENTURE!

Before I get to the details of the arrival halls I want to show several photographs of a ..

VERY RARE VINTAGE AIRCRAFT CIRCA THE YEAR 1910!

Will you just feast-your-eyes upon the landing gear! Four bicycle sized wheels with rubber tires!

You really have to see this beauty alive and up close!

And now for some photos of the Hong Kong Airport Arrival Hall.

The large (enormous) Arrival Hall actually consists of two separate halls .. 

Hall A and Hall B ..

The two above photos do not give you a true image of the size of the overall Arrival Hall!

Standing at one end you can not clearly see the other end of this enormous arrival area!

There are several overhead boards that detail the complete status of arriving flights designating which of the arrival halls the passengers of the various flights will arrive into.

Simon's Flight CX724 from Kuala Lumpur is at the top right in the below photo ..

Looking at the bottom line of flights in the above photo you see that Simon's flight arrived into Arrival Hall B ..

Looking down on Arrival Hall B ..

VOILA! 

Below you can all see that we have a very VERY happy Simon!

Patti and 'Zilla are thinking .. WE LOVE YOUR NEW HAT SIMON!

Simon .. We .. All of us .. thank you for the gift of you!

Smiles .. Cap 

POST SCRIPT FOR PATTI ..

My Dear One .. Just so that you will be able to sleep at night as you prepare for your grand arrival here on this upcoming March the 28th ..

RELAX AND REST ASSURED THAT .. 

You will NOT be making the trip into Hong Kong via the Tung Chung MTR route! 

MAR 10, 15 .. A GAGGLE?? .. TOO MUCH FUN HERE IN HONG KONG ..

What do I see there in the distance here at the Hong Kong General Post Office?

Do I see a small 'Gaggle' up there. I wish Precocious the Canada Goose from Jack Miner's Bird Sanctuary was here! Precocious could discuss a 'Gaggle' with me!

Here in Hong Kong it is a dark gray cloudy overcast day with rain on the horizon. Our skies today look exactly like the sky in the below photo taken near Kingsville Ontario Canada last autumn.

Oh Hi Precocious! So good to see you because I have a question for you Precocious. 

But First! What exactly are you doing here in Hong Kong China Precocious.?

Well Dad .. To tell you the truth Dad .. It is a long and somewhat sad tale I have to share with you Dad. 

I have a minute Precocious.

Well Dad .. What is it you human beings always say .. A Photo speaks a thousand words!

Dad .. We-in-the-flock thought we were flying South to Florida for the winter. But it seems that some of our Leader Geese got involved in eating some fermented elderberries!

And here we are Dad! 

In Hong Kong China!

Oh My Precocious!  Hong Kong is NO place to Drink and Drug and Drive Precocious. Your leader Geese may need-a-meeting! 

Here in Hong Kong China they consider that Drinking and Drugs and Driving DO NOT MIX!

Do you suppose that the taxi driver was Drinking or Drugging and Driving?

The face on the side of the bus in the background sure looks upset doesn't it?

Where was I Precocious? Got it? What exactly is a 'Gaggle of Geese'?

Below is a small 'Gaggle' Dad.

Do you think that in the below photo we have a 'Gaggle' Precocious?

It sure looks like it to me Dad! Here they come 'marching' Dad!

Dad! It IS a small 'Gaggle' of small human beings Dad!

Notice the young man at the head of the line wearing different clothing.

Lord Love A Duck! 

Oops! So sorry Precocious! .. 

Lord Love A Canada!

Are they cute or are they TOO CUTE!

I can just hear one of my many elementary school teachers practically shouting at me!

"Cappy! Turn around and Pay Attention!"

Now back to the young man leading the line I mentioned above.

It seems that this lad suddenly disappeared! .. Do you see the Teacher and the others looking for him up-ahead?

Oh there he is over there!

Yes! Over THERE!

What on earth is he doing!

I will never know just what it is he was doing at the mail counter!

Or exactly what it is that he came away from the counter with!

And back into the 'Gaggle' he came running!

And how special .. 

HOW VERY VERY SPECIAL IT WAS!! 

That not one single teacher or other adult was upset or put off by his adventuring!

IF I had felt comfortable doing so .. I would have interacted with the adults and found out what was going-on.

But I did not approach them and am happy that I was just an interested by-stander sharing a Day-In-The-Life of some wonderful children!

MUCH JOY .. Cap ..

For each photo I have shown you .. I must have two or three that fell to the cutting room floor.

These children were not as stationery as they appear to be in the photos above. NO! As children they were active and busy and seemed to be moving all the time.

In case any of you are wondering Where On Earth do I come up with some of my Posts I plead no contest. I myself haven't a clue what is going to happen when I begin a Post.  Of course I KNEW I was going to show you all the above children. But a Canada Goose and a flock that had gone astray! I had to find the memory chip I shot last October in order to put the geese into this Post!