So Far, So Good

So long, USA!

We arrived in Hong Kong last night and everything has been going so smoothly that it's almost scary. Our flights were basically on time, our luggage was already waiting for us when we cleared customs, and our little temporary apartment was just what we expected.  Since I'm a Murphy's Law kind of traveler, I would have gone out and bought a lottery ticket last night if I knew how to do it!

Evangeline has been a real trooper.  She only had one bona fide meltdown, and that was in DFW when she didn't want to get in her car seat when we got on the plane. Given how little sleep she's had since Monday, it's really lucky.  Her favorite part of every flight was the landing.  She would laugh and say, "Again?" once we finally stopped bouncing around.

Our SFO to HKG flight was on Cathay Pacific, and it was nice to be on a non-US airline for the service alone, although it had its oddities.  First, there was the business of our car seat.  They took it from Joseph before boarding "to make sure it would fit."  They never brought it back, so Joseph preboarded to check on the situation while I waited until the last possible moment with Evangeline so she could play in the concourse.  When Joseph got to our seats, the car seat was haphazardly buckled in to the aisle seat and there was a crowd of flight attendants waiting for Evangeline who were very disappointed that she didn't board with Joseph.  He got the car seat properly installed in the window seat; when Evangeline and I finally boarded, once of the flight attendants grabbed her hand and danced with her down the aisle (E was a little weirded out by this). Even though it probably wasn't sincere, it was nice of the crew to at least pretend to be excited to see a toddler coming on board. We are used to being viewed as lepers by 90% of the traveling public and airline employees (not that I blame them), so it was a nice surprise.

Then as we were preparing for takeoff, a group of no less than three flight attendants came over to tell us that we couldn't have E in her car seat for takeoff or landing. According to their regulations, babies over 18 months have to be in a lap. They gave me a seat belt extension to strap her on to my belt, at least.  We had to laugh that the airline thinks it's safer for a small child to be on a lap than strapped in to our FAA-approved car seat with a five-point harness, but when in Rome...

The taxi ride in to the city last night was just gorgeous.  The sun had just gone down, so the sky was a lovely dark blue and all the lights on all the buildings made for a surreal tableau.  I had to laugh when E pointed at the taxi driver as we were zooming along and asked, "Who's this?"  I don't think she's ever been in a car that hasn't been driven by a family member, so she probably thought it was strange that we didn't introduce her.

Our project for today was to apply for our Hong Kong ID cards, which all Hong Kong residents are required to have. We had made an appointment last week, so after finding coffee and a few basic groceries this morning, we headed to Hong Kong Island and the Immigration Building. We went up eight sets of escalators (not easy with a stroller!) to the proper floor and joined the queue. All in all, the process was very efficient and I have to tip my cap to the person in charge for managing expectations so well.  When you first check in, there's a prominent sign that says the process from start to finish takes an average of 75 minutes. Of course, we groaned and were glad we had eaten lunch before we came.  When we made it through all three stations in only 40 minutes, we left with a spring in our step and a positive view of the staff.  Well played, Hong Kong Immigration Department!

We didn't have time for any sight-seeing, as it was time for E's nap and she was obviously running on fumes. She slept well for the first part of the night, but got up at 1am for a few hours and slept fitfully after that.  I'm sure it will be a while before we can get her little internal clock reset, but I'm sure being out in the sun this morning helped a lot.  I'm looking forward to establishing our new routine.

All in all, a great first day.  I'm so thankful!

Backpack? Sunglasses? Blankie? George? This is how she rolls.