Day 3:
See you 1,000 years later.
“The 15-Year Transfer / Refactoring”
Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Itinerary
| 8/22 (Thu) | 06:30 | Woke up. |
| 07:00 | Checked out; departed from Sung Wong Toi Station. | |
| Transit (MTR transfers / Airport Express) Route Map | ||
| 08:00 | Arrived at Airport Station via Airport Express. | |
| Breakfast, shopping, immigration, administrative tasks. | ||
| 10:40 | Departed from Hong Kong International Airport. |
Thursday, August 22, 2024
Cloudy 28°C
Underground. Moving to HKG.
07:00 | News of a Detained Japanese National
Not wanting to trouble the morning commuters, I began my trek to the airport about 30 minutes before the peak rush hour.
Even at this hour, trains run every five minutes.
While it’s not yet the peak, the carriages are crowded enough that every hand strap is occupied.
Moving toward the bench seats at the far end—Tokyo style—I find a single free strap and grab hold.
I glance at the news on the overhead display when a breaking news ticker suddenly flashes:
“Breaking: Detained Japanese National Indicted.”
Even without knowing Chinese, the kanji characters made the meaning clear.
This is bad… Am I going to be unable to return to my company too?
Instinctively, I peeked at the face of the businessman standing next to me.
The man glanced my way, then immediately looked back at the news.
I felt a sudden, strange conviction that this news had nothing to do with me.
The full details of this story were something I would only learn after returning home.
08:00 | Arrival at the Airport
I arrived at the airport two hours and forty minutes early.
Buying souvenirs and having breakfast fills some of the time,
but Hong Kong International Airport’s terminals feel roughly the same size as Kansai International (KIX),
leaving me with a significant amount of time to kill.
I decided to clear immigration early.
Finding a quiet corner by a sparse boarding gate, I set up to handle some administrative work.
Watching planes take off and land, surrounded by the mechanical soundtrack of the terminal, it felt almost like being in a lounge.
10:40 | Takeoff
And just like that, I’m back on the plane, waiting for departure.
A red dragonfly has landed on the wing of a waiting aircraft.
Is autumn already arriving in Hong Kong?
It’s a slightly comical sight.
Well, are we ready?
I’m taking off now.
Perhaps we’ll meet again in 1,000 years.
This is likely the last time we’ll meet in my lifetime.
Thanks to this trip, I found what I had lost for 15 years.
I enjoyed every moment of it.
Thank you.
Goodbye.
See you 1,000 years later, Kowloon and Hong Kong.
Good luck.