I know I should be overjoyed that I get to spend endless hours on a plane watching movies and TV, but really it is quite boring and there isn't a whole lot of space - surprise surprise! So at 10:30 am on Monday morning we left home in order to make it to the airport three hours before my flight left, at 2:30 that afternoon-with a quick stop at the 'roastery' in Kumeu for my last strawberry frozen yoghurt of course. After a lunch at the airport I said my last goodbyes and went through the gate and into the unknown, completely on my own for the first time.
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| fried sweet and sour hoki |
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| e-fu noodles |
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| Hong Kong airport-SOOO LONG! |
It was scary and exciting at the same time, and as silly as it sounds, the minute I said goodbye I felt that pang of homesickness, wishing that I could bring everyone with me. As I boarded the plane, we were served snacks, and later I had the fried hoki in sweet and sour sauce and rice, I wouldn't recommend it (very dry fish with a soggy outside) well that was my second lunch, with a boysenberry cheesecake for dessert. 'Refreshments' (which was actually a meal like dinner) was e-fu noodles with pork, carrots and choy sum. This was really yummy and the hokey pokey ice cream was a better dessert in my eyes than the cheesecake from lunch.
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| Gate 1 in Hong Kong airport |
As the time neared 11 hours of flying, we began to descend and landed in Hong Kong airport. This is the most amazing airport I have ever seen, there are at least 80 gates all in a humongous row, you can't even see from one end of the building to the other. This lengthy walk from gate 48 to 1 was a really good opportunity to stretch my legs for my next 13 hour leg of the flight. After finding my gate it was off to look for something to drink and a wander around to kill the 2 hours I had between flights.
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| Pork and (green) mashed potato :) |
So my second flight took off and I got fed some really tender fall apart pork with a capsicum and mushroom sauce, pea and potato mash and veges with a salad and chocolate ice cream, this was probably my favourite meal, followed closely by the e-fu noodles. After watching RIO, I attempted to fall asleep, quite unsuccessfully, but eventually I got some shut eye after half curling up on the empty sleep next to me. In true in-flight fashion, I couldn't stay asleep for long and was constantly waking up, so annoying. At what was about 4 in the morning British time, we had breakfast, and given the options, I chose chicken and shiitake mushroom congee-this was really good and I think I am going to investigate how to make this Chinese rice/porridgey dish at home (so enjoy normal food while you can Braden and Lauren :) ).
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| Breakfast-congee |
At 5 in the morning, 30 hours after I first left our house, my plane finally arrived at Heathrow and we drove to the hotel that is to be our home until Friday, when Andrew arrives (hopefully cheerful and not too tired or grumpy!)
That was day one of my trip, not the most interesting but I had to get here somehow :).
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Poppa