Safely Back to Singapore

Hello all,

I hope you are enjoying the Superbowl, as we are over here in Singapore. Matt Poske is especially enjoying the Superbowl so far - has the monkey finally come off Peyton's back? (Charna and Bruce are hoping what appears to be against hope that Dan Marino will have a friend - all the way to show but not able to get the song and dance).

This weekend in Hong Kong was a lot of fun - it is a really neat place. After a fabulous Italian dinner (all the better, it was in our hotel, so we did not even have to leave the building!) we rested and met up on Saturday. We ended up going to Lantau Island (actually where the airport is) to see the Big Buddha. It is literally just that - this huge statue of a Buddha on top of a mountain. It was gorgeous - very peaceful. We took a ferry over to Lantau and then a cab up to Buddha - we could have taken a bus, but I am glad we did not. The road was steep at times and very curvy - not good bus conditions, at least for me. I think my team agreed. Again, I will try and post some pictures. I was quite surprised at how beautiful Hong Kong is - you would have thought we were at some tropical island as opposed to Hong Kong. The weather was gorgeous - sunny and about 65. We thought about feeling sorry for everyone back home freezing, but decided they would not feel sorry for us if they were here and we were back home, so we quickly got over it.

After seeing Buddha, we took the Ferry back to Hong Kong Central and then headed up to the Peak for dinner. The way to get to the Peak is to take this tram, but the tram was packed and you had to take a bus to get to it. We were in danger of not making our dinner reservation, so we opted to cab it up there. I am not sure where we would have taken this bus to, but the road was steep, narrow and curvy - again, not good bus conditions for me. We made it up to the top and the cabbie dropped us off at the Peak Galleria - and I thought to myself, we came up here for yet another MALL??? Thankfully, I was wrong. We got up there to see the sunset, and it was beautiful. By the time the sun set, it was time for dinner - at a restaurant overlooking the city. Hong Kong has a ton of lights. I think Bruce was able to get a couple of decent pictures, and I will try to get one from him. Dinner was great, company good, chocolate cake for dessert was to die for..umm. It was an adventurous ride down the hill - the cabbie drove like a maniac down the steep, narrow hill while talking on the phone. It was great. We then took the ferry back across the harbor (we stayed on the Kowloon side) and went to the night market on Temple Street. It was the first time we experienced the mob scene in Hong Kong.

Sunday was a much more relaxed day. We went and picked up a few last minute items and then decided we were shopped out. We spent our past couple of hours in Hong Kong shooting the breeze at a Starbucks and people watching.

The ride back to Singapore was rough. We managed to survive getting through customs and security (having to do a little mobbing) and even got a little something to eat. Somehow, we were in the section of the airport for US bound flights, so they hand search your carry on luggage. We got off on time, but it was very, very bumpy - we spent 2 of 3.5 hrs in turbulence. I can only imagine what smaller planes were experiencing - we were in a 747. Thankfully, it managed to calm down, but it was a long two hrs. We got through customs, got our bags and Mr. Chia was waiting to take us back to the hotel. Back to the Regent, and our little safety zone.

We are in the home stretch...next time we check out of hotel, we will check in at home. Next time we see Mr. Chia, it will be for the last time. Next time we are in Hong Kong, it will be on our way back to Chicago. Last night, the pilot let us listen to radio communications...hearing ATC say "United 895 clear to land" were the best words I heard all day. I look forward to hearing those words as we are about to land in Chicago and then in Columbus. The flight we are on goes all the way to Chicago from Singapore - with a stop for fuel in HK. The stop in HK is shorter on the way back than on the way over - we determined it probably takes them 2 hrs to refuel the plane on an inbound flight from the US. Given the 3 hrs it takes to get to HK, it should not take that long to get us a full tank to get us back to Chicago. We looked sadly up the stairs to business class as we got on the plane last night, but we will be headed upstairs on Thursday morning. We will take some champagne, reflect on the trip and get some sleep.

We have had a great trip, but it is time to come home. These last three days in Singapore should go quickly, but it was the right decision to come back, it will be easier to finish up here than trying to finish up back in Dublin with the time difference.

Well, Poske, the monkey it off Peyton's back. Your Colts have earned this moment, so bask in it - I am sure you will take more than your share of grief for it. And when you do, just tell them all one things - SCOREBOARD. Dan will have to find another friend to join him in the ranks of never winning the big game.

Have a great day, we are off to work.

~Nicole