Day 22
Today I'm in: Hong Kong SAR, China
Three weeks later to the day, I find myself back at the Hong Kong airport with five new countries under my belt and a lot of great memories. I just arrived from Bali about an hour ago and am waiting on my midnight departure to Johannesburg. It's going to be long night, but I feel ready for bed - Cathay Pacific business class, take me away.
No pictures with this post since I was in transit most of the day. It was pouring rain again this morning in Bali, so my plans to do a bit more wandering were scuppered, but I did go to an Indonesian post office to mail some of my Asian travel guidebooks (which I don't need to cart around for another 8 weeks) home. It was actually a pretty easy experience... I was braced for mass chaos, but the staff were really helpful and made a custom-sized box for me. No fuss, no muss.
Some things I'll miss about Asia:
- The friendly people. Even the ones trying to scam you out of money are very cheerful.
- The intensely flavorful and interesting food. I will never get sick of eating Asian food of any kind.
- The general feeling of security. In Asia you can generally walk around anywhere, any time, and not feel unsafe. That definitely won't be the case in Africa - it's time to be more on alert.
- The organized chaos. There are a thousand things happening in every direction at all times, but you never feel like things are about to grind to a halt or become dysfunctional.
Things I WON'T miss about Asia:
- Sweating like a pig everywhere I go and having to shower twice a day
- Thrice-daily insect repellent application (although this will be necessary in a few spots in Africa)
- Traffic. This was particularly irritating on Bali, where going anywhere - even just a few miles - takes typically three times longer than expected.
- Street food that looks amazing but that you are too afraid to eat
The trip is only a third finished... so much more ahead!
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