Lay-overs

I am posting from Hong Kong airport where to-date I have been stuck for three-and-a-half hours, and still counting for another four-plus hours. Beautiful lay-over. Had I known it would have been this entertaining, I would have booked with Emirates.

I wouldn't have taken this early morning flight, for instance. Lining up at the check-in counter at NAIA was at times frustrating on the one hand and funereal as to be almost eerie. One would think we were livestock being led off for slaughter. There is also this other thing that few people would be at their best at four in the morning. I just had about enough time to finish all the formalities just 30 minutes before boarding.

Slipping into Hong Kong was at least welcome, in the beginning.

As usual, this airport is the paragon of efficiency. There is a sense of purpose among the various staff employed here. The duty-free shops are likewise well-organized, so much so one won't feel so much different than waiting in a mall. The snag? So far, no sight nor whiff of Western domination like a Mickey D's. There is a Starbucks, but there is so only so much satisfaction one can derive from sipping over-priced coffee. By my count, I've spent close to five hundred pesos for nothing. Shoot, give me an artery-clogging hamburger with all the fatty goodness thrown in anytime, anywhere.

Otherwise, one can hang out at one of the pay lounges and prepare to be fleeced even more. I might just do that, just for kicks.

Well, is it too much to ask for even an original restaurant or something? That's where I would give points, at the very least.

Is it, really? Is it?

Arrival update: I was wrong. Somewhere in the bowels of the airport was a Burger King and a Popeye's! The downside was, the only reason I found this out was that our flight was delayed. At least we got free food! Yum yum!