It's the final countdown.

One more full day left in San Francisco before we leave!

Here's our itinerary (because I know my family wants to know where we are) :

Wednesday, March 27th
Depart SFO at 1 pm
Fly to Incheon International Airport for 13 hours
2 hour layover
Land at Hong Kong International Airport at 11pm

3/27 - 3/31 : Stay at Caritas Bianchi Lodge in Hong Kong

3/31 - 4/3 : Stay at YMCA Salisbury Hotel in Hong Kong

...day trip to Macau in here somewhere...

4/3 : Depart Hong Kong and arrive in Seoul, South Korea

4/3 - 4/6 : Stay at Doulos Hotel in Seoul

4/4 : Night Dining tour of Seoul

4/5 : DMZ Tour (I hope it's not canceled!)

4/6 - 4/7 : Stay at Rakkojae Seoul

4/7 - 4/9 : Stay at Namhyundang Hanok Seoul

4/9 : Fly home to San Francisco

These past few days I have been luxuriating in my freedom of movement because before long I'm going to be sitting on a plane for 13 hours.... then a 2 hour layover... then another 4 hours. That's a VERY long time to be sitting in one spot. I'm trying not to to think about it too much. We've loaded up our various devices with music, movies, and e-books to help pass the time. I'll try and doze but I always have difficulty sleeping on planes. I often end up having weird dreams about choking and wake up gasping for air. I think it has something to do with my neck not being used to supporting my head while I sleep. I need one of those neck donuts!

Anyways...

We depart on Wednesday afternoon at 1 pm from San Francisco International Airport. We're flying Korea based Asiana Airlines. Today I was reading about their inflight meal and movie services and much to my delight discovered that they're very highly regarded by travelers and have won awards for excellence. They serve a choice between Korean or Western meals on board. I am packing an assortment of snacks regardless.

We fly for 13 hours and land in Seoul's Incheon Airport for a brief layover before finally landing at Hong Kong International Airport at 11 pm. We're traveling back in time (ha!) so we arrive on Wednesday, March 27th.

There are a variety of ways to get into the city of Hong Kong after you arrive at the airport. We're going to take the Airport Express train to Kowloon Station and from there, take a cab to our hotel. I've already printed out Cantonese directions for the cab driver.

Tomorrow we pack. I've been obsessively checking the weather in both cities and it's quite a difference. It's going to be in the mid 70s/low 80s in Hong Kong and upper 30s/low 50s in Seoul. I'm packing lots of layers. Lugging my wool pea coat to Hong Kong is going to be a drag, but I'll be happy I did when it keeps me warm and toasty in Seoul. There's thunderstorms in the forecast for Hong Kong (frown!) but we'll have to make do. There's always indoor museums, shopping malls and umbrellas!