Firsts

A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships were made for

Yesterday I embarked on my trip to Asia with my old coworker Yao. The first stop is Hong Kong and I have already experienced many firsts:

Going through security with TSA Pre✔.
I recently signed up for global entry, which also gave me TSA Pre✔. For $100 and a 5 min “interview” I got both for 5 years. We all know how much of a pain it is to fly nowadays, mainly because of security checks. If you ask my dad what it was like back in the day, he’ll tell you he could show up 30 min before his flight with just about anything in his bag and zip through security. That’s about how awesome it is to have TSA PRE✔.

Flying internationally with United.
We flew on a 747-400, the ones with the bubble at the front, and you could tell it was an old plane. There were no individual entertainment monitors, but United makes up for it by letting you stream media to your tablet for free. One thing they could learn from fellow Star Alliance partner Singapore Airlines, is food quality. Their “sausage” tasted like a dirty tree branch or fake meat from a post apocalyptic society.

Eating street food.
Hong Kong is well-known for its food, and I was brave enough to try some off the street. For reference, I’ve gotten sick eating street food in Miami. The area surrounding our Airbnb, La Boutique de Austin, is full of restaurants and street vendors. No picture does the area justice as every corner you turn you are blinded by neon signs. Yao and I decided to stop by a street vendor and try some authentic Cantonese BBQ pork. It was more tender than any I have eaten in the U.S.

Typical BBQ street vendor with pork, duck and chicken liver.

Meeting a childhood hero.
Hong Kong is also well-known for some famous actors such as Jackie Chan and my personal childhood hero, Bruce Lee. There is a promenade called the Avenue of Stars, which is very similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At the Avenue of Stars you can get a great look at the city skyline across Victoria Harbor. Lining the avenue are star name plates of famous actors and actresses and towards the end there is a famous statue of Bruce Lee.

Me and Bruce Lee

Yao and I ended our night with a few drinks at the local night market.

I’m already loving this city and can’t wait to explore more tomorrow!