Hello from Hong Kong!

kimlantse · 11-22-2007, 11:59 PM

Hello everybody, another newbie here! Although I'm probably the only member from Hong Kong at the moment...

My name's Kim and my husband, Tom, flies for Cathay Pacific in a B747-400. I was born and raised in Scotland to Hong Kong Chinese parents (Tom is of German descent). I lived in Scotland until about one year ago, when Tom (by total coincidence!) got the job with Cathay with a HK base. So now I live where my ancestors lived!

We are also newlyweds, we just got married on 15th October 2007, hence the mushy avatar! We are having a blast in HK and we intend to live here indefinitely, planning to have a couple of kids here too. I'm very lucky - although we're based on the other side of the world, neither of us have to worry when he is gone, because I already know HK very well, I speak some Cantonese and I still have family here.

This site looks great - they have PPRUNE, we have JETGIRLS! Looking forward to chatting with you guys x x x

ccbegay · 11-23-2007, 07:22 AM

HEY THERE...and WELCOME...

Well, I'm here in Charlotte, North Carolina...my boyfriend flies for American Eagle...I will be graduating in Dec with my BS in Microbiology...we have an outrageous maltese, Kenzie, and two very independant cats, Moonpie and Pixie...I am originally from New Mexico and love my new roots here in the South! I would LOVE to visit overseas, and Hong Kong would def. be on my 'list'...great to have you here!

Cassie

amelia · 11-23-2007, 11:01 AM

Hello and Welcome! I love Hong Kong. I spent several days there back in '97 and '98. It was beautiful and a lot of fun! I want to go back someday.

Hope you like it here!

Kristie · 11-23-2007, 11:35 AM

Hi Kim, Welcome aboard!

I have not yet been to Hong Kong but I am looking at going sometime this month... I hear there's a winterfest there that's a lot of fun? It would be my first trip over the Pacific.

Also, with your hubby working at Cathay, do you have the availability to check flight loads? We might be non-revving on Cathay and I have not yet non-revved overseas on another airline other than my own (Delta).

Would be great to meet up with someone there since I don't know a lick of cantonese nor do i really know what to see/do in HK. I figure we'd be there for at least 3-4 days (hopefully that's enough time to see as much as we can).

any ideas/suggestions would be awesome!!

so.. where in Scotland are you from? Does your family still live in Scotland then?

Congratulations on the marriage, sounds like you have good perspective on being independent already.

Welcome again! glad to have you here!

kimlantse · 11-24-2007, 02:41 AM

Thanks for the lovely welcome, guys! It's a great wee community you have here.

I was born in Glasgow but moved to Edinburgh at a young age, so I consider myself from Edinburgh now. Some of my family still live in Edinburgh, some are in London and some are in Hong Kong.

Kristie, that's great you're visiting HK! My husband can check the flight loads for you. He's on a trip just now, I will ask him the next time we chat on the phone.

As for stuff to see and do in HK, what do you like to do? Do you like history and culture? Do you like beaches? Or do you just want to shop and eat? (HK is the shopping and eating capital of the world)

The one MUST do is going to the Peak by tram. Top tip: aim to arrive at the tram station around 1700 or so. That way, you can see the beautiful view during daylight AND night-time, 'cos it gets dark around 1830. That gives you enough time for the queues and to appreciate what's left of the daylight. Then you get the stunning night-time view too!

A close second is watching the "Symphony of Lights". This is a sound, light and laser show of the famous Victoria Harbour skyline. All the famous buildings participate in a massive light show. Best vantage point is on the Avenue of Stars (itself a little curiosity) on Tsim Sha Tsui. It's on every night at 8pm. It's in English on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only but it's still OK to watch it on the other days in Putonghua or Cantonese, because the commentary just tells you the names of the buildings for the first 3 minutes of the show (the whole show is about 15 minutes, I think). It's spectacular and quite romantic (I knew somebody who proposed during the show!) And the best thing is, it's completely FREE!!!

Third place is visiting the Big Buddha on Lantau Island and having a vegetarian meal there. It's a spiritual trip, beautiful and very humbling.

Another spiritual place is Wong Tai Sin temple, it's really beautiful. You can watch the locals worship there, listen to chanting monks and maybe even get your fortune told.

Everything including food and public transport is dead cheap in HK, that is if you avoid western style restaurants and the usual tourist trap places. But bars and clubs are always expensive, unfortunately.

Hope that helps! Let me know if there is anything else you need to know...

kimlantse · 11-24-2007, 05:45 AM

I managed to ask DH about stand-by tickets to HKG. You're in Arizona, so the nearest CX airport is LAX. Lemme throw some figures at you...

LAX -> HKG

25 Nov
CX885 LAX 11:20 HKG 18:55+1
1st: 5+ Business: 6 Economy: 50+

02 Dec
CX885 LAX 11:20 HKG 18:55+1
1st: 1 Business: 0 Economy: 50+

HKG -> LAX

30 Nov
CX884 HKG 13:10 LAX 09:35
1st: 5+ Business: 9 Economy: 50+

05 Dec
CX884 HKG 13:10 LAX 09:35
1st: 5+ Business: 9 Economy: 50+

Hope this helps...

Amanda · 11-24-2007, 05:46 PM

Hi KIm and welcome to the site! Cathay is supposed to be a wonderful airline. Before Nick got hired at Continental I gave him my full support if he ever got hired there- I was more than willing to live in Hong Kong!

Of course it didn't happen, he got hired at CAL. In fact most of his trips are to EDI and GLA! He just came back from GLA today and is on his way home to me.

I would also like to visit HK at some point. When I was younger my dad traveled to Kowloon frequently on business (textile industry).
Welcome!

11-22-2007, 11:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
kimlantse Jetgirls Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 116 Recipes: Thanks: 4 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hello from Hong Kong! Hello everybody, another newbie here! Although I'm probably the only member from Hong Kong at the moment... My name's Kim and my husband, Tom, flies for Cathay Pacific in a B747-400. I was born and raised in Scotland to Hong Kong Chinese parents (Tom is of German descent). I lived in Scotland until about one year ago, when Tom (by total coincidence!) got the job with Cathay with a HK base. So now I live where my ancestors lived! We are also newlyweds, we just got married on 15th October 2007, hence the mushy avatar! We are having a blast in HK and we intend to live here indefinitely, planning to have a couple of kids here too. I'm very lucky - although we're based on the other side of the world, neither of us have to worry when he is gone, because I already know HK very well, I speak some Cantonese and I still have family here. This site looks great - they have PPRUNE, we have JETGIRLS! Looking forward to chatting with you guys x x x

11-23-2007, 07:22 AM	#2 (permalink)
ccbegay Jetgirls Ol' School Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Concord, NC Posts: 1,660 Recipes: Thanks: 5 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts	Re: Hello from Hong Kong! HEY THERE...and WELCOME... Well, I'm here in Charlotte, North Carolina...my boyfriend flies for American Eagle...I will be graduating in Dec with my BS in Microbiology...we have an outrageous maltese, Kenzie, and two very independant cats, Moonpie and Pixie...I am originally from New Mexico and love my new roots here in the South! I would LOVE to visit overseas, and Hong Kong would def. be on my 'list'...great to have you here! Cassie __________________ <-------Halloween fun for LadyBug Kenzie... ~Great Love and Great Achievements involves Great Risks~ CASSIE

11-23-2007, 11:01 AM	#3 (permalink)
amelia Jetgirls Plus Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Colorado Posts: 626 Recipes: Thanks: 3 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts	Re: Hello from Hong Kong! Hello and Welcome! I love Hong Kong. I spent several days there back in '97 and '98. It was beautiful and a lot of fun! I want to go back someday. Hope you like it here! __________________ Mom to 2 wonderful kids.

11-23-2007, 11:35 AM	#4 (permalink)
Kristie Admin/Owner Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Posts: 6,653 Recipes: Thanks: 7 Thanked 17 Times in 17 Posts	Re: Hello from Hong Kong! Hi Kim, Welcome aboard! I have not yet been to Hong Kong but I am looking at going sometime this month... I hear there's a winterfest there that's a lot of fun? It would be my first trip over the Pacific. Also, with your hubby working at Cathay, do you have the availability to check flight loads? We might be non-revving on Cathay and I have not yet non-revved overseas on another airline other than my own (Delta). Would be great to meet up with someone there since I don't know a lick of cantonese nor do i really know what to see/do in HK. I figure we'd be there for at least 3-4 days (hopefully that's enough time to see as much as we can). any ideas/suggestions would be awesome!! so.. where in Scotland are you from? Does your family still live in Scotland then? Congratulations on the marriage, sounds like you have good perspective on being independent already. Welcome again! glad to have you here! __________________ www.jetcareers.com

11-24-2007, 02:41 AM	#5 (permalink)
kimlantse Jetgirls Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 116 Recipes: Thanks: 4 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Hello from Hong Kong! Thanks for the lovely welcome, guys! It's a great wee community you have here. I was born in Glasgow but moved to Edinburgh at a young age, so I consider myself from Edinburgh now. Some of my family still live in Edinburgh, some are in London and some are in Hong Kong. Kristie, that's great you're visiting HK! My husband can check the flight loads for you. He's on a trip just now, I will ask him the next time we chat on the phone. As for stuff to see and do in HK, what do you like to do? Do you like history and culture? Do you like beaches? Or do you just want to shop and eat? (HK is the shopping and eating capital of the world) The one MUST do is going to the Peak by tram. Top tip: aim to arrive at the tram station around 1700 or so. That way, you can see the beautiful view during daylight AND night-time, 'cos it gets dark around 1830. That gives you enough time for the queues and to appreciate what's left of the daylight. Then you get the stunning night-time view too! A close second is watching the "Symphony of Lights". This is a sound, light and laser show of the famous Victoria Harbour skyline. All the famous buildings participate in a massive light show. Best vantage point is on the Avenue of Stars (itself a little curiosity) on Tsim Sha Tsui. It's on every night at 8pm. It's in English on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only but it's still OK to watch it on the other days in Putonghua or Cantonese, because the commentary just tells you the names of the buildings for the first 3 minutes of the show (the whole show is about 15 minutes, I think). It's spectacular and quite romantic (I knew somebody who proposed during the show!) And the best thing is, it's completely FREE!!! Third place is visiting the Big Buddha on Lantau Island and having a vegetarian meal there. It's a spiritual trip, beautiful and very humbling. Another spiritual place is Wong Tai Sin temple, it's really beautiful. You can watch the locals worship there, listen to chanting monks and maybe even get your fortune told. Everything including food and public transport is dead cheap in HK, that is if you avoid western style restaurants and the usual tourist trap places. But bars and clubs are always expensive, unfortunately. Hope that helps! Let me know if there is anything else you need to know...

11-24-2007, 05:45 AM	#6 (permalink)
kimlantse Jetgirls Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 116 Recipes: Thanks: 4 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Hello from Hong Kong! I managed to ask DH about stand-by tickets to HKG. You're in Arizona, so the nearest CX airport is LAX. Lemme throw some figures at you... LAX -> HKG 25 Nov CX885 LAX 11:20 HKG 18:55+1 1st: 5+ Business: 6 Economy: 50+ 02 Dec CX885 LAX 11:20 HKG 18:55+1 1st: 1 Business: 0 Economy: 50+ HKG -> LAX 30 Nov CX884 HKG 13:10 LAX 09:35 1st: 5+ Business: 9 Economy: 50+ 05 Dec CX884 HKG 13:10 LAX 09:35 1st: 5+ Business: 9 Economy: 50+ Hope this helps...

11-24-2007, 05:46 PM	#7 (permalink)
Amanda Jetgirls Plus Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PHL suburbs Posts: 2,154 Recipes: Thanks: 12 Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Hello from Hong Kong! Hi KIm and welcome to the site! Cathay is supposed to be a wonderful airline. Before Nick got hired at Continental I gave him my full support if he ever got hired there- I was more than willing to live in Hong Kong! Of course it didn't happen, he got hired at CAL. In fact most of his trips are to EDI and GLA! He just came back from GLA today and is on his way home to me. I would also like to visit HK at some point. When I was younger my dad traveled to Kowloon frequently on business (textile industry). Welcome! __________________ Amanda Loving wife of Nick, an Int'l FO for Continental flying the 757/767 based in EWR!

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