Rio

Cuba. The adventure that keeps giving. Turns out that having visited Cuba any time after 2021 invalidates ones' ability to obtain an ESTA. What does that mean? Well it means I need to apply for an American Tourist Visa, the old fashioned way. In-person at the U.S Consulate, or U.S Embassy. I was completely unaware of this until my ESTA was denied. Which, could be problematic in the future. Regardless, the reason for applying for an ESTA was to get to South America. The furthest place in the world from Asia. Flying time takes approximately 22 hours depending where in South America you want to end up. Typical routes from Asia are through the Americas, the Middle East or round through the Pacific. Given that options one and two were effectively off the table I opted for the route via Santiago and Sydney.

I depart Hong Kong on the CX flight at 9:20 pm on Thursday 26th of March, arrive into Kingsford Smith Airport on Friday, a quick KFC two piece feed and I board the (delayed) flight to Santiago around midday on the 27th. 15 or so hours later I arrive into Santiago having missed my interconnecting flight to Rio due to previous delays. However the staff at LATAM are extremely helpful and put me on the next, albeit indirect flight (via Sao Paolo) to Rio. I eventually arrive into Rio at around 9 pm on the Friday, 27th of March. Some 30 odd hours since I left Hong Kong.

So you might ask, what are you doing in South America? How did Jen allow this? All valid questions. In conjunction with the below photos. This was a final trip before little mate. Some of my friends from LA, NY were doing a wine trip down in Mendoza, first stop Rio De Janiero. Nice long run, some sushi, a bit of sight seeing and an old fashion gay warehouse party. Not sure how I'm going to shake this jetlag.

Childhood memories

There's something about these two images that stirs memories from childhood. Maggi 2 minute noodles reminds me of the sleep overs I would have with my cousins in Castle Hill. Breakfast/lunch would be instance noodles and a cup of mile. We rarely ate the Maggi brand at home. Even the taste reminds me of childhood.

 

Singapore

Back in Singapore for the weekend. I'm getting used to these trips. I mean, I better be getting used to these trips. The question I now get asked the most is "When are you moving to Singapore?", to which I answer "likely by the end of the year". This weekend is the 30-week scan. It also means things are starting to get serious. Not that they weren't serious before. There is also a list of things that are on the to-do list. Some small, some big. 

Another weekend on Lazarus Island. There's better charcoal this time around, and we actually are able to start the BBQ before sunset. The timing is much better, we play monopoly into the evening.

Currently reading "Crib Sheets"

Getting dropped off

I've lost track of how many times I've been back to Sydney in recent years. If I were to guess, probably around 8-10 times last year? Somebody fact check me. The trips admittedly have become a little bit easier with cost, as I've been fortunate enough to have more deposable income with work and career, however it has become more difficult from a physical perspective. I'm not sure if it's age, but the tailbone does not like sleeping on those upright seats, and my sleep quality has definitely deteriorated. It's a small price to pay given how much I enjoy going back home to Sydney.

One thing that I have been thinking about lately is the pick ups and drops off to and from the airport. It's quite a small thing, but there's always been somebody waiting for me, or willing to drop me off for my flight out. Pick up from the International Airport Express passenger pick-up area. Drop off at Gate G for the late night flight out.

Most often that not dad gets stuck with this chore, duty, obligation. It's a small passage of time where we catch up, on what's been happening. The pick-up is pretty scripted. It's always a conversation about the flight, and whether it was busy and how long I'm in town for. I think it's always usually a pretty full flight, and usually for a couple a days. Sometimes, there's a question about work. 

The drop offs are a little less scripted. Talking about whatever is on our mind. Cars. Relatives. Health. Travel. Life. The drop offs remind me of being dropped off when I was a kid, whether it be being dropped off at school (where at times I would ask to be dropped off down the road in primary school). Or, being dropped off at a friend's place in high school. Or at the station for work. Or now, being dropped off at the airport to go back home.

I appreciate these little moments. 

Fire Horse

I have been really excited for this trip back. Sure Christmas was good, but there was a lot of rushing around but there was a lot of activities and events as well as work. 9 days of doing nothing in Sydney. Well, not nothing. We do a good job of filling time and did I fill it. Celebratory Chinese New Year dinner with the other side of the family in Roselands, with this side of the family dinner in Earlwood. Lots of catch ups, visited the new Laundromat, cleaned all the duvets, then waited 3 hours for them to dry, and finally saw a nice rainbow. Gung Hei Fatt Choy!

Friends and Family perks

I ended up leaving the hotel in Roppongi on Sunday at 11:00 am. A short 25 minute car ride (Uber) to Tokyo Station, the Tekko Building for the bus to the Airport. Thankfully we had performed the exact routine not 2 months ago. Arrived at Tokyo station just in time to grab a Lawson's Egg Sandwich and to hop on the 11:35 Narita Limousine Bus. The Bus arrived at Narita around 12:50 pm, I disembarked at Terminal 1, grabbed some ramen and made my way to Terminal 2. Check-in was surprisingly simple, I picked up some additional snacks (read, peanut butter sandwich) and settled into my book and podcast (Acquired: Nintendo) outside the gate at around 2:10 pm. The  Hong Kong Express flight boarded on time,  with all passengers and crew seated and ready for take off at the scheduled time of 3:25 pm. There was some congestion on the runway and we were eventually airborne by 4:00 pm. 

It's interesting how impactful the jet stream is on the return leg. The flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo is approximately three and half hours, whereas the return leg adds an additional hour for the same trip. We touched down at around 7:25 pm Hong Kong time, losing an hour due to the timezone difference. This is where things get interesting. The second part of my weekend was predicated on no delays and precision arrival. I had been tracking our flight times keenly and was relieved to have arrived without delay.

The reason was I was on stand-by for the 9:20 pm flight from Hong Kong to Sydney, and part of the stand-by criteria is that I needed to be at the check-in counter to claim my seat at least 90 minutes before departure. The reality was that I didn't have any luggage to claim and just needed to exit the airport and get to the check in counter at the arrivals side. The plane was taking a slow taxi to the gate. I turned on my phone and my messages lit up. My sister had messaged informing me that the CX101 9:20 pm flight to Sydney had 8 available seats. My chances of getting on the flight were good. I only needed to get to check-in by 7:50. I sat on the flight tapping my foot. The plane was still taxing to the gate. I wondered if there would be a proper gate or just a staircase to a bus. 

So how did we get to this situation? Well, one, flights back to Sydney for my dates, either from Tokyo direct, or Hong Kong were insanely expensive. This was well, my fault, because I had left it so late to book. I had always known I would be in Tokyo that weekend, I just wasn't sure if I would head back to Sydney. When I had last checked, a single-leg flight from Tokyo to Sydney on the 25th was 14,000 HKD (1,800 USD), and flights via Hong Kong were around 2,000 USD. So I was sitting on the fence.

However, my sister had just started work at a major Oneworld Airline and since passing probation now had access to other Oneworld flights. Read, Cathay Pacific.  Remember when my family flew over to Hong Kong, that was still during probation and access was limited to one airline. So, with my name on the stand by list I had to get to the gate for check-in. The plane came to a stop and I could see that there was a staircase and a bus waiting for us below, it was 7:45. At that moment in time I received a confirmation of a Boarding pass. I was checked in! The adrenaline dissipated from my body. This reminded me of Cuba, but with smaller, much smaller stakes. The rest of the journey was smooth. Managed to transit through Hong Kong Airport with the boarding pass and even managed to jag an isle seat with extra leg room.

Arrived into Sydney the next morning on schedule. It was Australia Day, the airport was busy but got through with no major delays. Picked up at the Airport by Sister and family. So nice to see them, I do enjoy the whole being picked up, and dropped off process. Australia Day was relaxed, I had taken a day off work. Banh Mi for lunch, park in the afternoon. Tuesday I worked from home, but it was my sister's birthday. Forty. Can you believe it? Little sister is forty! Relaxed day at home, although work was surprisingly busy, and the 3 hour time difference really extends the day much longer than it feels. I enjoy working from the dining table, while the house moves around me. Dad drawing up plans for the renovation, auntie in the kitchen, mom in and out of the house running errands. It's like time hasn't passed at all.

Short trip ended with another stand-by flight on the way out. Load looked a lot more promising, by the time I had checked in I had secured a Premium Economy flight. Got to the airport after an 8pm call. The airport was empty. By the time I had made it to the gate I was notified that there was still space in Business class. Another win! What an amazing short trip back to Sydney. Super grateful how everything fell into place, from getting on the flight, the upgrade and most importantly being back for the birthday. To think, I considered not showing up, thankful that it all worked out. Happy Birthday sis!

Currently reading "Contented Little Baby"

Less than 24 hours in Tokyo

New rule, although not too sure how many more impromptu weekends I have in me. The new rule is, avoid flying into Narita Airport for short-duration trips, the time spent navigating between the airport and Tokyo really adds up. Short 20 odd hours in Tokyo hanging out with the Niseko crew, who have been up in Sapporo. Some convenience store sandwiches, some ramen, some bbq and we're out.

 

On a side note, I've started reading some books on babies. I'm starting to get excited. There's a sense of routine and discipline which I'm looking forward to getting stuck into. That being said, you know the saying "everybody has a plan, until they get punched in the face".