Packing Up and Prepping Up

I woke up early again, using the quiet morning to do some final prep for Hong Kong. Online check-in revealed a small surprise: I had to pay extra for a second piece of cabin luggage. Glad I caught it early, but still — a little stingy. I spent some time planning for the next few days. For some reason, I forgot that Hong Kong has a Disneyland, so maybe that will sneak into the schedule somewhere?

Checking out went smoothly, and I made my way to the airport, which was quite a trek. They had a check-in for luggage before you got on the Airport Train, which was interesting, and something I had never seen before. Unfortunately I didn't qualify.

Despite the chaos in the terminal, check-in and security were fine. I arrived at the gate about 30 minutes before boarding — minimizing my wait (I'm getting better at timingt this). On the plane, I had hoped to work on the blog, but the tiny desk space made it impossible. Instead, I surrendered to a nap while listening to podcasts.

Landing was relatively painless: no line at immigration was a welcome surprise. The only hiccup was waiting for luggage, which took far too long. Declaring my medication was quick — the officer barely glanced at my pill bottle and waved me through, joking that I was wasting his time. After that, I realized I needed lunch. I got tried out the local cuisine at the 7-11 before hopping on my bus to my hotel.

Ridleyville

The bus ride to the hotel gave me a chance to read the Wikipedia page for Hong Kong. Some stats blew my mind:

with 7.4 million people, it’s the second most densely populated region after Singapore.
Its financial sector is the third-largest in the world.
It has the fourth-highest number of billionaires in the world
And the most skyscrapers of any city in the world

Looking out the window, I could see it — a forest of high-rises, streets crammed with towers. I can see why this was Ridley Scott's inspiration.

Hotel Check-In

My hotel is fancy — and correspondingly expensive. The room is comfortable, but the amenities are limited: the gym has a few dumbbells, one machine, a treadmill, and a yoga ball. No free breakfast, and the laundry service is pricier than I expected. Still, I’m making the most of it. The MAMA tickets had arrived at the hotel too, so I collected them right away — a small but satisfying victory.

About MAMA

The MNET Asian Music Awards are the ultimate K-pop showcase. While the awards themselves feel a little performative, the performances are spectacular: all the biggest groups, collaborations, remixes, and production that makes the whole event feel like a non-stop extravaganza.

I planned my trip so that I could to attend MAMA, but I booked my tickets to Seoul before I knew when and where it would be. I was pleasently surprised by the fact that it was in Hong Kong (I expected it to be in Japan) but I adjust my trip accordingly.

MAMA isn't the main reason I am visiting Hong Kong, unlike TWICE in Japan, I am looking forward to all the other adventuring I get to do here aswell.

Adjustments Due to the Hong Kong Fire

There’s been a shadow over the event, though. A giant apartment fire in northern Hong Kong recently devastated seven buildings, leaving dozens dead and hundreds missing. The red carpet has been canceled, a tribute will open the show, and performances will be toned down — no pyrotechnics, somber acceptence speeches and MEOVV probably won't preform BURNING UP.

As a fan, it’s bittersweet, but I understand completely. It’s hard to celebrate when so many lives were lost.

Dinner on Temple Street

After settling in, I walked to Temple Street for dinner, hoping for some street food. The options were surprisingly limited, so I wandered a bit before finding a small restaurant that looked promising. I ordered wonton noodle soup by pointing at the menu — the server didn’t speak English. It was simple but satisfying, with the condiments they suggested improving the flavor nicely.

Evening Reflections

Back at the hotel, I unpacked, rested, and got ready to start the next day energized. Another day of travel is behind me, and now I’m finally here in Hong Kong, with time to explore at my own pace. Let’s make the most of it.