Wandering around Incheon airport before flying to Hong Kong
This will be a short update. Right now I am in Incheon airport waiting for my flight to Hong Kong. As you will see I have no lounge access, so I am sitting here in the departure area typing this like a poor person.
Before coming to Incheon airport I had to change trains at Gimpo airport. Well I didnt have to but I elected to take the slow normal train to the airport rather than the faster more expensive train.
Since I was at Gimpo airport to change trains I thought I might have a look at the small airport there, which also has a huge mall, and low and behold it also has a Din Tai Fung. I still have Korean Won to burn so I had an expensive lunch and am now having expensive airport snacks in a concerted effort to use up my Korean currency. Onto the boring pics!
One last pic of blossoms in Korea, there will be none in Hong Kong or southern China, it is blossomeless.
Behold the departure hall of Gimpo airport. It is massive and unoccupied. I am not sure when Incheon airport took over, but these days only a few mainland china flights and 500 flights a day to Jeju island leave from Gimpo.
As I said, I headed into the Gimpo Lotte megamall, found Din Tai Fung, had beef noodle. This was very HAPPIFYING.
Then in the mall I judged an art contest.
The departure area of Incheon airport, as a contrast to Gimpo above. It is a great airport.
To spend my money, I ordered a single origin slow nitro pour over Guatemalan children hand picked single roast Americino espresso platinum limited. It cost about $10!
My view right now...its an airport.
Flying to Hong Kong on a Hong Kong Airlines A330 and getting to the Salvation Army Booth Lodge
One lousy photo? Yes indeed. Now I am in Hong Kong. Not only am I in Hong Kong, I am at the Salvation Army. Lets work backwards and try for some slightly longer sentences.
My hotel is indeed owned, run by and branded The Salvation Army. It is one of the top rated hotels in Hong Kong and has been for years. You see what happens is, all those so called not for profits that operate in your home countries, siphon off the collection plate in countries where they dont pay tax but cant make profit, and start businesses in Hong Kong, where no company pays tax, but they CAN make profit. You can find a lot of charities running big hotel groups in Hong Kong, most notably the Boy Scouts, their hotel is so popular I have never found availability to actually book a room there.
Before arriving at my hotel, I went to the brand new fancy high speed train to China terminal which is very near the Kowloon Hong Kong airport rail station, and collected my ticket to Guangzhou. There was no line at this time, so I think I was wise in doing this.
Before that, I was on the train from Hong Kong airport to Kowloon, a train I have ridden a few times before, its very convenient and fast.
Before that I was arriving in Hong Kong airport, This took longer than I expected, the customs line was long and filled with drama of people arriving who should not have been arriving in Hong Kong. I think the 5 people in front of me were all technically transit passengers who would need a visa to enter Hong Kong who were trying to enter Hong Kong for a few hours.
Which leaves, the plane. Todays Hong Kong Airlines flight was on a larger, very comfortable Airbus A330. I had a spare seat next to me and no children cried the entire way. Amazing.
So there you go, fast forward to now and its quite late, I had no real dinner, and I am waiting for the priest to come to my room and demand money, OR ELSE!
Here it is, the Salvation Army Booth Lodge for homeless male travelers of questionable morale foundations who look like they might be suckers who will make donations to a global terrorist organisation.