Hong Kong 2012 - Chapter 1: Going over and Royal Plaza Hotel

2 February 2012

* I really wish I had the leisure to sit down properly and blog about my everyday experiences before they become stale news, the way I used to when I was studying.. sigh.. too bad working has killed most of my brain cells by the time I get home everyday T__T

After working in this company and hearing lots of horror stories about my bosses, I was a bit sceptical when they announced that there would be a company trip this year.. Heck, some my colleagues have been around for 3 years already and have never experienced any company trip before. We were all so wary that we weren't even enthusiastic when asked to choose a suitable place to go to (In the end it was an easy choice as the final choices were Goa and Hong Kong!). In fact, we only definitely confirmed that we were going 2 days before the departure date @.@

Had to work for half a day on Thursday since ours was an afternoon flight scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong just in time for dinner there.. 4 hour flight and Hong Kong is 1 hour behind KL/Singapore, go figure~

The tiny immigration form

Up until the last minute before we were scheduled to leave for the airport, our boss was still doling out work to us :S Anyways, all of us had already brought our luggage to work and we just took a taxi to Changi Airport Terminal 1 to catch our Jetstar flight (which was delayed 1 whole hour, damn Jetstar, grr..)

The luggage that started it all..

I remember thinking when I borrowed this suitcase from my cousin that it looked so common, it would be very easy for someone to take the wrong bag at the baggage claim area, seems like I can go into the fortune telling business.. After going quite a few rounds round the baggage carousel and everyone had gotten their bags except me, I had no choice but to make a report at the baggage counter T__T

I remember asking myself many times why I had to go and think of such stuff since its a known fact that thoughts are powerful.. I was starting to panic but somehow, I don't know when, maybe when the guy told us that the staff at the airport will call me once they locate my missing luggage, I just started to feel very zen and calm and just kept telling myself that I would see my bag soon. Maybe someone had taken the wrong bag, then left it somewhere and I would just walk past and spot it? The worst thing would be that I had to go to bed and go about the next day in the stinky clothes I was wearing and just grab some daily necessities from the nearest Watsons outlet..

I didn't really have time to really panic either, since it was already 9pm++ after the flight delay, immigration and running around the baggage claim area, and I couldn't afford to waste much time as everyone was really hungry and looking forward to checking into the hotel. In the end, we had takeaway burgers from Burger King for dinner on our first night in Hong Kong.. :(

Incredibly though, I got a call just when we were preparing to go to our shuttle bus to the hotel telling me that they had located my luggage and I had to go back to the immigration area to claim it. I felt like I was in some reality show as I was running the length of the airport while on the phone with the officer who was giving me directions to his office ~ I remember it was 9.50pm when the officer brought me to enter through the back door of the immigration area, as the guard at the door said that we had to hurry as he would close up in 10 minutes.. (just 10 more minutes and I would have had no pyjamas that night!) Turns out stupid Jetstar had mislaid my bag, grrrr (damn Jetstar! x 2).

The only picture I took on the way to the hotel as I was still trying to take in the sights around me after such an eventful evening.. Its a fire-station by the way :)

Finally checked into The Royal Plaza Hotel at around 11pm.. Its the building in the background by the way.. (only realised my camera's lens can't zoom after I got it @.@)

These were taken on day 2, cause no mood whatsoever to take photos the day we arrived~

Hotel lobby with chinese new year decor since it was still cny when we went :)

Can someone tell me what fruits these are? so cute~ like the 人参果 in Journey to the West!!

View from my room on the 13th floor 1352~

In the lobby before setting out for dinner on day 2~

The room was a deluxe room and it was huge! I started to miss the room already before leaving HK.. Due to a twist of fate, we ended up with 1 room each when it was supposed to be twin or triple sharing because many people ended up not going on the trip.. Incredible right?! First time I've heard of 1 room per pax for company trips... O.o...

Two beds all to myself~

Huge toilet with long bath.. not that I had the leisure time to enjoy it though...

View from the entrance~

Pantry area.. one of my colleagues got the family room, and it even had a cooker and a microwave @.@

far end of the room

Everyone loved the hotel so much! even those who had been to Hong Kong before agreed that the rooms were bigger than the standard HK hotel rooms.. Its located right next to the Grand Century Place shopping mall and near to Mongkok MTR station, very convenient.. and it was only about SGD250 for 4 days 3 nights.. will seriously consider staying there next time I go, hehehe...

Can't wait to get into the nitty gritty of my trip after this.. :D