The Travel

On the night of 6-Feb, we headed out to Bangalore International airport. The instructions were clear – only one bag of 23 kgs each plus one small carry-on. Although Cathay would allow more, our internal travel with Virgin Australia would not. Hence, packing had to be clever, meager, well thought out and just right. We managed.

Considering it was 18 days, it was difficult to pack just-right. Arpita was stellar when it came to packing. Details to the last bit. Including accessories, shoes etc. It was a complete wow to know that she would be traveling with only one bag and still looking so good every day of the trip. It was not surprising after all. It came naturally to her to be

detailed and looking good.

We checked in, boarded and grabbed a few winks and landed in Hong Kong. This was probably the only part of the trip which was uneventful. Maybe even the last stretch back to Bangalore from Hong Kong was. Yes. It was uneventful. It was only the beginning. We had a long layover in Hong Kong, thanks to Cathay altering their flight schedule out to Australia weeks before we flew. We had a 12 hour plus stopover in Hong Kong. And we were ready to make the most of it.

We quickly exited immigration and were at the tourist helpdesk at the airport. After a short discussion, we made way to the Airport train and out to Hong Kong City. Walking around the city was fun. We enjoyed some authentic Chinese at a Dim Sum specialist. What lay ahead of us was something unexpected. At a mall in Hong Kong, we were greeted with “The Chocolate Trail”. This was an amazing experience to taste chocolate from world over being served at the counters. French and Belgian specialties. Simply delicious. Distinct flavors. Stunning taste. Made us forget we had a flight to catch. We had to leave though. We were back to the Airport and after the formalities we were on board. I realized how much I miss Emirates when I travel any other airline. I had practically seen all the movies which were available. I did see Fury – a movie with Brad Pitt based

on World War two and a battle tank behind enemy lines. It was intense.