Come Nov. 11, 1999 I finally took off for Hong Kong - a 20 hour flight including a 1.5 hour stopover in Anchorage, Alaska. 

I love Hong Kong.  It's fantastic.  People everywhere (6.8 million of 'em) and they're all talking on cell phones - no matter what else they're doing!  I was expecting (and got) a bit of culture shock, but it was good preparation for the rest of my trip.  Dinner at Heather Strickland's (an ex-pat friend) and a couple of (lunch) meetings with business associates left me feeling right at home.

Stanley Market, where the locals claim you can buy anything - and you can - was a gas; Aberdeen's floating city fascinating; the shopping Mecca of Kowloon rivalled only by Singapore; and the Star Ferry (from Kowloon, on the mainland, to the business districts on Hong Kong Island in about 8 minutes for $1.50) a model of public transportation at its best.