The drizzly weather had no effect as we all stood there getting soggy, because we knew that in less than 24 hours, we'd be in hot, sunny Hong Kong, about to embark on our Global Leadership Project.
The coach ride was nice and smooth, with everyone excited for the journey ahead.
When we got to Heathrow, we proceeded to check our bags in, and we were all pleasantly surprised by how fast we managed to drop our bags off and get through security.
Once through security we had a bit of time to have a mooch about (I particularly loved the Harry Potter shop just past security!), grab a drink and a snack, and make our way across to the C gates to await boarding. Quite a few people used this opportunity to grab some vital last minute purchases, with travel pillows appearing to be most popular. After all, with a 12 hour flight ahead of us, comfort would be key!
The boarding process was nice and smooth, albeit a bit delayed as the crew had been sent to the wrong gate, oops! However, despite taking off around 40 minutes later than planned at about 19:25, we still arrived in Hong Kong on time at 13:40 local time (around 06:40 BST).
The flight itself was great, and with 50 GLP participants onboard, you could feel the excitement in the air. The flight attendants were having a good laugh and joke with everyone, and even offering advice on their favourite places to visit in Hong Kong. We were lucky enough to be flying on an Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger airliner! With our own TVs with a huge range of entertainment, a snuggly blanket and a squishy pillow, we put on our compression socks and settled in for a long flight.
The flight attendants kept us well fed and watered, with pretzels and a drink just after take off, followed by a hot meal and a drink (Szechuan chicken and rice or tomato and mascarpone pasta were our choices!). Throughout the flight there were plenty of drinks to be had, and around an hour before landing we were served a hot breakfast (a choice of full english, or a Spanish omelette).
Some managed to sleep for a few hours, and others were just too excited to sleep and made the most of the onboard entertainment.
Just over 11 hours later, we had made good time and arrived in HK airspace a little early, so we were flying in a holding pattern ready to land at Hong Kong International Airport. This was great as it gave us some lovely views of Hong Kong and the nearby islands. We touched down smoothly and were soon making our way through immigration and to baggage claim. The process of clearing immigration was really quick and efficient, and then after a bit of a wait for our bags, we were off to meet our coach driver.
I had to go through the "goods to declare" channel due to medication that I take being restricted in Hong Kong, and I was worried that this would take forever, but yet again they were very efficient, and I was in and out of the security area in about 5 minutes.
Stepping out of the airport into the Hong Kong sun was a bit of a shock, as it was so hot and humid. We were all super grateful that our coach had super cold air conditioning.
As we set off from the airport, we were in awe of how beautiful Hong Kong is. From the sea port, you can see how industrious a place it is, with thousands upon thousands of shipping containers lining the docks. The buildings all stretch high into the sky, with up being the only real direction to go in a country where there is a population of 6,300 people per square kilometre!
Upon arrival at our accommodation at the University of Hong Kong, St John's college, we all made our way to our block to receive our keys, and then onto our rooms. The rooms are small but functional, with a bed, desk, fridge, en suite bathroom and, perhaps most importantly, air conditioning! A lot of us were also lucky enough to have a balcony too. One student even had a sneaky room mate waiting for him (a little lizard!)
We all made ourselves at home, grateful for a shower after our long journey, and prepared to head out for the evening.
The group of people I was with decided we would head out for dinner, so we grabbed a taxi and we went to a Dim Sum restaurant in Sham Shui Po called Tim Ho Wan. Tim Ho Wan is the world's cheapest Michelin Star restaurant, with individual dishes around $20-25 (which is around £2-2.50). We were all well fed and watered, and it only cost $400 for 5 of us, which is around £40! Such a bargain! The food was delicious and plentiful, and the staff were very friendly.
After filling up, we decided to go for a bit of an explore around the local area. Despite being after 8 at night, the shops were all still open and the streets were bustling. We saw shops selling all sorts, there was a pet shop with a cat fast asleep in a window bed, bakeries that smelled of beautiful, fresh baked delights, pharmacies, convenience stores, clothes shops, and food vendors. We used this opportunity to stock up on drinks, local SIM cards (to avoid huge roaming charges), and then we headed to the MTR to grab ourselves an Octopus card. We then got on an MTR to Admiralty, where we switched trains and headed to Kennedy Town station, which is the MTR station closest to our accommodation. Just a short walk back to the accommodation
Once back, there were yet more showers and clothes changes before a large group headed out to Central to explore the local nightlife. Some great clubs were found, Metro and China Bar being particularly fun and lively!
In the early hours of Sunday everyone crawled back to the hotel, tired and danced out (and, in the case of one student, injured thanks to some broken glass on the sidewalk, oops! But we'll have him write an entry about his experience later), and enjoyed our first night's sleep in Hong Kong!
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