October 9, 2013
Travel Day to Xiamen
We had breakfast, gathered our luggage, checked out, then loaded a cab and were off. The destination was Hong Kong Station, which was only a 5 minute drive. Hong Kong Station is so efficient and convenient. The have Hong Kong International Airport check in and baggage service in the station. We checked in for our flight to Xiamen, China and dropped our baggage. All we had to do is make our way over to the MTR Airport Express. It was so nice not having to drag our luggage along.
The 24 minute MTR Express ride went by quickly. The views along the way likely had a lot to do with that. We left the train and took the ramp right into the main terminal to check in for our flight to Xiamen.
We made it through security with relative ease and moved to terminal 1. Along the way, Darrell spotted the Caviar House & Prunier Seafood Bar near our gate. It was obviously time for a snack. Caviar House and Prunier Seafood Bar had a great selection of what they bill as "the world’s finest" Prunier caviar, famous Balik salmon and other seafood. Darrell tried a selection of smoked salmon. I had a café latte with dark chocolate, which was made as well as I've ever had. Snacks consumed it was on to the gate.
Wingchi met us at the gate. Our 12:20 pm Dragon Air flight was delayed about 25 minutes. We boarded and were soon in the air. I had a center seat on the Airbus A320. I thought it would be just my luck that we would fly over Hong Kong on a clear afternoon and I wasn't at a window to get a good picture. It turned out to be ok as we flew out over the ocean and around Hong Kong, so the photo op didn't materialize.
The flight took 1 hour and 15 minutes. We flew just off the coastline of China most of the way. Even though I was in the center seat, I did get some spectacular views. The approach to Xiamen was east to west, so we had a few views of Mainland China, the island of Xiamen, and a few surrounding islands as we descended. We had a smooth landing at Xiamen Goaqi International Airport.
We made it off of the plane and through the terminal. I managed to take some pictures. We made it to the top of an escalator and found ourselves in the immigration area. I had my camera in hand and before I could even see the no photography signs, a stationed immigration guard told me "no photo!" Needless to say I immediately and humbly stashed my camera. Wingchi smiled and then told Darrell and I how much things have changed. He easily remembered a time not that long ago when I would have been taken into a secure room, had my camera taken, and sternly interrogated. This modern airport with its very clean and efficient appearance gave no thoughts to that kind of notion at all. After passing customs, we were greeted by a Xiamen Tea Fair official and a driver as we exited the terminal. I was very surprised and a bit disappointed by seeing a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet before making it out of the building.
We made it to the driver's van and loaded up our luggage. Xiamen Goaqi International Airport is on the north side of Xiamen Island. It was a 20 minute drive to the Xiamen International Seaside Hotel, which is on the east side of the island.
The Xiamen International Seaside Hotel sits right next to the Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center and is conveniently connected to it by an overhead skyway. We stayed at the Seaside Hotel because the China (Xiamen) International Tea Industry Fair, the Fuzhou International Buddhist Items & Craft Fair, and the The 5th China Xiamen International Vegetarian Food Fair were being consecutively held at the Conference & Exhibition Center next door. We checked in to the hotel, went to our rooms, and took some time to acclimate to our new surrounding. All of the east facing rooms had their own terraces with views of the Pacific ocean and a number of nearby islands. I shot some video and took pictures. The Hotel has looks singularly unique. I wondered what the architectural style was as it had a modern Chinese look to it with maybe a hint of communist influence. I came to find that it was Designed by B+H Architects, a well-known architectural institute in Canada. Go figure.
As a prominent consultant to the China (Xiamen) International Tea Industry Fair, Wingchi had to check in with some of the Fair officials. Darrell wanted to take a breather in his room, so with my gear unpacked, I decided to take a walk around the property. After looking at the hotel property, I couldn't resist a closer look at the ocean. I walked across the expansive grassy area between the hotel and the beach to find a stone paved walkway running along the beach. The afternoon was fading away and some of the building lights started to glow. There was a lot of activity on the beach. People walking in the sand, some getting their feet wet in the surf, and even a man lighting a number of very colorful luminaries on the beach. There were numerous street food vendors on the stone paved walkway sporting small three wheeled scooter vans. They had many types of fried and grilled skewer meats. Squid, chicken, and even frank like hotdogs seemed to be the most popular offerings among the vendors. Fruit vendors were also easy to find along the road. Massive papayas, limes, and huge pomelo grapefruits were in abundance everywhere.
Darkness fell and after a good solid hour of walking around, I headed back to the hotel. I met up with Darrell and Wingchi for dinner, which was held in one of the hotel restaurants. Dinner was done family style for the officials of the Tea Fair and a few associated attendees like ourselves. First up was a very wonderful smelling soup. After my first taste, Darrell asked if I knew what kind of soup it was. I didn't, so he told me. "It's Monk Jumps over the Wall soup." He then explained that this soup comes from folklore in Fujian Province . A poem says that, when opening the lid, the enticing fragrance of the meat of this soup can be smelled by the neighbors and even a monk will jump over the monastery wall in order to try it. Typical Chinese dishes were served on the tables "lazy susan" for all to eat. Darrell set a bottle of 2011 Chateau des Tours Brouilly, which he bought at Watsons in Hong Kong , for everyone to try.
Dinner was full of clean and fresh flavors with wonderful textures typical of good Chinese cooking. The Travel day made for a good reason to turn in early. We had a long day of walking the Tea Fair in the morning, so it was time for bed.