That China Life

Hi from Hong Kong.

I'm sitting in my hotel room, overlooking the city, eating spicy pumpkin curry and drinking a tequila sunrise. A very weird combination but the language barrier makes it a bit difficult to order room service so I just said yes to what I could understand.

A business trip to Asia. It sounds so glamorous, I know. And, yes, some of it is. Flying business class overseas? An experience everyone should have at some point. Preferably on someone else's dime. The lie-flat seats and the linens and the food, all worth it. This is my sixth trip to Hong Kong but the first four of those trips were in coach. And I wanted to cry. Every. Single. Time.

The hotels are pretty great, as well. The Crowne Plaza and the Regal are far and away better than the Courtyard's I'm used to staying in on business trips back home.

And then, of course, there is simply the privilege of spending time on the other side of the WORLD. That particular blessing is not lost on me.

But there are downsides. Like spending eight days away from home. My husband and I don't even go on vacations for that long, and here I am, by myself and away from home for eight friggin' days. And this isn't even the longest. My first trip was to both Hong Kong and Malaysia and was a full two weeks. It's lonely. I miss my family. I miss my dogs. I miss my routine. Add to that the 12 hour time difference that only serves to keep you even more disconnected from those at home, and the whole experience starts to lose it's shine.

So, anyway, here I am. Work is done and I'm trying to occupy myself until I head home in another 40 plus hours. The pumpkin in my curry is under-cooked. But the tequila did it's job. My life is good. Even the lonely bits.

It keeps me grateful.

Even as I bitch and moan.