Travel Talk

Mulling about in Moscow and Sleeping in Airports is the LATEST CRAZE, Seriously

Before we get into how the latest fashion is sleeping in airport terminals, let me say I wish my timing had been different. Hong Kong had an awesome vibe and I’d love to have stayed longer.

I headed to the Soho(sp?) district which presents a plethora of dining options in many different price ranges. I enjoyed a horrible meatball sub and a flat beer but could still tell that if I lived here, I’d love this area, I merely picked the wrong place at the wrong time. I’m going to review the place later and the meal, it was gross made me feel like I was back home at some crappy chain paying ~$20US+ for a beer and a sub par sub. I had to return the sub because at first it was stone cold, then when it came back it tasted like wine that you’d turn back for being off. To make matters worse, they didn’t give me a discount for serving me a dog food the first go and when I paid with 200 ($142HK bill) they gave me 18 coins in $1 or $2 denominations. That annoyed me so I left them nothing but a “see you never” smile.

That said, I will note that Hong Kong had a “working people” vibe to it. What I mean is I believe most people who live here work, earn a tone of money and at night come alive. If you’re just puttering around the globe chilling there are probably more amusing places to pass your days. If I were to get a job though and work in a foreign city, Hong Kong is my favorite so far. It just had a vibe to it, only time I felt liket his was on my way to the first of the Thai islands I saw, Koh Tao or when I hit Vegas for the first time. A silencing feeling where your mind just stops talking and you just appreciate what you’re seeing.

I’d say it was like Singapore meets China, yeah that is how I’d describe it. This has gotten me interested in visiting Tokyo but since I’m on a flight to Europe, that idea can marinate.

Ok back to the the latest craze hitting up hippies and hipsters alike, sleeping in airports. To be honest, the airport had everything I needed. Granted the “soft sleeper” of a bench that I had wasn’t the most comfortable, I could have had a better one had I moved.

The airport has all the amenities one would need including but not limited to free wifi, security guards, clean rest rooms, a bar, restaurants and of course a social scene. Now you’re probably saying ” a social scene, wtf are you talking about”. Let me tell you, there were many people who passed out there and there was a form of comradeship from random guys like me to business men to little ladies. On the note of business men. I saw so many guys leaving on a Thursday night with their briefcases and buldging belts just looking miserable.

I digress.

I’m going to make it a habit to sleep in the airports whenever I get a chance, it was quite nice. Especially since my first bench sleep took part in Yogya, Java, Indo on New Years outside in a train station, this was like first class. Also no hassle, you just wake up, go have a nice breakfast and boom there you are.Typically I’d always fly at night but now if I get a good deal on a morning flight, I’ll just pass out in the airport after playing online until I get bored.

I will note don’t bother drinking any coke, I had a grandiose plan of pulling an all nighter and then couldn’t find a plug outside the restaurants that closed at 11PM, as a result I was wired with nothing to do but try and pass out on a bench. I did manage to pass out from ~5am-8am, which felt like enough.

The flight from Hong Kong to Moscow was like 9.5 hours. The more I travel alternative airlines to the vanilla Canadian ones I grew up on, the more i love them. This plane was loaded with video games, movies, music videos, cd’s the whole deal. The food was good, people complain about airplane food like it’s trendy. You’re up in some little tinfoil sardine tin ~35,000 feet and you’re complaining about eating lamb curry? Shame on you!

In Russia, from what I’ve seen so far, the ladies are super hot or super fugly. I just chatted up one of the ladies who works at the cosmetics counter, she’s positively stunning. I figured I’d be an idiot not to introduce myself. We just traded contacts and she asked me where I live. I told her I was a drifter with no home, she suggested a move to Moscow as she and her friend like me. Will be looking up a visa,  do believe. What kind of a gentleman would NOT investigate all that Russia has to offer, I kinda like it here, dare I say.

Also, I had no clue where I was going to stay, ran into this older Dutch couple who just called their daughter and gave me the exact area to go, ironically it’s one of the places a friend mentioned but I thought it was just a coffee shop, turns out it’s a coffee shop + hotel!? Wow, can say it with me!?

Considering this MAY BE my only time in Russia, I’m drinking as much vodka as I can at the airport, straight of course from the shot glass, it tastes delicious. Landing in Moscow reminded me slightly of Canada, the wilderness etc… I’m glad I didn’t take the trans-siberian that would have been so boring and Mongolia is like desolate from what I saw.

I have nothing else to say, my flight leaves in ~1 hour and I’m pumped for Amsterdam.

Have a sick weekend,

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