GO EAST YOUNG MAN!!! JIMITHEGREEK GOES TO CHINA

A CHINAMAN AWAITS - PART 1

THE TRIP STARTED OUT OMINOUSLY. THE FLIGHT OUT OF NEWARK WAS 5 HOURS LATE. THE STAFF OF THE "AWARD WINNING AIRLINE , CONTINENTAL WAS CLUELESS. NOT ONLY DID THEY NOT HAVE A CLUE BUT THE STAFF WAS A BIT ARROGANT AND STUPID AS WELL AS BEING BASIC INCOMPETENTS. THE FLIGHT WAS SUPPOSED TO LEAVE AT 3:00PM EDT BUT NOOOOOO....FIRST IT WAS A MECHANICAL PROBLEM, THEN THEY SAID IT WAS DUE TO COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS IN HONG KONG, WHEN WE COULD ALL SEE WORKERS ON THE TAIL OF THE PLANE.(ARE YOU KIDDING?) THEN IT WAS DUE TO TRAFFIC IN HONG KONG ( ITS FRIGGIN 16 HOURS AWAY). SO THEN THEY RESCHEDULED TO LEAVE AT 6:00PM. BY 5:30 THERE WAS NO BOARDING CALL, I ASKED THE "CUSTOMER SERVICE" REP IN THE BUSINESS/FIRST CLASS LOUNGE WHAT WAS GOING ON? HE SAYS " UH WE WILL KNOW MORE AT 6:00PM, THEY WILL CALL US" I SAY "BUT THE BOARD AND INFO SAYS 6:00PM DEPARTURE" HE SAYS " YES, THEY WILL CALL US TO LETS US KNOW AT 6:00PM" I SAY TO MYSELF "YOU ARE DUMBER THAN A FRIGGIN IDIOTIC MORON ( IF THAT IS POSSIBLE) !!



SO I CALL THE CONTINENTAL AIRLINE 800 NUMBER AND FIND OUT THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE RADIO ON THE PLANE AND WE SHOULD PROBABLY LEAVE SOMETIME BETWEEN 7 - 8 PM. GOOD THING THE PEOPLE IN HOUSTON KNOW MORE OF WHAT IS GOING ON IN NEWARK THAN THE NEW JERSEY IDIOTS DO! SO I GO BACK TO THE BIZ/1ST CLASS LOUNGE AND I AM READY FOR AN ALCOHOLIC DRINK. GUESS WHAT THEY WANT TO CHARGE ME FOR A DRINK!!! ARE YOU FRIGGIN KIDDING ME? SOME PEOPLE PAY +$5500 FOR THE AIRFARE FROM NEWARK TO HONG KONG AND YOU WANT TO CHARGE FOR A FRIGGIN DRINK. BUT THEY DO GIVE YOU FREE COFFEE, SOFT DRINKS AND TEA ALONG WITH SOME PREPACKAGED CHEESE AND CRACKERS ....WOOO HOOO! THIS TRIP WAS NOT STARTING OUT WELL AND I WAS GETTING REALLY CRANKY.


AS I WANDERED AIMLESSLY THRU THE NEWARK AIRPORT I HEARD SOME GREEK MUSIC....EGADS ( WAS I HAVING SOME KIND OF DELIRIOUS FLASHBACK?..NO) IT TURNS OUT THAT JUNE 7 WAS THE INAUGURAL CONTINENTAL FLIGHT FROM NEWARK TO ATHENS. THEY HAD GREEK MUSIC, DANCING , FOOD, SPEECHES AND OF COURSE A GREEK PRIEST TO SAY A PRAYER AND BLESS THE FLIGHT. HEY THAT FLIGHT ACTUALLY DEPARTED ON TIME! ( PROBABLY THE FIRST & LAST TIME THAT HAPPENS! ARE THERE THAT MANY GREEKS IN JERSEY?



THEY FINALLY STARTED BOARDING THE PLANE AROUND 7:15PM. OF COURSE THE PLANE DID NOT ACTUALLY LEAVE THE GROUND UNTIL AFTER 8PM. BUT AT LEAST NOW I WAS GETTING FREE DRINKS! I ACTUALLY SAT NEXT TO A VERY NICE LADY NAMED SIMONE. SHE SAID SHE WAS LIKE ME AND COULD NOT SLEEP ON THE PLANE. OF COURSE AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO OF CHATTING WITH ME SHE FELL ASLEEP FOR THE NEXT TEN HOURS OF THE FLIGHT. I HAVE THAT SPECIAL EFFECT ON PEOPLE. ALSO MUST SAY THE THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS WERE VERY NICE AND ATTENTIVE DURING THIS LONG, LONG FLIGHT. A CHINAMAN WAS WAITING FOR ME IN HONG KONG. PLOTTING AND SCHEMING GASTRONOMICAL EXTRAVAGANZAS. I WAS GONNA TRY NOT TO EAT TOO MUCH, SO THAT I COULD STILL WEAR MY SPEEDO WHEN I GET BACK. SO THERE I WAS, READING MAGAZINES & A BOOK OF STEPHEN KING SHORT STORIES, EATING BAD AIRLINE FOOD, WATCHING MOVIES, WALKING THE AISLES OVER AND OVER, EATING BAD AIRLINE FOOD, WATCHING THE SAME MOVIES IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES, WALKING THE AISLES......SO 16 -18 HOURS OR SO LATER I AM IN HONG KONG, THRU CUSTOMS, GRAB A CAB AND TO THE RENAISSANCE HOTEL , KOWLOON IN TSIM SHA TSUI EAST! I WAS TO MEET A CHINAMAN LATE THE NEXT MORNING ALONG WITH A SURPRISE. I WOULD MEET THE SON OF A CHINAMAN, CHINAMAN JR! FINALLY GOT TO MY ROOM, TOOK A SHOWER AND TRIED TO STAY UP AS LATE AS POSSIBLE. OF COURSE I FELL ASLEEP IMMEDIATELY AND WAS WIDE AWAKE ABOUT 5:30AM. FORTUNATELY THE FITNESS CENTRE OPENED AT 6:00AM. I WENT AND DID A COUPLE OF HOURS IN THE GYM, BACK TO THE ROOM FOR THE S.S.S., PACKED AN OVERNITE BAG AND ORGANIZED ALL MY STUFF. WENT TO MEET THE DEADLY DUO AT THAT GREAT HONG KONG COFFEE HOUSE, STARBUCKS. WE EXCHANGED WARM GREETINGS, HAD SOME TASTY STARBUCKS (TASTES JUST LIKE NY STARBUCKS) AND WENT OFF TO CATCH A FERRY TO GO TO MACAU FOR A CULINARY & CULTURAL ADVENTURE. WE TOOK THE VERY CLEAN, FAST AND VERY EFFICIENT MTR (HONG KONGS SUBWAY SYSTEM) TO THE FERRY TERMINAL. THIS SYSTEM IS SO GOOD THAT EVEN I CAN MANAGE TO FIGURE IT OUT.

WE GOT TO THE FERRY TERMINAL, GOT TICKETS, WENT THRU CUSTOMS, BOARDED A TURBOJET FERRY AND AN HOUR LATER WE WERE DOCKED IN MACAU. THE HOVERCRAFT WAS COMFORTABLE, SMOOTH SAILING AND FAST. OF COURSE WE WERE TALKING THE WHOLE WAY AND IT MADE THE TRIP EVEN SHORTER.


AFTER PASSING THRU CUSTOMS, WE GRABBED A TAXI CAB AND WENT TO CHECK IN TO THE HOTEL IN MACAU. SPEAKING OF MACAU, THAT WILL BE NEXT!!! STAY TUNED FOR MACAU MADNESS - PART 2, FEATURING FIVE STAR CUISINE, CASINOS, AN ITALIAN OASIS, EAR CLEANING BY CHOPSTICKS AND A PICTURE OF A CHINAMAN JR!