Today, we leave wintry Harbin. But first, there’s more shopping to be done. Kim’s wheelie-pack is nearing its useful life. We had seen a suitable super-light suitcase in the indoor market yesterday where I had bought my phone. We walked over to get it for CNY250 and returned to the hotel to pack. The morning disappeared quickly and it was soon time to checkout.
After leaving our luggage with Mark, the three of us went out for lunch. As it was a weekday, the crowds in the foodhalls were terrible. We managed to seat ourselves in one at an underground mall and had some deepfried kebabs and dumplings.
We taxied to the airport, arriving just before check-in opened. All went smoothly until boarding time. The aircraft was parked at a distant corner of the airport and we were bused there in three vehicles. We were on the first bus and were kept waiting in the subzero temperatures for about 20 minutes waiting for the other buses to fill. They probably didn’t want to take us the plane as the Business Class minivan probably had to be given the priority for boarding. Kim was rather infuriated by the time he got to his seat on board.
Once again, Hong Kong airlines served a very light meal. It was once again accompanied by the same delicious tofu-fa for dessert. While not quite as deserted as our outbound flight, we had four seats between the both of us. We landed in Hong Kong about an hour late and arrived at the hostel just before 2300 when they supposedly close their doors.