A luxurious landing in Hong Kong - March 6, 2011

I landed at the shiny Hong Kong International Airport early this morning, a bit groggy but excited for a chance to explore a city that I missed during My Great Asian Excursion in 2007. En route from the airport, I could see through the mist (or the smog?) the outlines of densely packed skyscrapers tucked into majestic mountains, and I could feel the familiar excitement of waking up on the other side of the world ready to immerse myself in a new culture.

But I also couldn't help comparing how different today's experience was from four years ago when I landed in Bangkok, with a backpack strapped to my shoulders and a free year to do anything I wanted. Today, I'm here for work, first and foremost, so over the next six weeks, my travelbug tendencies will have to intertwined with my days (and I expect nights) at the office.

And because I'm here for work, I get to partake in some of the luxuries that come with business travel -- business class on the airline (hello - pod seats that turn into a bed!), a car service from the airport and a nice, clean, fully equipped apartment in Kowloon. No backpacking hostels this time around!

Here's the view from my window: