The last couple of hours in Hong Kong airport were spent having dinner in one of the restaurants and wandering around. Dinner at Cafe Deco was good with live jazz music and a cozy atmosphere.

It still cracks me up how much everything appears to cost until you convert it. Dinner with desert and two beers came to HK$ 580 but that equated to around AUS$ 94. Still a bit pricey but it was good food and service.

Once the flight finally appeared on the departure board I located the gate and stayed around that part of the terminal. 

I still had plenty of time so I found a small bar for a cheeky martini or two.

The flight appeared to be only 2/3 full at most. I'd carefully selected my seat at the front of economy. I finished up having plenty of leg room and no-one sitting next to me. The potential for sleep was looking good. 

By the time supper was over and cleared away I'd settled myself down. I think I managed to sleep a bit but it was really bumpy as we flew past Japan, probably related to the recent typhoon. By the time the weather calmed down it was already the time I had decided to wake up. I wanted to try and start adjusting for Vancouver time.

The plane was a 777-300 which has a camera mounted beneath it you can view through the entertainment. I watched as we floated over the beautiful blue Pacific dotted with occasional white fluffy clouds. Very relaxing.

The flight finished up landing nearly an hour ahead of schedule. Getting through customs was easy and I found a really friendly and chatty taxi driver to get me to the apartment. And I survived my first North American tipping scenario!

The apartment is in a great location downtown but, as usual, doesn't quite live up to the image on the net. It will be perfectly OK for me though, and I have much more glamorous accommodation to look forward to in my next cities. 

It does, however, have a great wide view from the balcony.

So, I'm writing this post know in the hope I'll start to nod off and get some quality sleep. I wanted to be exploring as soon as I can tomorrow morning.

The hotel allowed quite a late check out which gave me plenty of time to fluff about and not rush. Then the shuttle brought me back to the airport. Getting through security was very quick too.

So that just leaves another extended stay to wander round a big airport. Hong Kong feels like it has so many more shops and food options than Singapore, yet I found the day less fun than the one I spent in Singapore on the way home from London.  Not sure why.

But being here does evoke very strong and fond memories of when Emily and I spent time here on our way to Europe in 2010. That was the very start of a massive adventure for both of us and Hong Kong airport was really one of our first big "pinch me" moments.  

I remember eating ramen with Emily and sitting in nearly this exact same place.  Of course I had to do it again. Very tasty too!

I wandered around the airport, taking in various angles and views. The hills on the island make a spectacular backdrop to the airport.

Quite by accident, I stumbled across a seat where the windows framed the planes beautifully as they took off. Unfortunately though, after many attempts to get one perfectly positioned, this was the best I managed.

The airport ceiling is quite massive and geometrical, so naturally I had to take some shots. I spent ages taking pictures from various positions and angles. It was quite funny because people would walk past and look up to see what I was photographing. There were a few perplexed looks. This is one of my favourites, edited for Instagram.

And the roof from the outside is just as interesting. It almost mirrors the arches of the hills in the distance.

I have a few more hours to go before my flight. I'm sick of looking through shops, though I did take advantage of an electronics store to get a universal socket adaptor; something I'd completely forgotten to pack, apart from my Apple rechargers. So much for "Mr Super Organised"!

I'll grab some dinner soon. Then, next stop Vancouver.

After publishing my last post I lay down "only for a moment" only to wake up an hour later. I was tired. Dragged myself off the bed and down for some dinner before getting back to bed early. Considering the unfamiliar environment and the sound of flights taking off regularly punctuating the silence, I slept really well. Better than at home! 

When I woke this morning I opened the curtains to catch the first glimpses of sunlight. 

Closely followed by another plane. I wonder where they are going?

After popping downstairs for some breakfast I repacked my bag and watched as construction started again on whatever it is they're building in the bay.

I'm really glad I invested in the new lens before this trip. It has a much greater zoom than my old one. I managed to get these birds as they were taking in the warmth of the early morning.

Shortly it will be time to check out. I've just received an SMS and email from Cathay advising of possible disruption to public transport. That won't affect me as it's only a short shuttle bus ride back to the airport. However, it does make me happier with my decision not to head into downtown Hong Kong on this visit. Maybe I will when I return on my way home?

Up early to catch my 7:40 flight. It reminded me somewhat of travelling for work. Luckily everything was done and all I had to do was make myself respectable and wait for the taxi. I was at the airport relatively early and made it through international security and customs super fast. I'll remember that for next time. 

Here's my chariot waiting.

The flight was fine and went quite quickly. I watched one movie "Gravity", a documentary on NASA plans for a trip to Mars and multiple episodes of "Dad's Army". That last one was a surprise; wasn't really a fan as a kid but really enjoyed them today.

Hong Kong was originally just going to be a brief transfer on my way to Vancouver. But when Cathay rescheduled my flights, one option they gave me was to stay overnight. The hotel is right by the airport, which doesn't bother me, and it's a Marriott, so quite nice. 

There's not much of a view, but enough to remind me of when Em and I were here in 2010.

Dinner is included so I think I'll be lazy and hang around here. Feeling tired and an early night will prepare me for the next leg of this journey. Besides, I need to do some more reading up on Vancouver before I get there. 

Bags packed. Apartment cleaned. Post trip supplies procured. Beard trimmed. Documents printed, duplicated and saved. Plans organised within a millimetre of their lives. I think I'm ready. 

I have a spreadsheet. Actually, I have many spreadsheets. One is for planning my budget and comparing options. One is for checking that I'm allowing enough time at each location to do everything I want to. But the one I'm looking at this evening is the one for counting down the days. Now, I know it's not wise to wish one's life away, but having visibility of my timeline does help keep the excitement levels up as I wait.

Plans for my North American trip have advanced since my last post.  As my spreadsheet reminds me, in 121 days I leave for Vancouver where I'll spend 5 nights. Then I catch the train for 4 nights across Canada to Toronto. I haven't decided about the next few days and it's kind of nice leaving them unplanned for now. Then I head to Washington DC for a couple of days before finally making it to New York where I'll stay for 12 nights. Very happy to be staying there for a decent stretch.

But the biggest thing to happen to my schedule since my last post was completely unexpected when I started out planning my trip. In March, Kate Bush unexpectedly announced she would perform her first live shows in 35 years, in London in September. Kate is one of my musical heroes and this was an opportunity I wasn't going to squander. So, even though I already have my trip to North America booked in for October I'll also be heading to London for a week in September; I have tickets for two of the shows! And that trip begins in only 89 days (thank you spreadsheet).

Though the title of this blog only mentions North America, I'm going to use it to document the whole journey from Adelaide to Singapore to London to Adelaide to Hong Kong to Vancouver to Toronto to Washington DC to New York to home and everywhere in between. 

At one stage while I was in Berlin last year I found myself anxious that I wouldn't get to doing all the things I wanted to while I was there. Then it dawned on me. When I first travelled to Europe in 2010 I hadn't really expected to return in the foreseeable future. But there I was, back again only a few years later. And suddenly I realised that my trip in 2010 was no longer an anomaly. I've come back. I could come back again! At that moment I resolved to travel more frequently.

So this year the adventure is some of Canada and New York. I've wanted to visit New York for a very long time and it seems silly to go all that way without seeing anything else. Curiously, I've never been interested in going anywhere else in the US, so seeing some of Canada seems like the perfect plan.

This week I booked my flights. It's early. I probably don't need to book quite yet. But I did need to commit; to ensure I don't find excuses to change my mind.

Now begins one of the most fun parts - researching, planning, deciding...

As with Europe in 2013, I will be keeping a blog of my adventures in North America. This is the start. And in the months leading up to my departure in October I'll be posting updates as my plans progress.