Day 1: Hontourage Takes China

For years my Uncle David had been inviting the family to China visit. His offer was we buy the flight and he'll take care of the rest. Whether it was the distance, or the hassle of flying with kids, it wasn't until last year we finally took it seriously and 24 of us set a date and got our flights. 

The trip is a 10-day tour through China, starting at his factory outside of Shen Zhen and then to a different city every 2 days. I know the traveling will be exhausting, but the experience will be once in a lifetime. So, here we go! 

Day 1 - SFO to Hong Kong to Shen Zhen

After a 14 hr flight, we touched down in Hong Kong. Yaelle did great but didn't sleep as much as I hoped, which meant neither did I. The flight was comfortable, roomy seating, and they even set me up with a bassinet. Singapore air was the way to go. 

After passport issues, (because Hon's can't go anywhere with at least a couple surprises), we finally got through customs and Taxi'd to the Hyatt Regency where we met up some others waiting for us. The drive into Hong Kong was incredible: Through towering green mountain sides, on bridges that make San Francisco's new bridge seem completely average, with a skyline of never-ending high rises, surrounded by thousands of ports. The city was super impressive and clean. No trash on the street, no rank downtown smells, and cost of everything surprisingly similar to what you would expect in an American city.

Here, we took a ferry to the Ferris wheel. We boarded on the same dock where my Father had departed to America 50 years ago.

The Hyatt we stayed at was literally within 2 miles of where my dad grew up. He lived in extremely poor conditions after his family had fled from China during the war. The roof top he lived had been torn down since then and replaced with high rises. 

After gallivanting around the city, we went back to the hotel to freshen up before our journey over the border and into Shen Zhen, China. 

Finally, after 3 bus transfers and several hours, we entered the gates of our first destination, the Dahon factory campus. 

Dahon is the original folding bike invented by my uncle David and my dad more than 30 years ago, and the reason why we're all out here. My uncle is CEO, my dad, VP. It's practically a small city covering about 6 football fields. 

Twenty-four hrs after take-off in SFO, we went straight into our suite and passed out. 

Let the adventure begin.