Leaving Hong Kong

The last day in Hong Kong was spent suffering the same weather as the previous two. I managed to catch up with an old friend who took me to the best roast duck on Hong Kong Island which was fantastic. Apparently it is actually roast goose (because the meat is better) but I guess it just doesn’t have the same ring. After sweating like a pig all day it was time to jump onto the aeroplane and head for Paris. Unfortunately the plane was chock-a-block full and all that I could manage was a seat in the middle, at the back……however, thank goodness for being a santa. On arrival at the gate I was presented with my new boarding pass, on the aisle at the front. Unfortunately not an upgrade but the combination of the better seat, a glass of red wine and of course 15mg of zolideprate (Stillnox) ensured a blissful cruise at 30,000 ft.
I arrived in Paris to get my damn passport stamped (doh…will have to do something about that……is it illegal to rip a page out of your passport?!?!) and collect my bag in the carnage that is Charles de Gaulle airport. Next was to find the airport shuttle bus which whisks people from CDG to L’Opéra in the heart of Paris. Unfortunately, it seemed to have moved from last time or I was a still a little Stillnoxed. What I did manage to find was a guy offering his “cab” for a €20 transfer to the same place. I was instructed, in the event that the cops pulled us over, to say that I was a friend whom he picked up from the airport. You see the thing was his “cab” was just his normal car and it’s he wasn’t a cabbie at all. He was however less than half the price of an actual cab for the same distance so off I went.
Unfortunately for this cabbie being the well travelled Santa,that I am, including places like India, meant that I was a step ahead of this guy:
Tips for young players when travelling on illegitimate/legitimate forms of transport in foreign countries:
1. negotiate and confirm the price at least 3 times before getting into said mode of transport;
2. talk continually with the driver about any and all possible topics, using your worst attempts at their language, even if it is English. This tends to get you places quicker as they want to get you out of their vehicle just to shut you up;
3. tell them nothing actually about yourself, where you are going or what you are looking for;
4. even f you’ve never been to the place you’re at, pretend you know exactly where you are, i.e. landmarks in order to reassure yourself and reaffirm to the to driver that you are on to him, but done with such finesse that you don’t ruin all of your hard work from point 2;
5. get all of your luggage out of the car before handing over any cash. (I can’t believed he tried to ask for an extra €5 for my luggage?!?)
6. smile the entire time like you’ve just received a few heavy doses of bo-tox.
7. even if you actually do take drugs, don’t be tempted to buy the hashish he offers on the drive, just after getting out of the airport!

Anyway, have arrived safely back on Australian land (the embassy with my dear Genevieve) ready to get back into the life of an unemployed Santa.

C’est la vie.