Hong Kong--THE ARRIVAL FOR THE AGES

Arrival--Or, you can't make this stuff up--and that's a good thing.

17 hours--Honolulu to Guam to Hong Kong yesterday. And I thought the practice of law had long hours. But then there is one of the finest hotels ever. A place of legends. The Orient Express, the Transiberian Railway, Mission Impossible, Michael Jordan--you know, the things we only dream are possible. That is the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Hong Kong.
As we stepped off the plane at 10 p.m. (4 a.m. back in Hawaii, and 8 a.m. in the frozen North) a Chinese fellow is literally waiting for us at the end of the jet-way. Ah, you say, he lies, because TSA would not allow a person without a ticket to move freely thru the airport to meet someone at their jet; but you forget, this is the Mandarin Oriental Hotel--certain rules no longer apply.  He greets us, welcomes us to Hong Kong, and then insists on snatching our carry-ones.
We follow this kind man thru the long international gate area to customs. You know, that process intended to remind you "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore." That point where you feel like a hippie long hair visiting your friends outside the police station in Birmingham Alabama, circa 1967--or you're a guy in Bears jersey and Lambeau Field--a feeling somewhere between terror and dread. But this is Hong Kong, and your escort is from the Mandarin Oriental. He asks if we have diplomatic passports (you know, emissaries from the sovereign state of Wisconsin). No problem--here's the other 'non-line, line' for our guests. We pass in minutes. 
Then the real airport test. The one where they search thru your long-underwear in search of what they know must be contraband--say, Wisconsin Cheese or such. This time, our escort simply looks at the guards, says something like "Don't even think about it" (in Chinese of course, so he might have said, "How's your grandma"--I don't really know), and the guard literally smiles and waves us thru.
We're "in"-- we march thru those sliding doors that signify you will not be arrested or sent to a Siberian death camp (been there, done that--www.fromrussiawithlaw.blogspot.com) . At which point, like the veritable Olympic relay team, a second, much younger, handsome fellow, in a Mandarin Oriental jacket welcomes us. It's like the scene in Love Actually--dozens of people waiting for their loved ones, even waiting for the Englishman freshly arriving from Milwaukee with two girls on his arms--and we have someone waiting for us! He greets us by name! He asks us how was our trip and please, if there is anything you need during your stay, just ask. AND he really means it. 
We are escorted like, you know, "dignitaries." The crowds disperse as we march so very deliberately toward a special door. I'm thinking, this is surreal. Here we are two bumpkins from Cross Plains and this guy thinks we're 'special.' (Of course 'special' can have a lot of meanings, so maybe he's not thinking of it as 'dignitaries', but more like hillbillies from the States. I didn't ask.)
We step out into the beautiful (i.e. not freezing) night air and we are greeted by yet another handsome Hong Konger (not sure what to call them--HongKongese? Hong Kongian?), who is about 6'10''--standing in front of a Mercedes Limo from, you know where--the Mandarin Oriental. He greets us formally, removing his hat, opens the doors and we step into the Mercedes. He asks, would you like some music? Would you like me to turn on the WiFi? (Son, James, laughed when we told him we were worried their might not be internet in Hong Kong, and here we are being told we can sign-in from our car...) We race thru the traffic as if we are on the Audubahn, or the beltline (or Jim Hansen headed thru Northern Wisconsin). 
And we arrive at the door of the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong--greeted by an assistant manager of the hotel and three bellmen...
AND, if you think the airport arrival was made special by the folks at the Mandarin Oriental, wait until you hear about the actual arrival, room and more. Here is just one picture or what awaited us in our suite. That's a 'teaser' so you read the next post....