The next day was my return flight back home. I wasn’t sure what to expect at the airport. Even though my flight wasn’t until later in the afternoon, I got my luggage ready in the morning and decided to head to Central early to take advantage of the in town check-in. I guess because travel hasn’t picked up, the demand for in town check-in had dropped and they suspended the service. It was too late for me since I was already there with my luggage, so we ended up going for lunch inside IFC at Tasty Congee & Noodle Wantun Shop. I’m glad I was able to get a bowl of wonton noodles in as that was one of the last things on my list.

Afterwards my uncle bid me farewell as I boarded the Airport Express to the airport. The airport was eerily quiet – definitely didn’t have the hustle and bustle like pre-Covid times. I had to go through Immigration and because I relinquished my old HKID card, I had to show my passport and explain the situation to the officer. Thankfully it wasn’t a hassle as I had kept a photo of the old card, so they were able to make an exception for me to pass. 

I spent about four hours inside the airport trying to kill time before boarding. Half the restaurants were closed and only two thirds of the stores were open. I did manage to fit in one more ‘meal’ prior to boarding. However I was disappointed to find out that none of the shops were open at the gates. I had wanted to spend the last of my change on some snacks, but the only thing that was open was a Starbucks lol. At least my Cathay flight served hot rolls and egg tarts! 

Overall it was a whirlwind week in HK. Thankfully I got my fill of HK milk tea, all the nostalgic breakfast and afternoon tea meals and maxing out my luggage space with items I desperately needed to restock. I had fun shopping at Cityplaza, CWB and TST, made time for a lunch buffet, and even got asked for directions twice like a local! Since this was my second trip post-Covid, it didn’t seem as daunting as before and I’m getting better at navigating the restrictions. Hoping that more travels will be in the cards now that everything has seemingly gone back to normal. =)