Monday, September 18, 2006

DAY ONE
Got into Hong Kong at 5 AM. Our plane was a half hour early and we couldn't find the person that was supposed to be waiting for us. So, we just sat down and waited. We finally found him, and were on our way to the hospital. He didn't speak any English, but was very efficient and got us out of Hong Kong with no trouble.
We got to the hospital just after 7AM and had to wait a half hour or so to check in. Sunny checked us in, while Jillian explained to us what would happen that day. My cousin Kathy is with us, so Jillian took Sally and Kathy across the street to get Kathy checked in to a hotel. The hotel is very nice. She then took them to the bank to convert money. We kind of hung around in the common room for a while, met a few of the other patients, then went down to the restaurant in the hospital lobby for lunch. The music was playing American pop sung by others, for instance, there was a lot of Eagles tune, but not sung by the Eagles. The menu had items listed in Chinese and English, so it was pretty easy to order. We did not order the Roasted German Pig Knuckles! We had club sandwiches, and Kathy had fried rice (huge portion), but couldn't get any sweet and sour sauce.
We ate and then came back to the commmon room. It is a room with computers, microwave, fridge, tv, with lost of books, magazine, and DVD's to watch. There are several Americans here, and families from Pakistan Germany and Italy. We met Hal first, he is from the south. He's been here almost 2 months and has had great improvement. He has a spinal cord injury. He keeps telling us we are in for a great surprise. He is very optimistic. He looks much younger than his 47 years.
We were pretty tired and smelly, but managed to stay up till about 10PM. Slept pretty good, but the beds are very hard. Sleep number 100. That's fine for me, but Sally likes a much softer mattress. She may be spending some nights in Kathy's room.