I took a late morning flight out of Kunming to Shenzhen, one of China's richest cities (on the border with Hong Kong). I was fortunate that they let me take Yuka's suitcase as a carry-on, as I could get off the plane very quickly and make a mad dash for the port. There was a ferry that was due to leave at 2:00 p.m. for Hong Kong International Airport (my next stop). If I would have missed it, I would have risked missing my next connection, but there was no problem. Before I knew it, I was sailing in the Pearl River Delta for Sky Pier (Hong Kong Airport's Port). They even refunded the Hong Kong tax money that I paid on my plane ticket when I got there (HK$120). There was an altercation with a very, very fat angry Chinese man, his group of friends(?) all in Hong Kong Disneyland attire, and a poor airline representative. It was strange hearing Cantonese again, with its elongated final tones drifting up or down.

After I got out of the port, I re-emerged into the Western world. This was the first time in six months. I was surprised to be surrounded by English books and magazines in the airport bookstore. I stared in wonder for about 20 minutes...things I completely forgot about--the shelves and shelves of business books, National Enquirer, pornographic magazines with their plastic wrap and black covers so only the titles are visible, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal...none of those things I have seen in six months. I also saw a plethora of Western fast food restaurants, lots and lots of foreigners, people in super-trendy clothes...it was a little overwhelming.

Someone (I forgot who) remarked about their China experience, how it all feels like a dream now. I had a similar feeling, like stepping through the looking glass, back into the Western world. Hong Kong, especially the airport, is firmly placed in the Western world.

The next stop was Manila airport. Here's a guide for the Manila airport, in 18 easy steps:

1. Fill out an immigration card on the plane. Get off the plane.
2. Walk over a disinfectant cushion (ala the UK during the foot-and-mouth crisis). There are also infrared cameras hanging from the ceiling at this point and a doctor closely watching the temperatures of each passenger.
3. Get in line and go through immigration, even if you're just changing planes. So I got a Philippines stamp, and had 21 days to stay in the country, even though I told them I was going to Guam.
4. Get in line and wait for your luggage.
5. Get in line and go through customs.
6. Walk outside the airport, and go down a road for 10 minutes to a different airport. Some people were taking jeepneys (very cool transportation in the Philippines), but I didn't anticipating having to have Philippine pesos. It's not clear where you're supposed to enter the other airport, but a security guard let me through a gate.
7. Walk up an obscure staircase and get in line to enter the airport. Show another security guard your passport and airplane ticket. If you don't have a ticket, you have to show your itinerary. If you couldn't print your itinerary for the past few days because every print shop in Kunming was closed for the Chinese New Year, he'll get a wadded-up print-out from somewhere and look you up.
8. Get in line and go through security. You can leave your shoes on.
9. Check into your flight and get a boarding pass.
10. Get in line and go through security again. Take off your belt and shoes and put them into the x-ray machine.
11. Give an official 750 Philippine pesos or US$15.50 for "airport improvement and security development tax."
12. Get in line and go through immigration. First you must fill out an emigration card.
13. Go through customs.
14. Find your gate and go downstairs. At the bottom of the stairs, give a security person your passport and boarding pass.
15. Give someone else your carry-on items so they can search it.
16. Someone else will wave a metal-detecting wand around.
17. Give someone else your shoes (take them off) for inspection.
18. Board your next flight.

I arrived on Guam this morning at 4:45 a.m. Back in the US, the first time in six months. I slept for a few hours in the airport until it was time to check into my hotel. After 5 a.m. or so, the airport was completely deserted except for security people and airline workers. I was awoken at 8 or so by Filipino flight attendants laughing loudly at dirty jokes. I decided to save a couple bucks and walked from the airport to the hotel. Nowadays, I think nothing of walking 30 minutes for something. It's no big deal, but I forgot...this is America, even though I'm in Guam. I saw the familiar roadside debris of Bud Light cans, empty packs of Doral. Some people shouted "Eyyyy!" at me, as some Americans shout at pedestrians where pedestrians are uncommon. I also haven't really thought about low-riders and sub-woofers, hip-hop music, backwards baseball caps, desolate sidewalks (I was the only pedestrian). It's strange being in America without a car.

This island is in the west Pacific, three times closer to Manila than Honolulu. There is a huge Navy base and Air Force base. There are lots and lots of Japanese tourists. There are nice beaches, but mostly Guam is used for duty-free shopping. I needed some supplies and headed for K-Mart. Guam has the world's largest K-Mart in the world. It's not nearly as exciting as it sounds. The locater signs in the store (housewares, pharmacy, plus sizes, etc.) are in English, Chamarro (local language), and Japanese.There was an interesting snippet I caught overhead between standard K-Mart muzak: short grammar lessons in Chamarro. I met a woman working at the airport from Palau. She taught me "thank you" in her native language: "muu lang." I also see many Melanesians, Filipinos, S. Pacific islanders. Some people are huge. I went to a restaurant tonight and guys as big around as they are tall kept eating and eating and eating, presumably keeping up their sumo physique.

Most people seem very laid-back and have a good sense of humor. They often lapse from English into other languages, things I have never heard before but include a lot of Spanish and English words. Most of the Japanese tourists here don't speak any English, so many signs are only in Japanese. I helped a family find their destination on the bus today and they seemed a little shocked that I could understand what they were talking about. When they got off the bus, they each waved to me, one at a time, in deep gratitude.

Tomorrow morning at 9 I have my interview at the Guam International Trade Center, 6th floor. The Japanese Consulate General is there, and hopefully this will get me into the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program in August. That's the whole reason why I am there.

Also I wanted to save some money, so I changed my ticket and will go back to the Philippines two days early (cheaper than Guam, whejavascript:void(0)
Publishre nothing's cheap). From there, I'll fly back to Hong Kong, take a boat to Shenzhen, and then to Kunming. I was intrigued with the Philippines and need to see more. But now it's time for sleep.