10pm, Hong Kong Airport, Jan 20th... I think.

Still surprised by ridiculous security screenings (see this article by a US Airline Pilot.) More seasoned travellers are probably scoffing at me, but there I was, for the third time in as many flights, popping my little clear bag on the conveyer belt after walking past the huge pile of abadoned water bottles filled with highly volatile explosives on a bench.

Andy was patted down in Melbourne after his shoes set off the metal detector. As a result, in Sydney, he preemptively took his shoes off and put them through the x ray machine to save on hassle. That's right, in Sydney. An hour after leaving Melbourne, there we were, back in the queue.

It's in Hong Kong airport I notice the something strange about these enormous cavernous spaces, and that's that there are no birds. We are so hermetically sealed in this duty free paradise that no form of wildlife is able to break through. On the other hand, there's Tanqueray for AUS$18 a bottle and Double Happiness cigarette cartons for less. Can't go wrong really.