In his panic to get back to Singapore, a friend rerouted himself first to Macau, then Taiwan, then Kuala Lumpur before touching down at Changi. I took my chances and held out for the direct way back home. Once I was escorted through smaller groups of protesters camping at the airport entrance, I found myself in an empty, cavernous departure hall. As I had arrived five hours before my scheduled flight, I gratefully accepted an earlier flight back offered by the unfazed staff crewing the Singapore Airlines (SIA) counter.
Last week, I made my first trip to Hong Kong since the pandemic struck. My last trip, back in 2019, was unforgettable. I was in the incredible 599m-tall Ping An Financial Centre at what is dubbed Shenzhen’s Silicon Valley when I got the news that protesters had stormed the Hong Kong International Airport and forced it shut.
It only dawned on me that the situation was serious when the airport was shut again the next day as I crossed the border back into Hong Kong. The few tourists and businessmen who huddled in the executive lounge of the Conrad Hong Kong at Pacific Place lamented cancelled flights and extended stays. Amid worries over the chaos at the airport, I was consoled by how my favourite Michelin cha chan teng at Central, a stone’s throw from the hotel, no longer had hour-long queues. Or as the lo ban complained, there were no queues actually.
