I'm on vacation (yet again, as some would say) so I decided since I can't go to Beijing (need visa) for the Olympics, I'd go to Hong Kong (no visa needed) and try to get tickets for the Equestrian events that they were hosting. The flights were pretty full, but I thought I had a good chance. Had to fly down to SFO first, due the SEA/PDX flights on NW were full. Made it to NRT in Business class. Then came the connection to HKG. The flight was booked even, and before I left, there were only 2 other NR's ahead of me. Well, when I got there a party of 4 bumped ahead, damn the Ives family. It was a nail biter, and got the last seat, until a dupe onboard. BUMPED! What to do, what to do. Do I forget HKG and head to HNL, go to BKK (in honor of Micah), or try again tomorrow? Well, taking Micah's advice, headed thru customs and down to the Hotel desk. Got a room at the Narita Port Hotel for $64. It was clean and pleasant, so it was worth it. Got up early the next day and had all day since the flight left at 1830. Found out that there was a shuttle to Narita town, so spent a few hours at the Aeon Mall.
Ate at the above "ala carte" udon place. You order the basic noodles, then add on stuff. With my udon, I got shrimp tempura, pumpkin tempura, sweet potato tempura and a chicken skewer for about $7. It was yummy! There was a Starbucks and Hard Rock too. Got some pins there. Caught the shuttle back and headed for the airport to try again.
And departed with a water salute from the MSP Airport.
Members of the MSP CSA Start-up Team 
Sean-PSP, Alana-SEA, Jean-LAX, Jita-SJC, and myself
The famous butter sculpture. It's a tribute to the King Tut exhibition that will be in Dallas in late October.
Some of the livestock at the Fair.
Judging the young cattle
The Piglet Races. It was hilarious
Here I am with Big Tex. He got new clothes this year. I highly recommend this State Fair to everyone. Can't wait till next year.
I was fortunate to be a part of the Support Team to assist with the vendor change at DFW. There really isn't a very good public transportation system from DFW to Dallas. The TRE is the only link to Dallas and Forth Worth. The TRE does not run on Sundays. But for us tourists, hope is not far. They are building a rail line from DFW Airport to downtown Dallas. Anyway, on my day off, I ventured out to Fort Worth, to see the Stockyards. Here's my mode of transportation.
Once a major stop on the Chisholm Trail, Forth Worth is the place to experience Texan heritage. From the authentic saloons and Friday night Rodeos, to the daily longhorn cattle drives, the Stockyards gave me a true representation of how the Old West was.
The Olympic Rings and a replica of the Torch in the foreground.
Lighted Mascot displays.
The live Equestrian events on the big screen.
In honour of the Olympics Equestrian events in HKG, they created a "piazza" to foster the Olympic spirit. It was pretty cool.
There was live broadcasts of all events on different TV screens, Equestrian displays, Mascot displays,
Photo ops,
they gave out PDA's for interactive fun stuff. Of course a licensed store for Olympic souvenirs. Even a replica of the "Water Cube"
The hotel is in the Western District on Hong Kong Island. This area is pretty well known for the dried seafood shops that line Des Voeux Road West. Ahhh, the sweet smell of dried seafood. ha ha ha.
The location is about a 20min walk from the nearest MTR subway stop, but the double decker electric tram is right around the corner. The tram runs along Des Voeux Road, which is the main drag on the Island. And it was cheap, $2HKG, something like 30 cents US.
Ate at the above "ala carte" udon place. You order the basic noodles, then add on stuff. With my udon, I got shrimp tempura, pumpkin tempura, sweet potato tempura and a chicken skewer for about $7. It was yummy! There was a Starbucks and Hard Rock too. Got some pins there. Caught the shuttle back and headed for the airport to try again.
