Part of me feels like I have not stopped traveling since October, which you might have noticed if you wonder why things are a little quiet around here.

When Kay and I arrived back to Zurich from Lima, I repacked my bags and spent one night sleeping at home before I headed to the airport on Monday morning to go to Hong Kong  for business. Traveling across three continents overnight put my head in a bit of a spin and I don’t think I’ve fully recovered since then.

Traveling to HK in Premium Economy with Cathay Airlines also sparked a frequent flyer urge. PE almost seems worth the double price tag of economy flights. Almost.In addition to the extra leg room, premium economy enjoys perks of business travelers like newspapers during boarding, hot towels to wash hands, complementary drinks like prosecco during boarding (Yes, please!) and an upgrade in food with real utensils.My gluten free meal was pretty impressive. Having flown Iberian business in January, I can now say that Cathay’s food in premium economy was BETTER. That steak, I mean, there’s no contest!After flying 30+ hours in 48h, I looked and felt surprisingly fit when I arrived to Hong Kong that Tuesday morning. I didn’t really know what day it was at all, but that’s beside the point.Hong Kong is a glittery city and after the cold weather in Peru, I was welcoming some warmth.Like Singapore, I liked this city immediately.The view from my hotel below. 🙂I also ate really well on this trip, with everything from fried mussels to truffle infused french fries.The Sheraton Kowloon really knows how to make food!The view of the construction site behind my room was not quite as pleasing, especially when it started up at 7am every day, but I guess I am used to construction workers ruining my sleep in Switzerland. 😉Although I was a little nervous about finding gluten free food to eat at a convention hall with 60,000 visitors, I was able to stop by a restaurant for lunch that could manage a simple gluten free pasta. Back across the harbor, palm trees swayed in the breeze. Can’t we just move the office here??Every day, we woke early to get to the convention hall and then in the evening we would go back to the hotel and change before heading out for dinner. It was a pretty exhausting week!I was still marveling that right before getting on the plane to Lima, I was roughing it in the Peruvian wilderness to Machu Picchu, and now after the weekend, here I was at a cosmetics and beauty expo in cosmopolitan Hong Kong. Going from eating potatoes and local   corn to lobster and oysters was nuts. The difference in culture on the two trips was staggering.I did have again a little food card with me, writing what I could eat in traditional and simplified Chinese. Sometimes eating gluten free makes food pretty bland in Asia without soy sauce or salt. :/Shrimp and broccoli stir fried in plain oil is not quite the same.But in general, eating was not a problem, and I didn’t need almost any of the snacks I had brought along with me.The view from the restaurant was pretty amazing though!I was also proud that every morning, I managed to wake up, shove contacts in my eyes, and even put on fake eyelashes for the fair.By the end of the trip, I was quite spoiled with all the fine dining.HK is a city I could see myself living in. I cannot picture living in all the cities I visit, but this seems like a nice place. 🙂Maybe it also had to do with how much nice food there was…The lobster at the end of the trip was the cherry on top. Look at that happy employee!I loved the craze of the expo, the long days, tearing the stand up and down, talking to clients, all of it. Sometimes work trips are a refreshing break to the monotony of daily life. They inspire and motivate.

What do you think of business trips?