Good Morning, Tel Aviv.

I finally arrived at the hotel way past midnight yesterday, after a short flight to Hong Kong, 3-hour layover, and then another 11-hour flight to Tel Aviv. The flight was bumpy sometimes, but uneventful. Food on the plane was tasty. I supposed it is Israeli food, and glad that I do not know anything about it, so had nothing to compare. I finished all the food, including the roll of bread.

Few coworkers told us to be careful of the security check, and always remember the visa is issued from Bangkok, not from Taipei. Some people were asked of this question, and were taken to small rooms for interrogation just because they were not careful and gave the wrong answer. In fact when we were at the airport, we did not see those small rooms.

When we checked in at Tao-yuan airport, we did not get boarding pass for the second leg, so had to go to the counter of Israel Airlines at the Hong Airport for the boarding pass. There are 2 procedures to get it. One is to go for a short interview first, and then stand in line before the counter for check-in. The lady who interviewed me went through my passport page by page, and seemed to serious concerns that I had been to Malaysia before. She specifically asked me why I went to Malaysia, what I did, if I still kept contact with anyone in Malaysia. Of course at this point, even the stupid person would shake his head and say no. Any could be adventurous and say yes, but if the purpose of this trip is for business, of course he cannot be denied entry just because he gives a stupid answer to the custom. If the trip is just for personal vacation, of course he would not say yes and risk the chance of being rejected and the vacation ruined. So her questions really do not make any sense of all. Of course sometimes we do things just to make ourselves feel better...

Anyway in the morning I got up, went to the balcony, and realized, wow, the hotel is right by very nice beach. It was 7am, and I always saw people in swimming suit walking on the beach. Too bad, the taxi would pick me up at 9:30 to the office.

Good morning, Tel Aviv!