My Insatiable Wanderlust: Postcards from Abroad
My earliest, and most cherished, childhood memories were of carefree family vacations, by car. We traveled the length and breadth of the continental USA, on newly constructed superhighways that crisscrossed America in the 1950’s. Our glorious mid-century summer holidays were spent roaring across the vast network of impressive new roads, sun in our faces and wind in our hair. These gleaming new roadways propelled us into a realm of freedom and movement not previously experienced by the masses. These “expressways”, as they came to be called, provided a sense of spontaneity and adventure. The seemingly endless and infinitely varied landscape raced by our speeding car, changing dramatically state by state, great plains becoming forested mountains and grand canyons. These freeways to freedom sprang forth through the efforts of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and creating the nation’s interstate highway system became a primary accomplishment of his first term.
Our rather stylish mode of transport was a massive, white Oldsmobile Rocket 88 Club Sedan, complete with power steering, power brakes, power windows and red leather interior! The Rocket, as we called her, was one of the fastest cars in the US with her large V8 engine and relatively light body. I was a mere 6 years old but fell madly in love with her beauty, her speed, and her ability to hurl us into unknown places and experiences. Up at dawn, Ray-Ban aviators in place, my father would drive no less than 500 miles per day, stopping punctually at 5:00 pm for an early dinner. This was all well before the internet or GPS was even dreamed of, so my mother would dutifully trek to the American Automobile Association to request a Triptik prior to every journey. TripTik was a custom-made, ring-bound book highlighting not only our selected travel routes, but hotels, restaurants, attractions and more with helpful information from the AAA travel editors. With diligence, she would preselect our accommodations, restaurants and noteworthy tourist sites along the way. Trip by trip, Dad driving, Mom navigating, my kid sis and I in back, we crisscrossed America by car. We logged thousands of miles on our many jaunts, from tropical Key West to majestic Mt. Rushmore, from urbane Washington D.C to sunny San Diego, we hit our 500 mile per day mark, trip after trip, year after year. This all stopped when I reached sixteen and yearned for a different sort of more independent travel, not by car and not with family, but airborne with my posse of closest friends.
It was our very first journey by plane, destination New York City. We lived in a suburb of Chicago and enjoyed the many charms of that midwestern metropolis, but New York City! That was something altogether different and what a glorious escapade it was. It was 1970 and Pan Am had just launched the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The massive aircraft featured a winding staircase up to the piano bar on the upper deck. We were underage, but that seemed not to matter in the least as we enjoyed several rounds of cocktails and arrived JFK airport a few hours later. Excited and tipsy, we made our way in two taxis, to the world-renowned Waldorf Astoria, an icon of art-deco glamour and luxury on Park Avenue. At check-in, we were graciously offered a special $35 student rate and shown to our rooms. We stared out our windows down onto Park Avenue; hundreds of yellow taxis clamored up and down the famous throughfare. Stunning beds of red tulips stretched as far as the eye could see, right up the middle of Park Avenue, an enduring tradition that heralds spring in New York City. We devoured Manhattan for several days before returning to Chicago O’Hare on that same glorious jumbo jet, enjoying champagne and the inflight fashion show as we followed the blazing orange sun westward. I was hooked! Many hundreds of flights later, I forever recall that very special first flight from Chicago to New York. Through-out college, we would fly to Florida for spring break or California for an extended holiday getaway, but never again would the adventure of that first flight be matched.
By the time I graduated college, I became positively obsessed with travel and set my sites on Europe, traveling first to Germany as a tourist on spartan Lufthansa. Within a few seasons, I had traveled to Paris on Air France, Rome on Alitalia, and Madrid on Iberia Airline, now determined to travel as often and as far as possible. After a decade of working for Revlon in the U.S., I had flown many thousands of domestic miles, visiting every major city in America. Later in my career, I gleefully joined LaPrarie, an international skincare company based in Switzerland, knowing that the position would bring abundant international travel. Later in my career, I worked for Guerlain, the legendary French perfume house, traveling constantly between New York and Paris, with side trips to the other capitals of Europe. I never tiring of the adventure, the surprises along the way, the cultures I was privileged to explore. Nothing compares to the feeling of seeing a wondrous new place for the first time, triggering a serotonin rush to the brain. Warm feelings are forever evoked by recalling favorite faraway places, people, and events.
The most recent chapter in my lifelong travelogue has played out against the magic and mysteries of Asia. For twelve years, I have immersed myself in the tranquility, beauty and grace of ancient cultures missed by those who prefer to stay close to home. I absolutely thrive when making faraway places my transitory home, and quite enjoy being the foreigner in the room. During the six years I spent in vibrant Hong Kong, I was happy to be the gweilo (foreigner) in the room, the special one from a faraway place, adapting to the customs and attitudes of my Chinese hosts. My brand development background and immersion into diverse cultures across Asia, led to my developing a consultancy for business development across Pan Asia. My focus was luxury beauty product and Asia was the perfect marketplace. For 10 years, I worked with a Japanese pharmaceutical company, in Osaka. We developed and launched Hommage, a luxury men’s grooming collection, created expressly for five-star hotels and resort spas. Spa and well-being modalities had become a phenomenon across Asia and around the world. I was fortunate to visit and collaborate with many of the greatest hotel spas in the spa. My favorite will always be The Wynn Palace & Spa in Macau, China for sheer glamour, attention to detail, divine cuisine, and world-class spa services. I highly recommend it as your second stop in China, just a short ferry ride from your primary destination, Hong Kong. The Peninsula stands at the top of any “best hotels in the world” list, standing proudly in Kowloon, overlooking Hong Kong Harbor. Steeped in years of British tradition, it remains a bastion of luxury hospitality with a spa that is truly memorable. Other favorites include The Mandarin Oriental, my first hotel stay in Hong Kong, and one of my most highly rated recommendations. I will always remember my arrival on my first visit to Hong. I arrived late evening and gasped when I stepped outside the sprawling airport terminal. The blast of humidity after the 12-hour flight is something I will not forget. I was soon in cool comfort again as my little red taxi whisked me through the Hong Kong night and deposited me at the magical Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Two sharply tailored bell boys rushed to fetch my luggage and I entered a world of glamour I had not before experienced. This legendary property welcomes you with legendary service and 21st-century luxury that is steeped in the values of the Orient. Massive bouquets of orchids were everywhere, the largest and most captivating flora display I have ever seen in a hotel.
I would eventually flee New York in 2009, following the Wall Street financial crisis that shook America to its core. Hong Kong, “the fragrant harbour”, beckoned to me with her exuberant beauty, excitement, and sense of infinite possibilities. The Asian economy was very robust, and Hong Kong was crowded with expatriates in search of adventure and success. I joyously accepted a long-term contract with the Japanese pharmaceutical company, and agreed to head up brand development across Pan Asia. I found the prospect of extended travel across the region to be irresistible, sold my New York condo, and put most of my possessions into storage. They would remain in storage for the next 12 years as I systematically toured Asia, country by country.
Hong Kong, with its incredibly efficient and comfortable airport shuttle from Central, provided an excellent base for regional travel across Asia. At the time, Hong Kong was a mecca for expats from around the world and I quickly made new friends from Australia, UK and of course, native Hongkongers, including my bestie, the absolutely fabulous beauty director from Harvey Nichols. I first met her at a spa show in Bologna, Italy and we remain fast friends 20 years later. At the time, Hong Kong was extremely sophisticated, crowded with superb restaurants, hotels, and successful, glamourous people from all over the world. It was a divine melting pot, and I dove in headfirst, savoring the drama, the beauty and the mysterious allure of the city. I leased a well located flat on Queen’s Road, a comfortable, but extremely overpriced studio at $3,500 per month. One of my local favorites remains the famous Star Ferry, founded in 1888, Hong Kong’s oldest form of public transport. With departures every 10 minutes, the ferry transports over 70,000 passengers each day, from the bustling Kowloon district to the uber chic Central district. The green and white boats have become an iconic part of the cityscape, offering passengers unobstructed views of the famed Hong Kong skyline. Another, equally dramatic ride to the top of Hong Kong is the very steeply inclined Peak Tram, one of the world’s oldest and most famous funicular railways. The tram rises 1,300 feet above sea level, offering unparalleled views of the world-famous harbor and towering skyscrapers of Hong Kong. The Peak, the only way to truly experience the beauty of Hong Kong, often dubbed Hong Kong’s most spectacular destination. Whenever I recall living in Hong Kong, I am once again riding the world’s longest covered elevator, The Central-Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway. Up, up, up I go on the longest pedestrian elevator in the world, frenetic cityscapes floating past me as I ascended. Over the years that I resided in Hong Kong, the Escalator became my daily commute, allowing me to view many intimate facets of Hong Kong while standing still.
At midnight, on 1 July 1997, the handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China occurred, ending 156 years of British rule in the colony. The effect of Chinese rule was felt immediately, and the atmosphere became tense. Suddenly things felt a bit off and people seemed uneasy about the future. Demonstrations, mostly students, became larger, louder, and more frequent. Tourism declined and that negative publicity threw fire on the winds of change. When the taxi drivers stopped speaking English, I knew it was time to move on. Moreover, the cost of living had steadily increased during the 6 years I lived there. I had visited sprawling and diverse Bangkok and marveled at the high quality of life and the comparatively low price one paid to live well there. Instinctively, I knew it was time to say good-bye to the city on the harbour that had been my home these past years since leaving the U.S. I bade farewell to Hong Kong, and said hello to Bangkok, the capital and most populous city in the Kingdom of Thailand.
