Detained by Hong Kong Immigration

Thursday, Nov. 26

My son's still sick. He's burning up with fever and still has an upset stomach. My father-in-law had plans to take us all to a resort in China and was disappointed that we wouldn't be able to go. We took my son to the doctor who said he just needed rest. "Great! He can rest at the resort!" said my F-I-L.

We had already missed the tour bus, so we took a cab to the border. We were turned away because we didn't have the permits to drive into China. We then went to cross the border on foot only to discover that upon entering Hong Kong, our passports weren't stamped. Three hours in detention. I reframed the experience as better to discover the problem now rather than in the airport trying to leave the country. Furthermore, better to be detained on the Hong Kong side than in China...

The resort was laughable - still under construction! Our hotel had a sign that said they were still building the hotel, but promised that the noise would stop after 6pm. Thankfully, my son was so tired from the travel that the noise didn't phase him. FIL wanted to go to a show that night and wanted to wake up my son so he could enjoy it. I suggested I stay with him. When my son finally woke, he was fever free.

As for the humor, the whole day was darkly comic with a FIL having all these fantasies and fate standing in the way.