世紀日蝕／李明熙
#Home2HomeTravel 的重頭戲在非洲、南美洲和歐美，打開地圖一看，若要找一個中心點，正好是非洲中部，所以今次主要會坐埃塞俄比亞航空，以埃塞俄比亞的首都阿迪斯阿貝巴（Addis Ababa）為轉運中心，再往世界出發。
香港沒有直航飛往費城，反正要轉機，我們有時索性飛紐約或 Newark 跟朋友碰碰面，玩兩三日才回家。今次我們先到阿迪斯阿貝巴，再飛 Newark，看似轉折，但坐商務客位的話，就是一種享受。
飛機淩晨 2 時起飛，我們一般上機便呼呼大睡，但 Kim 第一次坐商務，看到她雀躍萬分，我的倦意也消除了。紅酒、白酒、香檳，她一一來者不拒；小食、前菜、正餐、甜品，我通通送入肚𥚃。可惜香港飛往阿迪斯阿貝巴的航班沒有埃塞俄比亞特色食品 Injera，但我還是要一杯國產特濃黑咖啡下肚才滿足地入睡。
旅程 9 月才正式開始，我們 8 月中就返美國的原因是想看日蝕。這次橫越美國的世紀日全蝕，在費城雖然只看到 7 至 8 成，但全城都進入瘋狂狀態。用來看日蝕的專用眼鏡，早在我們到埗前已由售價 1 美元，升值至 5 美元，但依然全國缺貨，我們只好找尋公眾觀日蝕活動，希望借到別人的眼鏡一用。
離家不遠有個 Valley Forge 國家歷史公園，是華盛頓在革命戰爭中以寡敵眾戰勝英國的一個重要戰場。日蝕當天，我們到遊客中心詢問，竟看到職員手上有一堆觀日眼鏡。心想，離日蝕還不到兩小時，即使叫價 10 美元都會乖乖付款。誰知職員說是免費的，一人限取一副，不過園中沒有觀日活動。我們雖有眼鏡在手，但還是想跟其他人一起看，於是便跑走到 Norristown 圖書館的觀日蝕活動，跟沒有眼鏡的人分享，一同欣賞日蝕。
Sea Isle City／Kimberlogic
In order to start our #HometoHomeTravel, we had to get to my original home in Philadelphia, USA. Since there are no direct flights from Hong Kong to Philadelphia, we chose to fly with Ethiopian Airlines to the next closest airport, which is Newark. Whenever we visit Philadelphia, we always have to prepare ourselves for a long day of tiring travel, but this time it was different. When we checked in for our flight, we were told that we had been upgraded to business class.
Ethiopian Airlines combines their business class and their first class, so the service and comfort are amazing. This was my first time flying business class and it was awesome! The champagne flowed, the food was tasty and the seats (or beds) were super comfortable. The staff were very attentive and pleasant. The experience made us feel great and it really made the long journey feel shorter and so much easier.
When we eventually reached my family’s home in Philadelphia, it was the first time I felt like this trip was becoming a reality. Although we still had a lot of errands and last-minute things to prepare for our trip, we were already in travel mode —— ready to enjoy our new surroundings. We spent a few days in Philadelphia before traveling to the Jersey Shore.
If you live in Philadelphia, you must have been to the Jersey Shore. It is where everyone heads for sun and fun during summer, leaving the city like a ghost town. My family always goes to Sea Isle City at the Jersey Shore, so our time here was a big family reunion. Since I grew up spending summers at this beach town, I had to show Ming Hay around and show him how we enjoy ourselves here.
We started the week off with a family dinner. Ming Hay prepared typical Hong Kong dishes for about 12 people. The dishes were amazing, but not exactly what I remember from Hong Kong. Different country, different ingredients, so we spent a lot of time in the grocery store trying to find the closest substitutes. My family was ecstatic over these dishes and finished every bite. Ming Hay and I enjoyed the food too, but having most of the family together at one table was the highlight for me.
For the rest of our days, we met up with friends, spent time on the beach, played arcade games, walked to get ice cream and even found time to learn how to play tennis. At the Jersey Shore you can spend your days relaxing or pack them full of non-stop activities and sports.
Packing our backpacks one last time while being with my family is both sad and exciting. I will miss them, but I am ready to go and get this adventure started. Our next destination is New York City and although it is only about an hour train ride from my family, we will have already said our goodbyes and I will feel that this 9 month journey has really begun.
