And why I turned down VIP tickets directly from the band for their Hong Kong concert.
It was November 2003, and I was in Hong Kong doing business with Tourism Australia and NSW Tourism. Our busy schedule ended with dinner at Hong Kong's most exclusive restaurant. The China Club is a retro-chic, Shanghai-style club and Michelin-star restaurant. The club's members are among the most influential people in the city, including personalities such as government officials and senior local businessmen. The private restaurant is by invitation only and offers intimate rooms for privacy and is a prominent venue for visiting celebrities and other dignitaries from around the globe.
Photo Credit: Goop.com
Dining in the restaurant that evening was none other than Bill Clinton with guests, and in a separate area was the Rolling Stones, who were in Hong Kong as part of their Licks Tour.
The dinner was sublime. We were treated like royalty as guests of the Hong Kong Government’s Tourist Bureau. The food and fine wine were a culinary feast like nothing I've ever had. The centrepiece was the dramatic entrance and theatre of the head chef with ‘The Peking Duck’. A full, authentic roasted peking duck positioned on a large silver platter with its neck positioned high. After a short applause from the table and having the duck presented to the centre of the table for viewing pleasure, it was then taken aside for carving.
We had the pleasure of meeting the Rolling Stones ever so briefly. They were all very polite and engaging, and privately enjoying great food and wine. They offered us free concert tickets to their Harbour Concert in a VIP section the following day.
Now … this is where my dilemma starts. You see, the following day was my flight home. That's fine; the flight could have easily been changed as Qantas was a major partner and sponsor of our business trip to Hong Kong. But that's not my issue. I chose the early flight home to Australia to attend a friend’s wedding. I planned to arrive back in Sydney around 10 a.m., drive 3 hours home, and then head to the wedding later that afternoon.
What do I do?, do I miss a mate's wedding for a once-in-a-lifetime concert or do I stay loyal to my friends and return home for the wedding as planned?
What would you do?
Well… it turns out I did neither, unfortunately not by choice. I would forgo the concert tickets and return home the next day for the wedding. On the flight home, I would start to become very cold with aching joints. By the time I cleared customs in Sydney, I would have a temperature, hot and cold sweats and feel nauseous and very ill. I went to the local Hospital, which immediately isolated me for fear of Bird Flu from returning from Asia. Eventually, it was deemed a case of food poisoning, and I missed the wedding altogether. It would later be discovered that all of our group of 15 became ill, some requiring hospitalisation in Hong Kong or treatment in their hotel room. I was fortunate to make it home in time for medical treatment. We couldn’t blame ‘The Peking Duck’ nor The China Club as we all ate, drank and worked together before and after visiting the club, it could have come from several sources we visited that day, later that evening and the next morning as we all ate breakfast, lunch and dinner together each day.
We never did see Bill Clinton that night in his private room, but that's probably a good thing. I was dining with Ms Lewinsky that night. No, no, no, not Monica. It was Marianne Lewinsky and not related to Monica, but we thought that it would be an interesting giggle point over dinner. His security staff didn’t see the humour in it when we asked if Ms Lewinsky could meet Mr Clinton.
About the Author
The author of this blog, unless otherwise noted, has no affiliation with any property or business linked in this article. Unless otherwise noted, there is no free accommodation or payment from any businesses. The information contained in this blog is strictly the views of the author and not professional advice. The author of this BookDirect blog is a travel and tourism professional with over 30 years of experience in international hotel management, global travel, short-term rental management and a tourism awards judge specialising in accommodation and attractions.
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