Latest posts by Martin Moodie (see all)
- Up close with the Masters of Time and landing a big Hennessy scoop - December 5, 2023
- Spell it backwards or forwards, wow is wow - December 2, 2023
- Typecast at Hong Kong Airport with a beautiful reminder from Hermès - November 21, 2023
“Second to the right, and straight on till morning.”
That, Peter had told Wendy, was the way to the Neverland; but even birds, carrying maps and consulting them at windy corners, could not have sighted it with these instructions. Peter, you see, just said anything that came into his head.
– From Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie
It’s almost nightfall in Discovery Bay, a beautiful sight with the lights from the houses across the water shining like jewels and the last remnants of today’s bright blue sky steadily giving way to the cloak of night.
Around the bay the hills are silhouetted against the sky, backdrop to a scene of almost perfect tranquillity, the silence only broken by the reassuring humming of an aircraft still ascending after take-off from Hong Kong International Airport.
I may as well enjoy the scene while I can for tomorrow I’m up, up and away again on one of those aircraft, on a 16-hour, 8,045 mile flight to New York, the first leg of a two-week journey that will in six days hence see me in Cannes for the TFWA World Exhibition.
My last Blog was posted on the eve of Sunrise Duty Free’s 24th anniversary celebrations in Shanghai a week ago. What an incredible night. The pictures below only hint at the beauty of the show put on by Sunrise Duty Free Founder and General Manager Fengyi Zhang, a sublimely choreographed blend of dance, light, music and song that will live long in the memory of those lucky enough to attend.
And on that note, it’s not often that I get near, let alone into, a Lamborghini but that all changed on Saturday night. I already felt privileged to be the only international media representative present at this grand occasion. But that honour was increased when I was asked to be one of Sunrise Duty Free’s 12 chosen partners to be driven up to the front of the stage in a luxury motor car to sign a special 24th commemorative message.
It was a lovely touch. In my case the said Lamborghini was a yellow model that shone as brightly as a sunrise, or in this case a Sunrise Duty Free, on an unforgettable evening of well-earned celebration for one of the world’s leading travel retailers.
Remember Maki, my Guardian Angel from Tokyo Station, who against all the odds helped me recover my cherished laptop, inadvertently left on a train? If you missed that Blog please click here because it is a rare tale of human kindness and sheer goodness that should not be missed.
Post my subsequent long business trip avec rather than sans laptop, I tracked Maki down via Facebook. What I said to her hardly matters (I asked for her address so I could send a thank you gift). But look at her reply. In a world so often gone wrong, Maki is a testament to things, and people, gone right.
“Hi Martin! Very happy to get your message,” she replied. “Thank you for remember me. That’s enough for me. Don’t say any more thanks, also I am very happy I can help you to get your laptop back . Hope you never lose your important things again! I’m sorry I’m not good for write in English, please understand me and please have a happy life. See you ~”
To me, Maki’s English is better than I could ever aspire to. Because she speaks with a tenor of grace and of humility that puts most of us, and certainly me, to shame. I will always remember you Maki. In fact how could I forget my Tokyo Guardian Angel?
Finally, I am delighted to note that The Moodie Blog is now sponsored by Sōmrus – Hindi for nectar of the gods – the cream liqueur brand served so well in global travel retail by Barry Geoghegan’s Duty Free Global, our generous sponsor through most of the year.
Sōmrus has come a long way in a short time since Pankaj K. (P.K.) Garg and his wife Swati worked on perfecting the recipe for a cream liqueur featuring a medley of favourite Indian ingredients in their home kitchen in the US.
You can read my interview from April 2021 below, since when the brand and the company (The House of Sōmrus) has continued its impressive growth to truly stand alongside the heavyweights of the category such as Baileys Irish Cream and Amarula.
I’m looking forward to seeing the Sōmrus and Duty Free Global teams (Green Village J35), and of course many readers, in Cannes. But that in nautical air miles though not in days is a long way off yet. First it’s New York, a city that like our website never sleeps.
“Second to the right, and straight on till morning.”
