I was waiting to catch my flight home to Malaysia, but no one from my carrier, Malaysian Airlines, was anywhere to be seen.

The sudden closing of one of the world's busiest airports on Monday afternoon, forced the cancellation of more than 200 flights and left thousands of travelers in limbo. While some flights were able to depart early Tuesday, a fresh wave of protests at the terminal caused another 100 flights to be canceled and prompted more travel chaos and confusion.

In my area alone on Monday, several hundred people sat or milled about, tapping on their phones, trying to figure out what to do next.

I had arrived in Hong Kong two weeks earlier to cover the ongoing pro-democracy protests as a photographer for The Associated Press. After another weekend of dodging tear gas and dashing around the city as "flash mobs" occupied streets, it was time to go home. Or so I thought.

Protesters had rallied at the airport the three previous days without disrupting operations, and their online message boards indicated they would be back for a fourth on Monday. I checked my luggage at an in-town facility and headed to the airport early to get some photos of the demonstration.