Hong Kong Part I

Most of you must know that I'm back in the States now, but there's more to say about my time in Taiwan. I haven't even covered Jenni's visit, which was one of the best memories I have, but for now I'll skip ahead and write about Hong Kong. I had to make the trip at the beginning of June when my student visa expired to get an entry permit that would allow me to stay for another month. Again, I was originally not crazy about the idea since the ticket came out of my pocket and I would be traveling alone. Since I had spent the money, however, and I had just finished my classes, I was determined to have a wonderful time. I took my journal so I could write about the experience as it happened, and now I'm going to transcribe what I wrote on my trip.

6/5/10

Things seemed to be off to a rocky start when I first got to Hong Kong. With no checked bags I was able to move to the HSR equivalent quickly and figured out how to get the ticket easily enough. Once I got to Central on Hong Kong Island though, things became more difficult. I knew the MTR lines only by color, not by name, but thankfully the woman in me stopped to ask for directions. It was quite a trek to the platform, and I made it with just four minutes to spare before the last train for the night left.

I had written down directions from the Mongkok MTR station to the hotel, but it hadn't given me a clear exit number. I headed toward the one that listed a street in my directions and then the fun began. Somehow I got turned around so that I was actually walking in the opposite direction from the hotel. I was hot and thirsty, but I wasn't quite sure if I should stop since I seemed to be lost, and didn't quite know who to ask since it was about 1am and I wasn't sure about the crowd. My instincts were right, and I used Mandarin to speak to the food vendors and clerks. The 7-11 woman only spoke Cantonese, and since I had been going in the wrong direction, most people didn't know how to direct me. Eventually I got so thirsty that I found one of the nicer tea stands with clerks who seemed like they could point me in the right direction and ordered a drink (ironically, it was a Taiwanese chain). The guy was incredibly helpful and spoke excellent Mandarin, and the milk tea was delicious. It turned out that all I had to do was go completely back the way I had come and then I got my bearings. I was really proud of myself for not panicking and simply jumping in a cab. I finally go to the hotel around 2am and got settled in.

I was a little disappointed that the concierge didn't seem more friendly. I found out I'd have to pay for internet, and computers were only available from 8am-4pm. I took the "lift" to my tinnier-than-expected room on the 7th floor, and quickly showered off  the day's grime. When I finally got reception, which I originally thought could only be achieved by sticking my arm out the window (which is how I discovered my excellent view), I called Noah to let him know I was safe. I looked over the places I wanted to go on Day 1 and then settled in to bed.

It was late by the time I got to bed, nearly 3 or later even, so I thought I'd be exhausted when my alarm rang at 9. Turns out I was wrong. I think I was still a little nervous about finding my way around a brand new city in a foreign place for a whole day, so I ended up having strange dreams. I woke up first at 7:30 and then at 8:30. I didn't feel very tired either time, but when my alarm went off at 9, it suddenly hit me.

I took a shower and got ready for the day, planning to stop in the cafe to cash in my breakfast voucher and get nourished up while giving myself a bit of time to build up courage. It wasn't phenomenal, but I was full after the hard-boiled egg, banana, and toast, and I was ready to get out of the tiny hotel.

I was so excited about shopping that I had to do that first. Since I was staying in the area with the markets (Ladies' Street, the goldfish market, and Flower Market Street), I decided I'd take it easy by getting to know my neighborhood first. I stopped at the ATM to got money and solved one problem after another when I realized that I hadn't informed my bank that I was traveling, and they did, indeed, lock my card. I got turned around just a bit, but figured it out very quickly, and thought that I was at least getting better.

I got to the streets that supposedly had the markets but saw nothing but empty tents. Ladies' Street was just getting set up, and it turned out that there were two flower streets (how silly!). The one with the market was actually farther away. I thought this might be the case, and the empty hunt--and the 7-11 woman who spoke enough Mandarin for me to understand "very far"--confirmed it. I did see part of a cool traditional market, and then just decided to move on to the real shopping.

H&M was my first stop since it happened to be at Central, the transfer station. As soon as I got out of the platform area and into the station, I saw a Mrs. Fields. I squealed with delight and said a bit of thanks when I saw the glorious bakery. I passed on the cookies, having eaten nothing that I could say was legitimate Hong Kong food, but seeing the shop that I often cross in Montgomery Mall and White Flint was treat enough. I felt like the day was looking up.

I wasn't quite sure how to get to the store, but I let my instincts about the position of certain types of stores guide me, and turns out I'm not too bad =). I first went to HMV, another store I had found online that was a popular spot for music. I'd recently discovered what seems to be some new jazzy, French, English sort of covers by Asian singers that I really liked, and since it was hard for me to download Chinese music online, I took the opportunity to get a few CDs. I got to test a few great new ones, and left feeling happy to have made my first purchase in a way that seemed somewhat intellectually stimulating.

Confident, I walked down the street a bit further and saw the big H&M sign. I immediately started looking for clothes suited for me and was surprised to find some new styles that I hadn't tried or hadn't been able to find before. I finally got one of those dresses that is sort of like an army surplus sort of jumper. I had wanted a dark grey/green one, but they only had a black one in my size, and it turns out to have been a better pick (way more versatile). I got a cute pair of earrings for Emily (she got me an amazing necklace in Bali and great earrings in Thailand), and finally got out after numerous trips to the fitting room.

With my CDs and my new clothes in tote, I thought I'd head to another mall a few stops aways that was supposed to be good for its food court fare, especially dim sum. Since I was in Hong Kong I felt it only proper to have the traditional dim sum, but on my way there, I figured I'd better stop at Admiralty since I could get to The Peak for sunset.

It was around 3pm and I hadn't eaten, plus my feet were killing me, so I stopped to relax for a bit. I couldn't find the restaurants at the huge station, and walked around and around, finally choosing a small "restaurant" that turned out to be called Satay City or something. I wanted to have something that was as authentic as possible, so I finally chose a pork and leek dumpling soup. I was a bit skeptical as soon as I entered the restaurant since it smelled of paint and there was only a woman with her young son there, but the soup turned out to be quite good. Feeling a bit more energetic, I began my walk back to the MTR.

I headed to another exit so that I could catch the bus/tram to The Peak. I thought I'd be taking both, but it turned out that the bus took us all the way up. The view was stunning, and it was super cool to be sitting toward the front on the top of a double-decker bus. Driving the hilly roads reminded me of California, but the store fronts didn't quite fit. The area seemed a lot more antique than what I'd seen in Taiwan, and although I'd been in clean areas, Hong Kong in general seemed a bit more shabby in central locations. I think more people tend to smoke in Hong Kong as well. I was really impressed with all of the people who were so patient and willing to help, even when they didn't speak English (and only Cantonese).

Back to the ride. Going over the hills was amazing, and I was happy to be sitting next to a girl close to my age who seemed to be traveling with her friends/sisters/cousins who were taking their family around. They spoke Mandarin together, but they were also speaking another dialect--it sounded like there was a bit of mainland retroflex going on. It was fun to listen to, and the view really was great, but all of the walking around had left me exhausted and I dozed off.

When my bag of CDs fell to the floor, I woke up startled and stayed alert for the rest of the ride. I couldn't believe that we had already gotten so high up and were still climbing. I realized that there would be no tram, but I did come upon the trail Helen had told me about. It was much cooler on the path that wound around the mountain and into the trees. I got to the waterfall that she had mentioned and took a few shots along the way. By the time I made it back, the sun had started to sink in the sky, and I got some great shots of the skyline.

Inside the looking tower I forgot that I wasn't working in NT anymore, and bought a small hand-woven picture for 240HKD, about 30USD. It is quite beautiful, even if more expensive than I originally thought. I waited for the sun to completely set, and then I got in line for the tram. I did make sure to get one picture of me first though, the only one taken on the trip.

The tram was...scary. I wanted to see the view, but I didn't have a seat and the car had filled up when they motioned me on, so I was facing downhill. We were moving quite quickly and I was doing everything I could---twisting my thumb and forefinger backward to clutch the rail behind me--not to just go catapulting forward. The woman in front of me seemed pissed off by the presence of people and was certainly not in the mood to realize that I desperately needed to brace myself against that bottom panel behind her. I was looking at possibly falling straight down the aisle, and at some points that was a 24 degree fall! All I could think was that if the thongs on my flip-flops broke, I was done for. It was a beautiful ride, but I was so glad when I stepped off.

I made my way towards the MTR, and it was quite a walk. I think I took the long way despite thinking it was a shortcut. Even so, I got to take a beautiful downhill walk and pass Hong Kong Park, the zoological/botanical gardens, and see some pretty cool buildings.

I was in need of some serious rest and re-hydration, so I finally made my way to Causeway Bay for dim sum. Too bad it's only served at lunch. At night the restaurant becomes a rather expensive family-style meal setting. Everything looked like it would be unaffordable and way too much for one person. I saw a Thai restaurant, and when I took a look, the prices were very reasonable. I still didn't know if these kinds of restaurants did tables for one, but I sat right down and ordered a delicious char-grilled steak with green curry. I devoured it and then ordered the sticky purple rice with fresh mango and coconut milk for dessert. It was the perfect meal after a long, eventful day. And it gave me just enough energy to get back to the hotel.

I saw another Mrs. Fields, and I felt like it was OK to give in this time. I bought two soft, semi-sweet chocolate chip cookies, a bottle of water and ventured home.