Hong Kong

I was intrigued by the "Acting Special Coffee" I saw in Shanghai Airport. After the waitress told me what it was (coffee with brandy), I responded, "I don't want to be acting that special". Ha ha. Yeah, she didn't think it was funny either. Turns out the name of the restaurant was "Acting Cafe". Arriving in HK early was a bit anticlimactic, as my anticipated host didn't show. This was further complicated by the net being down (due to the recent earthquake affecting Taiwan), and I hadn't brought my cel. All in all, I was at the airport for three hours - longer than my flight! My "plan" (simply show up and hope for the best) wasn't working out as well as my China trip. However, a guardian angel named Cathy (an ex-exchange student from my uni) arrived and brought me to downtown HK. I thought Chinese RMB would work well in HK, but was forced to change my money again.

There was a bit of worry about finding a hotel (it being close to New Year's Eve and all), but we actually found a pretty cool place: the Bridal Tea House Hotel in Yau Ma Tei. We were initially concerned by the name and heart-decorated logo, thinking it was a love (sex) hotel. However, we were assured by the staff and the interior that it was a reputable establishment. It was literally steps away from the famous market street. Thus, we were able to check out pirated Doreamon slippers and other counterfeit goods moments after check-in. Next, we had fantastic seafood from some street stalls. So, everything turned out great after all.

The next day I hooked up with a friend and we spent the day relaxing and talking by the waterfront. The weather was warm enough that a few people were even wearing shorts. We walked along and talked, stopping by a Hollywood-style "Walk of Fame" with hand-prints of people like Chow Yun Fat, John Woo, Maggie Leung, Stephen Chow, and, of course, Jackie Chan (who, surprisingly, is not so well-liked in HK due to frequent womanizing). After another seafood dinner, we tried some desserts. Although I am on an adventerous kick, I didn't feel like trying the "nutritious" dessert made from bird's spit. Just didn't feel like bird's spit at the time, is all. At night, we saw the famous sea side light show. Happily enough, this was accompanied by fireworks. China is known as the home of fireworks, and these didn't disappoint. In fact, they were probably the best I've ever seen. As I've always wanted to check out the HK nightline after seeing it in movies and pictures, the whole thing was a positive experience for me.

The next day, more friends gathered and we spent the whole day sightseeing. We started off with a cable car ride over mountains and lakes. We discussed what might happen should the car fall into the water, and Cathy assured us she would be safe as she was so small she could simply swim out of the tiny, air-vent windows (however, it would be too bad for the rest of us). We all stopped for a small snack, and I had some turtle jelly (anyone know what this is? Is it made from or by turtles?) Next, we went to a cool village built on the water, Venice-style.They had a fishing-based economy, supposedly the last one of its type in HK (possibly due to be preserved by the government). After another great seafood meal, we were lucky enough to go inside one of the resident's houses (Cathy's aunt happened to live there, although she was away at the time). We were all curious about the "toilet", which turned out to be a board in the floor that you simply lifted up. Interestingly, Cathy's aunt had upgraded to a Western-style toilet - which still evacuated directly into the water below.

From the depths of those mire-infested waters, we traveled up a mountain to see Buddha. This was surrounded by a small village that seemed to be based on an unlikely combination of both the teachings of Buddha and Walt Disney. There were many touristy type "shows" that turned out to be the animated adventures of Buddha. For example, we saw one that seemed to suggest that greed (or hunger) is a negative trait: a monkey and his friends strive to get an apple from a statue. Yet, in an unintended mimicry of animal experimentation, he is tortured for his efforts (given electric shocks, force fed food, etc.). After this, he apparently learns that greed (as well as extended pain) is bad. Okay, lesson taken: consumerism is bad. After that, we followed the "Eight Steps" of Buddha (they were literally large steps in the ground) to a "right" existence. Where did these steps lead to, you might wonder? Why, to the souvenir shop, of course, where one might purchase a stuffed monkey such as we saw in the film.

After that, we took the cable car back. However, as there were lengthy lines, we chose to take the quicker route and go for "standing room only". We again discussed our possible deaths by crashing, but were consoled by the fact that we would be cushioned from the blow by the bodies (the other, seated people in the car) surrounding us, as they would provide a buffer between us and the metal. We discussed this in English, of course. Then we met more people for dinner.

From there, we went on to The Peak, a mountain with a great view of the city. It was New Year's Eve. As I had to leave early the next morning and the crowds were incredible, we decided to head back for the city. After I wished the hotel staff a Happy New Year's, I fell asleep to the sound of thousands of car horns honking. It was 2007.

After the anarchy of Shanghai, where no-one, and I mean no-one, pays attention to the street lights (people drive with one foot on the gas and one hand on the horn), HK was surprisingly reminiscent of Japan. My friends chastised me when I didn't pay attention to the street lights. Also, it was very clean, and there was a lot of foreigners. Further, Japanese goods were popular and I even saw a "Nihongo resource center". Again, like China proper, there was a suprising amount of Christmas decorations. The subway was also cool - maybe not as nice as Nanjing's though. When I went to the airport to get omiyage (souvenirs to give Japanese co-workers), one sales-person helped me out a lot as she knew what Japanese customers liked. The coolest thing I got there was Icy-Crispy Dragon Beard Candy, supposedly made for the emperor years ago. I was able to try a piece and... believe the hype: I don't like candy or sweets so much, but it was great. A kind of nutty, cool flavor. I bought a couple of boxes and am saving it for a special day.

Ultimately, thanks to all my friends, I was able to enjoy the best of HK in a very limited time. I am thinking of going back there, maybe even to work. Though it took me four hours to get from HK to Kansai airport, it ended up taking me five (!) hours (four trains and one bike ride) to get home from there. I slept for about 14 hours.