In the hostel: (l-r) Ben, Daegan, Diadra
In the hostel: (l-r) Daegan, Diadra, Derek
Neon lights speak of civilization
Where we ended up.
Blissful in HK. And look--no one is staring at me~!
Hong Kong is amazing.
And saying that it is amazing is an understatement. Not because there are opportunities for cultural learning, prices are cheaper, and I can live my days filled with delicious Chinese food...but because it was if I had died and gone back to a cooler America.
Not even America. I mean, I have love for Chapel Hill and Durham (not so much Roxboro), and family, friends, responsibility, income, opportunities, familiarity, but Hong Kong provided all the internationalism I needed. It was diversity lite—the outer trappings of Asia were still there, but it was all under the familiar western rubric which made me feel comfortable. And I didn’t get stared at like I did hardcore like in Shenzhen—I was able to blend in, and I was treated almost equally, just like the good old days back in the states.
But getting to Hong Kong was an adventure in itself. Diadra and I had to find the bus stop for the K533 which would take us to the metro station. We missed the minivan at the stop the first time, and then once it came again, I had to powder my nose, so we missed that one as well. Finally, we hopped on the bus and made it to the metro station, where we entered, went through customs twice, and took a 40 min train to Hong Kong. Diadra and I checked into our hostel, a busted ass place named Mirador that smelled of mildew and depressed lives, and then headed out and killed some time until Ben and Daegan arrived. When they arrived, we ate some delicious vegetarian food with a host who was from the 大陆, and we (I) made the mistake of letting him know that we could speak Chinese. He served us well, recommended some great dishes, and showed us great hospitality. He also really liked Ben, but then again, who doesn’t?
On the way to the restaurant, we rode the elevator. When we were in the elevator, the door opened, and we were confronted with another door. It kind of sums up the labyrinth that is Hong Kong.
Later that night we hit up Prince Edward Road (太子） and looked at flowers and all sorts of pets that were fortunate enough not to end up in cages. There were albino turtles and hairless guinea pigs. It was fun, although the smells got to me after awhile.
After that, we went back and dropped off some stuff, then headed out to the bars. The bars in our area, near Nathan Road, were not really up to par, catered mainly to foreigners, and were as expensive as fuck. We went to one particular tower of bars, and while listening to really load and off-key karaoke, I had my usual Black Russian, Ben some vodka on ice...I scared a woman when I came back from the bathroom.
After some more searching, we gave up eventually and went back to the hostel. Then a South Asian man fell asleep in the hallway, blocking our retreat. All in all, a lazy evening due to fatigue and sickness, but it just set the stage for better days ahead.
More to come!
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