Hong Kong shocker

It is 11:48pm – night 2 in Hong Kong, and I am about to go out and watch England playing Ireland in an hour….

So, about 20 minutes ago, while I was getting out of the bathroom, the door to the apartment opened and walked in Jonathan with his two huge bags, utterly shocked, face red, a typical British man in his late 40s, a colleague of the owner of the place, staying until next Friday - apparently.

Last week I was told, by Norman, a friend of Dustin’s – and one of the largest helmet manufacturers existing, as it turns out - that I would have his company’s apartment for myself for the time I am here, no worries, everyone is out of town for the next few weeks… aha…
I am not sure which one of us had the bigger shock, Jonathan or me…. But, regardless, after we both got our heart-rate back to normal and had a good laugh, he convinced me to go watch the game and have a few beers – so I thought, why not, its Saturday eve in the end, and noone sleeps here before 3am anyway.

Wondering what other surprises I will come accross / or will come accross me…

The first one was the apartment, or rather, the building and the immediate surroundings of it: hookers downstairs, half pigs on hooks on the first floor at the fire exit of the Jade restaurant’s kitchen, or, the fact that 1 of the 2 elevators due to the Chinese superstition that number 4 is unlucky, just does not stop on the 4th floor (where the apartment is).

Hong Kong itself is completely overwhelming but in a good way: it is just like you’d imagine after seeing it on movies. Lights, colors, herds of people doing shopping at midnight, restaurants serving duck with their heads on the plate too, Starbucks and McD in every block of buildings, goods for sale from China – everything, I mean EVERYTHING you need you may find. Even super Star Wars edition Adidas sneakers!! In my size too!



On the first day, Pad Lee, a former colleague from DHL picked me up after I had breakfast – with a tourist map, an Octopus card (for public transportation), a reservation at a local restaurant for lunch, a big smile, plans for every minute of the afternoon, and one to meet his wife and son for dinner at a FANTASTICALLY AMZINGLY AWESOME teriyaki restaurant just off the Ladies market. I was blown away by the kindness of this man. Dustin, thanks – yet again – for another great friend of yours! :)