Arrival and Such

I always thought that in order to do the time warp one had to jump to the left, and then a step to the right with your hands on your hips, bring the knees in tight, and then do an around-the-world pelvic thrust. Turns out flying to China, losing 13 hours in the process, is the far more expensive and far less fun method.

But we’re here! And the flight wasn’t half-bad. It was 21.5 hours, 19 of which were spent in the air. Tyler took an Ambien and I watched This American Life (Radio show turned TV show. Download that) and some other shows, while serving as Typhoid’s pillow. When we exited the airport, the humidity accosted us with a fierceness only found in gorillas and South Pole elves. We took the double deck bus to Kowloon and, after a little bit of confusion, found the Mirador Mansion, in which our hostel is found. This term “mansion” is used lightly in Hong Kong. Picture Chinatown and that’s the ground floor. Upon stepping out of the elevator, the first thing I saw was clothing hanging along the corridor and a woman setting pieces of newspaper on fire and then throwing the lit paper into a pail. I cannot even begin to provide an explanation for this. After checking in at the front desk (aka a pajama clad woman sitting at a table in the hallway), we were led to our room, which is truly comical. I didn’t expect it to be large, so at least I was prepared for that; however, please allow me a minute to humor you with a description of some other facets of our suite.

Scratch that. I put up a video, but it isn't working. And now my YouTube account is permanently disabled. I can tell already that I am going to love it here.

Hong Kong severely attacks the senses, but in a good, unique way. Ears cannot escape the honking, the jackhammers, and this school bell-like ring that lasts for 5 minutes each time it sounds. Eyes are faced with a serious case of ADHD, for there is simply too much to look at, most of which is flashing. This is not a good city for an epileptic to find him or herself in. Nostrils don’t get a reprieve from the scents of spices, incense, fish, and the frequent smell of garbage water and mildewed air conditioner condensation. This water is oftentimes falling on pedestrians from the rooftops, hence all the umbrellas. You thought they were to shield the sun, didn’t you? Still, we’re enjoying our time here and forgiving each other quickly when being rude or irritating.

One thing I miss: elevators that make sense. The ones found in this building make my head spin. They are a one way road and only stop on certain floors. It usually takes a stair/lift combo to get out of this building…if you can ever find your way out. And, of course, when we do, we are immediately approached by a barrage of Indian men, trying to hand us flyers and direct us back into the building we just left. It didn’t take this city long to harden us. We have acquired a great skill of ignoring and rejecting, but the number of times this has to be done is terribly irritating. The next Indian guy that singles us out because we are obviously not from here gets my bottle of water poured on him. And seriously, why on earth would I want a suit tailored for a man? And why would Tyler? It’s like they aren’t even paying attention to the fact that he’s walking around in a bright yellow, stained T-shirt that exclaims “EAT LOCAL!” on the back.

It’s strange; before we left, I would find myself getting nervous about leaving, but never for longer than a few minutes and never nervous about being here. Still, I find that I am completely at ease here. I’m not nervous, nor excited. I’m just here. Not necessarily a complaint, but simply an observation.

As of yet, we have seen the landscape, Tai Chi-ers, and the aviary at Kowloon Park. We have haggled at the Jade Market (turns out I’m not half bad, even though I left empty handed), we walked through those side streets that tourists are supposed to avoid, and we have gotten turned around countless times. There’s nothing that says “foreigner” like being a blue-eyed Amazon, stopped on the sidewalk, looking at a map. We also stopped by a food market, complete with eels and toads, and watched some elderly men play Xiangqi under an open pagoda. They liked my eyes, but luckily they were playing for money instead.

We ate lunch at a fantastic restaurant and I can hardly wait until dinner. The tea here is to die for, but God help you if you’re looking for a glass of water. The eating habits are great for Tyler, for we are now in a country of messy eaters. The chopsticks were slightly more difficult to use because they’re top-heavy and made of porcelain, but one can adjust quickly if hungry enough.

We were planning on going out again for dinner and then swimming at a pool we had spotted while roaming through the park, but we took a sietsa that lasted the rest of the afternoon and on to midnight.

Random Parting Thoughts: We saw Indian hookers last night. They were pretty. The scaffolding here is bamboo. Gone in 60 Seconds was on TV last night. I got the outlet in our room to work. Thank goodness for this universal adapter! Germans must be distancing themselves from their former Nazi-organization skills. Such a shame. We're beginning to think that "dim sum" is just a term for food, because several things are referred to as such. It's nice being in a city that is designed for pedestrians. I just almost fell off the bed. I didn't actually realize that I am in Hong Kong until I saw a man in the street, scorching the face of a pig with a blow torch.