This past Saturday was the second annual Time Out HK Wine Walk (there is a post about the 2008 walk back in June). We saw the advertisement about two weeks ago and Lisa called the next day to get tickets. We were equally surprised and disappointed to find out the event was totally sold out.
However about two days before the event one of Lisa’s friends called and told her they had one extra ticket if she wanted it. She gave me a call and told her to take and I would figure something out.
Reservations in HK are a weird thing. If you call a restaurant and ask for a table for two at 8:00 p.m. you will just be told “no”, if they have nothing available. Of course once you learn how things work around here you realize you need to say “how about 8:15”? No. “How about 8:30”? Yes.
It works the same if you walk up to a restaurant and ask for a table and they are currently full - you actually need to say “will you have anything soon”, because even if someone is paying a check, you’re just told “no”. Then someone else will walk up six minutes later and get a table.
I realize as you read this you probably think this happened to us like two times and I’m exaggerating, but just like people walking into you - it’s something you wouldn’t believe if you haven’t spent time here.
Anyway my plan for the big walk was either A) find someone trying to unload a ticket at the event or B) bring last year’s glass and just stumble around with the crowd hoping for naive bartenders. (And yes this was a charity event but I figured I could make it up at some other point.)
Anyway, Buddha appears not to really like this event as he summoned up even more rain this year than last year’s soggy walk. But I did think he may have appreciated the 400 statues of him I visited over the past year, as I figured this would increase the chance of people backing out and a ticket being available.
Of course even though Lisa was verbally told all the tickets were sold out, and received a follow up email stating no tickets would be available the day of the event, just back up a couple of paragraphs and obviously they were selling tickets the day of the event.
By the grace of Buddha we made it...
It was more expensive than online and they said because it was charity they would not make any change, but I did get a glass fractionally larger than everyone else's, so I felt it was justified.
The bars and restaurants were much more spread out than the single street it ran down last year and a game plan was necessary. We were with friends, Maggie and Chris, that live in our building and Chris suggested that we start at the last bar and work against the crowd.
My thought was that this was an obvious plan and instead suggested going through the middle numbers first (and some of the better restaurants' snacks are included) and then branch out to the ends if time allowed. With everyone in awe of my quick thinking, anti-social, alcoholic genius, we headed out.
Of course there were some other geniuses in the crowd and most of the places had a fair amount of people. Unlike last year the first few bars gave out pretty stingy “tastes” and they all asked for the “passport” to stamp when you got your drink. So the glass in Lisa’s purse would most likely not have worked.
There were many tasty treats once again; however some of the wines this year were not all of the same quality of the previous event. But fun was had by all and we bumped into friends along the way, some friends of friends, and made some new ones as well. We ended the walk back in some of the places that participated last year and they were much more generous. We also found a few new places we’ll make our way back to.
Chris, Maggie, myself and Lisa early in the day.
The event is not promoted as a competition but I like to take it on as such, and I do believe I won, earning my 12 hour nap and giant breakfast at the Flying Pan the next morning.
So the word count is getting dangerously close, but we have plans for the next couple of weekend so hopefully a few more tales and pictures to come before Beijing.
For now – I’ll blog ya’ later.
Second annual picture with "chicken lady lamp"
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