O.K. I guess I was bored and I am totally experimenting here. If you don't know what I mean, turn your sound on. I thought it would be fun to add music that goes with the posts, so I'm trying it out. I did it pretty quickly so I don't know if I did it the best way possible using the best tools possible. The placement of it looks strange to me on the right side over there, and I have no idea which web sites are best for this type of thing. Also, I come up with some old song titles that are not easily found on the music sharing web sites of the young and hip. Raise your hand if you had no idea that each blog post title is a song title. Yeah, it's my thing. It might be obvious if your music tastes and knowledge range from Barry Manilow to Depeche Mode. I use whatever fits. I don't know if I'll continue adding the audio, but if anybody has tips or opinions, let me have 'em. For now, I just added the songs I could find on the particular web site I used.
So the title... I got my first Hong Kong haircut Saturday. I was a little nervous since I had been happily going to the same woman in Manhattan for about 12 years. Also, I got one haircut in a foreign country once before while I lived in Seville. The Barber of Seville is a tragedy, right? It was for me. My hair was about chin-length at the time and I just wanted a trim. The woman lifted up one side and cut everything off. I couldn't stop her from doing the same to the other side. I came out looking like a 10-year-old-boy. It was the only time in my life I've ever cried over hair. It was pretty awful, but nobody would say anything to me until one bluntly honest Spanish friend simply said, "Your hair looks like sh**." I think it might have been Thanksgiving day and when somebody in the family called, I don't remember who, I was on my way out so I didn't have time to explain, but they thought I might have been depressed that I was missing Thanksgiving, though it was my hair I was missing. Fortunately, a few days later I flew to London, so my hair grew a little and already looked less horrific by the time I arrived in London.
I guess this is as good a time as any to introduce my theory to the world. Hair and nails grow when you fly; I've known this for years. I am not alone in this observation. I think my friend Karen also noticed ages ago when we first went to Europe in high school because she was wearing nail polish when we left - an obvious growth marker. And Paul wholeheartedly agrees. We think the longer the flight, the faster the rate of growth. I was shocked and thrilled one night recently because we were watching The Colbert Report and Stephen Colbert was speaking to an astronaut currently at the space station. The astronaut said that he was about 5'3" when he left earth and that he is up to almost 5'5" now. That must have something to do with my theory even if it's on a much more accelerated scale, right, right???
Anyway, the hair place I chose had a nice laid back atmosphere and the stylist was really friendly. I tried this particular place because my former stylist had a client who lived here so she kindly asked her for a recommendation and this stranger then kindly emailed me with the name of this place, Hipp.Fish. I also read that the stylists there could cut curly hair which is a rare talent in this city. My hair is sleek and straight at the moment - there was ironing involved - my appointment lasted almost two hours and the stylist got backed up with her next appointment because nobody ever realizes just how much hair I have until they're buried up to their elbows in it. She said more than once, "You're right. This is tricky." So I can't tell how satisfied I might be until I reluctantly wash the straightness out of it, but it's probably o.k. She also couldn't believe that I highlighted my hair only three months ago. Highlights: another obvious growth marker. Further proof of the theory!!! (O.K. my hair grows remarkably faster than most, but still... there was a 16 hour flight involved)
The stylist, Christina, was of Greek descent but raised in Wellington, New Zealand. She met her husband here in HK, and he's from Long Island, so it was interesting to talk to her. Being from New Zealand, I had to ask her about Paul's and my new most favorite thing, Flight of the Conchords. Have you seen it? It's a series on HBO and now that we hijack HBO, we've seen about 5 episodes. It's bizarre and silly and we're hooked. Two folk singers from New Zealand come to NYC to try to make a go of it. That's all I can say, except that they also break into song from time to time. It's the funniest thing I've seen in years. Christina said that she hadn't seen it but her Kiwi coworker had and he said he has trouble watching it because the quirkiness of the characters hits a little too close to home and feels uncomfortably familiar.
The other thing we did this weekend was go to a big art fair at the exhibition center here. We had free tickets from Paul's office. Galleries from all over the world showed samples of their stuff, including big names like Andy Warhol, and everything was for sale, I think. We passed on the Warhol. It doesn't go with the sofa. We decided that about one quarter of the art was interesting. The rest... well, I have friends who are more impressively creative with their MySpace pages.
Watch Flight of the Conchords.
And tell me what you think of the audio addition here.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
I Get Around
You've probably guessed (or emailed) by now that we weren't affected by the earthquake three days ago. But you do have a different perspective when devastation strikes just next door. Killer snow storms in February, train wreck in April, earthquakes. It's been a rough few months for China. I feel fortunate to sit here and type up my silly little stories.
I haven't written as much recently because I've been doing actual things! I've met some people and have visited a few places nearby.
About a month ago, Paul met somebody at work who's also here from the Jersey City office, and he met his wife Kathy. They've been here for about 10 months so she was ecstatic to hear that I was also unemployed, child-free and available. She called me and we first met for lunch at a nice place between our two neighborhoods. They're only about a 10 minute walk away. The next week, she guided me to Stanley Market, about a twenty minute cab ride away.
Stanley is an area on the South Side of the island with a different feel from the city. It's basically a beach town but the big draw is the Market. It's a small maze of dozens of shops selling a range of touristy things like silk scarves and porcelain as well as some more practical stuff like casual clothes and sneakers. Quality varies. The cheap things are cheap. I, of course, went for the cashmere wrap, but since we both bought one, we got a better price. I contributed to bargaining after all.
They also sell a lot of knock-off bags and watches - if you know how to find them. My guide somehow knew who to ask, and the next thing I knew... well, I've learned that if you see a stall with a few bags on display, if you ask to see a catalog, you might be led down a couple of back streets to a big bin filled with the fake designer bags and down another street for the watches. For the Sex in the City watchers, it was a bit like Samantha choosing a fake Fendi bag out of some guy's trunk in the back streets of L.A. All in all, it's not really my thing.
A week later, Kathy had a friend visiting from home and asked me if I wanted to go along on the day she was showing him around so I did. I went with them back to The Peak, where Paul and I had brunch on Easter Sunday, but the weather was much clearer this time so the views were better. There's a 2 mile walking trail that we walked and then we had lunch at the same place. Then we took the Peak Tram down to Central and walked over to the ferry piers and took the Star Ferry to to Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon. It's a short ride, about 15 minutes, but it's a nice way to view Hong Kong from afar.
Kowloon is a crowded bustling place, a bit grittier than HK Island. Along the main street, Nathan Road, there are many people trying to hawk watches or tailored suits. We passed through the Peninsula Hotel where people were having high tea, quite a contrast to the surroundings outside. We walked all the way to Mong Kok where there is a market called the Night Market because they start opening at about 4 p.m. and I also saw the massive Jade Market. Sellers are pretty aggressive. We got a very enthusiastic and uninvited lesson on how you can tell real jade from other lesser materials, according to one seller who tried to show that her jade was the real stuff. Kowloon was generally unimpressive and I would probably need a reason to go back. I think there are a couple of good restaurants, so that might be an eventual reason... if we run out of restaurants on this side of the harbor.
This week, I went back to Stanley on my own and bought a couple of things, sandals and pillows for the new sofa. The real accomplishment was that I took the bus. Again, NYC should be ashamed. Transportation is remarkably affordable, efficient, and abundant here. First, there's this thing called the Octopus Card, which you can use to pay for all forms of public transportation. You can also use it and replenish it in supermarkets and 7-11's. Then, the web site for the bus system is so comprehensive that there are actual photographs of all the bus stops. So with a little research, I figured out that a bus stop was about 2 blocks from us. I paid barely $1 with my Octopus Card to ride a comfortable, air-conditioned, double-decker bus, and twenty-five minutes later, I was at the Stanley Market.
Depending on your destination, there are buses, trains, trams, or taxis. Each has its benefits. I had taken a tram once with the real estate agent when we were looking at apartments. They're kind of relics and they're not the fastest way to travel, but if you just don't feel like walking and you're traveling East or West, they get the job done. It costs about .25 to ride one, regardless of how far you take it and they virtually run from one end of the island to the other. Paul and I took one this Sunday into Central to get to a movie theater. They are also double-decker. We stood downstairs and Paul had to bend his head because of the low ceilings. We took the train once so far. Again, clean, cheap and easy. If you take it to the airport, you can even check your luggage at the Central Station, I think. Even the taxis are affordable compared to taxis in other major cities. You can get someplace about 10 minutes away for about $2-3 if you're not stuck in traffic. And of course there are several ferries to outlying islands. Getting around here is quite easy.
In the next episode, I'll tell you why I might pick up an English accent. And I'm looking into Thailand for our first getaway.
And one thing Paul didn't tell you about his tree planting excursion in his last blog: He also picked food from the garden, cooked it with the group, and ate it for lunch. We had a big dinner that night.
I haven't written as much recently because I've been doing actual things! I've met some people and have visited a few places nearby.
About a month ago, Paul met somebody at work who's also here from the Jersey City office, and he met his wife Kathy. They've been here for about 10 months so she was ecstatic to hear that I was also unemployed, child-free and available. She called me and we first met for lunch at a nice place between our two neighborhoods. They're only about a 10 minute walk away. The next week, she guided me to Stanley Market, about a twenty minute cab ride away.
Stanley is an area on the South Side of the island with a different feel from the city. It's basically a beach town but the big draw is the Market. It's a small maze of dozens of shops selling a range of touristy things like silk scarves and porcelain as well as some more practical stuff like casual clothes and sneakers. Quality varies. The cheap things are cheap. I, of course, went for the cashmere wrap, but since we both bought one, we got a better price. I contributed to bargaining after all.
They also sell a lot of knock-off bags and watches - if you know how to find them. My guide somehow knew who to ask, and the next thing I knew... well, I've learned that if you see a stall with a few bags on display, if you ask to see a catalog, you might be led down a couple of back streets to a big bin filled with the fake designer bags and down another street for the watches. For the Sex in the City watchers, it was a bit like Samantha choosing a fake Fendi bag out of some guy's trunk in the back streets of L.A. All in all, it's not really my thing.
A week later, Kathy had a friend visiting from home and asked me if I wanted to go along on the day she was showing him around so I did. I went with them back to The Peak, where Paul and I had brunch on Easter Sunday, but the weather was much clearer this time so the views were better. There's a 2 mile walking trail that we walked and then we had lunch at the same place. Then we took the Peak Tram down to Central and walked over to the ferry piers and took the Star Ferry to to Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon. It's a short ride, about 15 minutes, but it's a nice way to view Hong Kong from afar.
Kowloon is a crowded bustling place, a bit grittier than HK Island. Along the main street, Nathan Road, there are many people trying to hawk watches or tailored suits. We passed through the Peninsula Hotel where people were having high tea, quite a contrast to the surroundings outside. We walked all the way to Mong Kok where there is a market called the Night Market because they start opening at about 4 p.m. and I also saw the massive Jade Market. Sellers are pretty aggressive. We got a very enthusiastic and uninvited lesson on how you can tell real jade from other lesser materials, according to one seller who tried to show that her jade was the real stuff. Kowloon was generally unimpressive and I would probably need a reason to go back. I think there are a couple of good restaurants, so that might be an eventual reason... if we run out of restaurants on this side of the harbor.
This week, I went back to Stanley on my own and bought a couple of things, sandals and pillows for the new sofa. The real accomplishment was that I took the bus. Again, NYC should be ashamed. Transportation is remarkably affordable, efficient, and abundant here. First, there's this thing called the Octopus Card, which you can use to pay for all forms of public transportation. You can also use it and replenish it in supermarkets and 7-11's. Then, the web site for the bus system is so comprehensive that there are actual photographs of all the bus stops. So with a little research, I figured out that a bus stop was about 2 blocks from us. I paid barely $1 with my Octopus Card to ride a comfortable, air-conditioned, double-decker bus, and twenty-five minutes later, I was at the Stanley Market.
Depending on your destination, there are buses, trains, trams, or taxis. Each has its benefits. I had taken a tram once with the real estate agent when we were looking at apartments. They're kind of relics and they're not the fastest way to travel, but if you just don't feel like walking and you're traveling East or West, they get the job done. It costs about .25 to ride one, regardless of how far you take it and they virtually run from one end of the island to the other. Paul and I took one this Sunday into Central to get to a movie theater. They are also double-decker. We stood downstairs and Paul had to bend his head because of the low ceilings. We took the train once so far. Again, clean, cheap and easy. If you take it to the airport, you can even check your luggage at the Central Station, I think. Even the taxis are affordable compared to taxis in other major cities. You can get someplace about 10 minutes away for about $2-3 if you're not stuck in traffic. And of course there are several ferries to outlying islands. Getting around here is quite easy.
In the next episode, I'll tell you why I might pick up an English accent. And I'm looking into Thailand for our first getaway.
And one thing Paul didn't tell you about his tree planting excursion in his last blog: He also picked food from the garden, cooked it with the group, and ate it for lunch. We had a big dinner that night.
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Trees
Dragon Boat used for racing outside of beach at Mui WoLet me start by wishing our moms and all mothers that are tuning in a very Happy Mother's Day! Of course on this side of the world the calendar has already flipped and I should wish Buddha a Happy B-day! It is a national holiday in China today but due to the fact that my team (me) covers nine markets between five time zones there is almost always a market trading somewhere that makes it necessary for me to come into the office.
I do get an additional vacation day for working today (and all local holidays) so in the long run it works out a little better because I can use the days when we prefer and get away while everyone else is stuck working (of course I'll have to hire a staff first). Plus most of my clients are located in HK and take the day off so it is typically a slow day and with only about a half dozen employees in the office it gives me time to type up a long over due blog.
I believe Lisa has kept you updated with most of what has been going on and life has started to normalize quite a bit now. The aid of US television (thank you Scott) and a couch help out a great deal. If you're curious I do jump up and down on the couch quite often but I mostly just shout "I love couch! I love couch!". Then I lay down and take a nap.
We are going to start planning some more adventurous expeditions shortly most likely starting with the very close by Macau. Known as the Vegas of Asia, the island actually has more gaming then Vegas with about 30+ casinos (some of the same Wynn, Venetian, MGM, etc.) with a plan to double that number by some time next year. Not that that would interest any readers of this blog. After that we are going to look into some quick beach trips most likely to either Thailand or the Philippines.
Our original plan was to get out of town this past weekend however I ended up doing a charity project on Saturday which kept us home. My company supports a program called Community Team Works that works with a multitude of groups throughout the world where employees can sign up and either take the a day off of work or earn a vacation day if it is a weekend (yes if you're counting I actually earned two days off for this weekend) and participate in one of the many projects offered. It is a very large and generous undertaking by the firm and I have participated annually since joining. This year I signed up for a project to plant trees with local students interested in attending University and wanting to work on their English skills.
We took a ferry to the island of Lantau and hiked into the hills of Mui Wo. The area is more like you would picture rural China with no cars and more worn paths than roads. There was a small beach area we walked through before hiking into the mountains. Mostly locals pulling carts wearing big straw hats like you would see on a post card. Of course someone was pulling a new iMac on his 100 year old cart so technology will not be stopped. Two things you cannot help but notice on the island is the number of bicycles (there had to be over a thousand parked at the ferry) and the number of dogs. The woman leading the tree tour / planting had five of her own along with an enormous pot bellied pig.
The need to replant trees in the mountain side was two fold. First, graves are set in the mountains and family members visit and burn incense. Many of these family members are quite old and leave without putting out the incense. I don't think I need to explain much further the result. They have been asked to stop many times but in this case tradition will not be stopped (even at the expense of large forest fires). How these elderly people get to these graves is beyond me. Granted I was carrying some trees but these sites are far off the beaten path up very steep mountain sides. Even the High School students were wondering how people fulfilled their duties to visit graves twice a year (that's two more holidays but I'll stop counting before Scott gets angry and unplugs the Slingbox).
Grave site in the hillsideThe second issue is the island of Lantau is also the home of Hong Kong Disneyland. When building the park they added something like 220,000 trees replacing a good part of what was taken down. Even though this originally sounds like a good thing, for the most part the trees are not local (they were eventually persuaded to make 30,000 of them local varieties). The issue is that the local insects and such do not naturally migrate toward these trees and are dying off, actually changing the ecology of the island. The main reason is aesthetics and my personal guess is that if you were running a theme park and could naturally keep bugs away that would be a pretty good thing.
The day was a bit more intensive than I originally had hoped but it went fairly smoothly. Beyond the student I was paired off with (who was fairly chatty and spoke English well) the 5 year old son of one of the employees participating (possibly smelling my own nephews on me) tended to migrate towards me for most of the day. At least when he became scared - meeting the dogs, the pig or trying to descend the hill side.
Christopher and the pig.It was interesting to see how worried the students were about getting into a university and watching a five year old swing conversations from Cantonese, Mandarin and English depending on who he was speaking with. For the nieces, nephews and cousins reading along I would suggest turning up the studying because as the world becomes a smaller and smaller place these kids are moving ahead at an alarming rate.
Hopefully we'll turn that exhausting day and today into a much more interesting trip to write about. When I go home this evening I will try to add some of the pictures from Saturday before I post this blog.
Oh yeah, there was one more thing everyone on this island can't seem to stop talking about and that is the opening of CHOW on Staten Island! Yes the news has made it this far (even though they have yet to listen to my suggestion to increase delivery to Wan Chai). For those of you that know my buddy Rob - he has opened his own place on Forest Ave. with a unique menu for take out and delivery as well as catering. Here is the link http://www.chowgourmet.com/Welcome.html to check out the standard menu or the daily specials. And if you're around that area stop in and give it a try or call up for delivery for something a little different than the usual Chinese or Pizza take out. (what's the point of having a blog if you can't through in the occasional plug).
Anyway I'll turn the reigns back over to Lisa for the week and and I'll blog ya later.
View from where we planted trees.Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Sitting on My Sofa
Paul can finally jump up and down and show the world how much he loves Katie Holmes - I mean - me. Our sofa was finally delivered on Tuesday, about 4 1/2 weeks after we ordered it. You know, it's harder than you think to live without a sofa, especially in a small apartment. We have either had to sit on kitchen stools or the bed since we moved in. The stools aren't that comfortable and the bed just makes you look lazy.
After the saleswoman called me Monday to tell me it was ready, I walked past the store where the suspiciously familiar sofa was on display and it was gone. Makes sense if it was ours. But once ours was delivered, Paul wasn't as sure because he sat in the one in the store and the back cushions felt different than the ones we have. We chose a mix of foam and feather and the person in the store said the one on display was only foam. So maybe they weren't borrowing our sofa to display. We may never know for sure. Anyway, it's very nice and comfy and I love the color. Pictures once I clean up around it.
We can almost be couch potatoes now. We have internet; we have a TV; we hooked up to Slingbox; we connected the computer to the TV, and it all appears to work. We're just missing a remote control for optimum laziness because you have to control the Slingbox from the computer. Otherwise, we're watching Direct TV and starting to record some prime time shows.
I have learned so much about electronics and computer functions since just before we came here. From figuring out if my computer would work here to figuring out what adapter we needed to connect it to the TV... Paul has recently decided that I'm "better at those things." I have done well in some areas of potential confusion and I'm proud of my small technological accomplishments, but I'm far from a techie. Before this whole move, I had never even connected a VCR to a TV. But I now know about HDMI, HDCP, DVI-I, DVI-R, Mini-DVI, VGA, Composite, RGB and some of the many possible relationships between them. Long story short, Apple surprisingly does not make it easy to connect with HDMI which is what you want if your TV is an HDTV. So I'm using an adapter that works with a simple S-Video cable. This means that the picture is not spectacular, and I'm using my separate small speaker for sound, but right now I'm still just thrilled to sit on a couch and watch TV at all.
And the 'shop around' principal was confirmed while we wandered around massive computer centers looking for the adapter. One place had it for HK$380 (about $49) though for us he would take HK$300 ($39). It sells on the Apple web site for $19. We found one for about $21.
I know, I have to divide by 7.7 on top of all the technology issues to get a price. At least I'm getting some form of mental exercise.
But I still don't know which way to look when crossing a street. Those wrong-way-driving British and their former empire!
After the saleswoman called me Monday to tell me it was ready, I walked past the store where the suspiciously familiar sofa was on display and it was gone. Makes sense if it was ours. But once ours was delivered, Paul wasn't as sure because he sat in the one in the store and the back cushions felt different than the ones we have. We chose a mix of foam and feather and the person in the store said the one on display was only foam. So maybe they weren't borrowing our sofa to display. We may never know for sure. Anyway, it's very nice and comfy and I love the color. Pictures once I clean up around it.
We can almost be couch potatoes now. We have internet; we have a TV; we hooked up to Slingbox; we connected the computer to the TV, and it all appears to work. We're just missing a remote control for optimum laziness because you have to control the Slingbox from the computer. Otherwise, we're watching Direct TV and starting to record some prime time shows.
I have learned so much about electronics and computer functions since just before we came here. From figuring out if my computer would work here to figuring out what adapter we needed to connect it to the TV... Paul has recently decided that I'm "better at those things." I have done well in some areas of potential confusion and I'm proud of my small technological accomplishments, but I'm far from a techie. Before this whole move, I had never even connected a VCR to a TV. But I now know about HDMI, HDCP, DVI-I, DVI-R, Mini-DVI, VGA, Composite, RGB and some of the many possible relationships between them. Long story short, Apple surprisingly does not make it easy to connect with HDMI which is what you want if your TV is an HDTV. So I'm using an adapter that works with a simple S-Video cable. This means that the picture is not spectacular, and I'm using my separate small speaker for sound, but right now I'm still just thrilled to sit on a couch and watch TV at all.
And the 'shop around' principal was confirmed while we wandered around massive computer centers looking for the adapter. One place had it for HK$380 (about $49) though for us he would take HK$300 ($39). It sells on the Apple web site for $19. We found one for about $21.
I know, I have to divide by 7.7 on top of all the technology issues to get a price. At least I'm getting some form of mental exercise.
But I still don't know which way to look when crossing a street. Those wrong-way-driving British and their former empire!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Eternal Flame
Friday, May 2, was the day the Olympic torch was carried through Hong Kong. Here's the lowdown from the official web site:
The Hong Kong Torch Relay will take place on 2 May 2008 and will last 8 hours. The Olympic flame will be carried by 120 torchbearers to places throughout the territory on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and the New Territories to spread the Olympic spirit by running or by using various modes of transportation such as cars, dragon boat and launch. The route will pass through major landmarks and scenic spots of Hong Kong to showcase Hong Kong’s unique charisma and beautiful scenery to the world.
There was some worry about protests, but I think they just deported the handful of protesters. Hey, it is China. It seemed to run rather smoothly and there were plenty of people out to watch, many wearing red and waiving both HK and China flags. (bad day for your ebay user name to be 'noredshirts' as mine happens to be - long story - childhood incident with red apparel)
In the late afternoon I walked to Pacific Place which is a mall/office building/hotel/everything else building about ten minutes from us. People were mostly lined up on one side of the street, the side where they would clear traffic for the relay, so I easily found a spot across the street and stood and waited. I soon realized it was probably an easy spot to get because there was a bus stop a few feet past it and thanks to HK's very efficient transportation system, dozens of buses stopped there and blocked the view from time to time. People soon packed in nonetheless.
There was a group of Chinese people next to me, two little boys and two women. The boys were speaking English but the women were speaking Chinese - Mandarin or Cantonese, I don't know. The boys were funny in a typical young boy way. Whenever a bus passed, they whined things like, "This is torture!" and "C'mon, lady, get on the bus!" After about 20 minutes the traffic on the other side of the street stopped so I knew the torch was approaching. The women next to me must have also felt the excitement because when a couple of buses started to slow near us, their expletives were in very clear English.
Fortunately, no buses passed when the procession arrived and I got to see the Olympic torch. It was pretty cool since I never really thought that I would see this. And then it was on its way and everybody dispersed and that was that.
Of course, there are photos. You can click on them individually to get a better look.
The Hong Kong Torch Relay will take place on 2 May 2008 and will last 8 hours. The Olympic flame will be carried by 120 torchbearers to places throughout the territory on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and the New Territories to spread the Olympic spirit by running or by using various modes of transportation such as cars, dragon boat and launch. The route will pass through major landmarks and scenic spots of Hong Kong to showcase Hong Kong’s unique charisma and beautiful scenery to the world.
There was some worry about protests, but I think they just deported the handful of protesters. Hey, it is China. It seemed to run rather smoothly and there were plenty of people out to watch, many wearing red and waiving both HK and China flags. (bad day for your ebay user name to be 'noredshirts' as mine happens to be - long story - childhood incident with red apparel)
In the late afternoon I walked to Pacific Place which is a mall/office building/hotel/everything else building about ten minutes from us. People were mostly lined up on one side of the street, the side where they would clear traffic for the relay, so I easily found a spot across the street and stood and waited. I soon realized it was probably an easy spot to get because there was a bus stop a few feet past it and thanks to HK's very efficient transportation system, dozens of buses stopped there and blocked the view from time to time. People soon packed in nonetheless.
There was a group of Chinese people next to me, two little boys and two women. The boys were speaking English but the women were speaking Chinese - Mandarin or Cantonese, I don't know. The boys were funny in a typical young boy way. Whenever a bus passed, they whined things like, "This is torture!" and "C'mon, lady, get on the bus!" After about 20 minutes the traffic on the other side of the street stopped so I knew the torch was approaching. The women next to me must have also felt the excitement because when a couple of buses started to slow near us, their expletives were in very clear English.
Fortunately, no buses passed when the procession arrived and I got to see the Olympic torch. It was pretty cool since I never really thought that I would see this. And then it was on its way and everybody dispersed and that was that.
Of course, there are photos. You can click on them individually to get a better look.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Limelight
We went to see a stage performance of Macbeth Saturday night. I did not drag Paul. He went willingly. Neither of us ever saw a Shakespeare play before, so it was interesting. I read Macbeth when I was a sophomore in high school and I remember parts of it vividly, probably because I had a good teacher who impressed it on me. It's amazing how much I recalled as I was watching it.
The performance itself was good, not great, not that I have anything to compare it to. The theater seats were not made for large Americans, so Paul's knees almost blocked his view. The theater was a quick walk from our place, and across the street is the Grand Hyatt on the water. Wow, that's swank. We ate there after the play at a Thai place called JJ's. It was moderately expensive, but what I really want to try is the Italian place there, but that will likely be for a more special occasion. Knowing us, the occasion will be, "Well it cost $45 for pizza, so we might as well pay for something good."
After dinner we went to the hotel bar which had a house band and was pretty lively. Now we know where to go if we miss hearing Shakira or Rihanna and we've got dance fever, while keeping in mind...
Have a great day!
The performance itself was good, not great, not that I have anything to compare it to. The theater seats were not made for large Americans, so Paul's knees almost blocked his view. The theater was a quick walk from our place, and across the street is the Grand Hyatt on the water. Wow, that's swank. We ate there after the play at a Thai place called JJ's. It was moderately expensive, but what I really want to try is the Italian place there, but that will likely be for a more special occasion. Knowing us, the occasion will be, "Well it cost $45 for pizza, so we might as well pay for something good."
After dinner we went to the hotel bar which had a house band and was pretty lively. Now we know where to go if we miss hearing Shakira or Rihanna and we've got dance fever, while keeping in mind...
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Have a great day!
Friday, May 2, 2008
Shop Around
Shopping: Part 1
More than one person has asked what the shopping is like here. Before we left, I repeatedly heard that it was great, from people who had been here and even from people who were born here. I envisioned merchants throwing beautiful shoes at my feet for pennies. The largest section in the Fodor's Hong Kong is probably "Shopping." So for several weeks, I thought I was looking in the wrong places for all the great steals. Now I realize the sport of HK shopping has many unwritten rules and I'm hardly in the minors, but I'm learning.
First things first: Food
Eating is generally more expensive here. Dining out costs more and even take-out is expensive. It cost about $45 for pizza and pasta last night. No, we didn't take in borders; that was for the two of us. I suspect that it would be a lot cheaper if we could walk into the places that look economical and are packed with locals, but they only have menus in Chinese, so we have to rely on the places that have translations, and I'm betting we pay for it. In Mid-Levels, almost everything was in English. In Wan Chai, there's more of a mix. Cooking at home hasn't been a bargain either. Supermarkets aren't cheap if you want to buy products you're used to using.
There's also the Wan Chai Market a few blocks from us. I gave it a test run this week. It is one of the last "wet" markets left in HK. They're called wet markets because the shopkeepers constantly hose down the fresh fish and produce. There used to be many more but the government shut a lot of them down after the SARS epidemic. I haven't been adventurous enough to buy meat or fish this way, not so much for the health concern but more that I just don't know how to go about it. I bought some vegetables at the Wan Chai market though. I bought Romaine lettuce, 2 large heads of broccoli, and two onions for about $2. And the seller through in some scallions. O.K. that's where your great shopping lies: produce markets. I went in the afternoon and only a few stalls were open. Somebody told me that it's more active in the morning, but all I saw were fruits and vegetables. I don't know if the meat and fish sellers already shut down for the day or if they don't exist there anymore. I have read that this market could soon be the next victim of the Urban Renewal Authority. That would be a shame.
Clothing and Stuff
I don't know, but I don't think this is the bargain paradise that I heard it once was. Every mall in the central part of HK is filled with designer brands like Armani and Dolce and Gabanna. So if you want to dress like a runway model, then yes, it is great shopping... if you get paid like a runway model. Then there are still a few street markets where they seem to sell everything from electrical supplies to shoes to mangoes. There are bargains to be found, but even bargaining here is apparently not as flexible as it once was. You can try, but I don't know how far you'll get. Shopping around is essential because so many stalls have the same thing and one place might charge double what the guy down the street is asking. Would I buy dress shoes or an evening dress in this way? Probably not. Would I buy a flip-flops or a hair clip? Certainly.
You can find the extremes, either Gucci or a bin of tee shirts for about $3 each. But the in-between stuff has been more of a challenge. Our first month here when we lived in Mid-Levels, we were closest to Central where there are predominantly high end stores, or Soho, where there are pricey little boutiques. Now that we live in Wan Chai, I at least pass by small stores that seem to have a range of clothing priced more realistically. I'll let you know what I find when I try them out. I didn't exactly come here clothing-deficient, so I've only been scouting the stores so far. I haven't signed any players yet.
Oh, I did buy one denim jacket. What do you think I went for, the bargain bin or the store where even their shopping bags look expensive? Ask Paul.
Next episode, I'll tell you about a few of our shopping experiences and my bargaining skills (spoiler alert: I'm not very good at it).
More than one person has asked what the shopping is like here. Before we left, I repeatedly heard that it was great, from people who had been here and even from people who were born here. I envisioned merchants throwing beautiful shoes at my feet for pennies. The largest section in the Fodor's Hong Kong is probably "Shopping." So for several weeks, I thought I was looking in the wrong places for all the great steals. Now I realize the sport of HK shopping has many unwritten rules and I'm hardly in the minors, but I'm learning.
First things first: Food
Eating is generally more expensive here. Dining out costs more and even take-out is expensive. It cost about $45 for pizza and pasta last night. No, we didn't take in borders; that was for the two of us. I suspect that it would be a lot cheaper if we could walk into the places that look economical and are packed with locals, but they only have menus in Chinese, so we have to rely on the places that have translations, and I'm betting we pay for it. In Mid-Levels, almost everything was in English. In Wan Chai, there's more of a mix. Cooking at home hasn't been a bargain either. Supermarkets aren't cheap if you want to buy products you're used to using.
There's also the Wan Chai Market a few blocks from us. I gave it a test run this week. It is one of the last "wet" markets left in HK. They're called wet markets because the shopkeepers constantly hose down the fresh fish and produce. There used to be many more but the government shut a lot of them down after the SARS epidemic. I haven't been adventurous enough to buy meat or fish this way, not so much for the health concern but more that I just don't know how to go about it. I bought some vegetables at the Wan Chai market though. I bought Romaine lettuce, 2 large heads of broccoli, and two onions for about $2. And the seller through in some scallions. O.K. that's where your great shopping lies: produce markets. I went in the afternoon and only a few stalls were open. Somebody told me that it's more active in the morning, but all I saw were fruits and vegetables. I don't know if the meat and fish sellers already shut down for the day or if they don't exist there anymore. I have read that this market could soon be the next victim of the Urban Renewal Authority. That would be a shame.
Clothing and Stuff
I don't know, but I don't think this is the bargain paradise that I heard it once was. Every mall in the central part of HK is filled with designer brands like Armani and Dolce and Gabanna. So if you want to dress like a runway model, then yes, it is great shopping... if you get paid like a runway model. Then there are still a few street markets where they seem to sell everything from electrical supplies to shoes to mangoes. There are bargains to be found, but even bargaining here is apparently not as flexible as it once was. You can try, but I don't know how far you'll get. Shopping around is essential because so many stalls have the same thing and one place might charge double what the guy down the street is asking. Would I buy dress shoes or an evening dress in this way? Probably not. Would I buy a flip-flops or a hair clip? Certainly.
You can find the extremes, either Gucci or a bin of tee shirts for about $3 each. But the in-between stuff has been more of a challenge. Our first month here when we lived in Mid-Levels, we were closest to Central where there are predominantly high end stores, or Soho, where there are pricey little boutiques. Now that we live in Wan Chai, I at least pass by small stores that seem to have a range of clothing priced more realistically. I'll let you know what I find when I try them out. I didn't exactly come here clothing-deficient, so I've only been scouting the stores so far. I haven't signed any players yet.
Oh, I did buy one denim jacket. What do you think I went for, the bargain bin or the store where even their shopping bags look expensive? Ask Paul.
Next episode, I'll tell you about a few of our shopping experiences and my bargaining skills (spoiler alert: I'm not very good at it).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)