daylight wuh?
so Daylight Savings happened on the other side of the earth... the only reason I know this is because I'm staring at my laptop clock and it's an hour off from HK. And Bill O confirming this helped.
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Today, spent the day in central. For a sunday, there are "bun muy's" everywhere! They use all of central to hang out like bums sitting on the pavement in the pedastrian overpasses or the building's open lobbies to meet, eat and relax on their one day off from caring for the chinese families that hired them. I have a lot of issues with that but the culture in HK doesn't really allow for working mom's to take care of their kids without one. Like nannies but cheaper, they also clean the house, cook dinner... HK doesn't have day care centers like the US does.
First went to Soho. Got some awesome wonton noodles - best I've ever had. I will and have been saying that often about all the food so far. Walked around soho for a bit - there are so many restaurants... It's right by lankwanfong...but I feel like they cater to the tourists more, I could be wrong though
Afterwards went up to victoria's peak by the tram at sunset and walked around the peak... the city looks so beautiful at night when it's all lit up. The sad part is the pollution that clouds the entire city. From TST you can barely make out the mountain top behind the buildings in broad daylight bc the pollution is so heavy. from Victoria's peak you could barely see beyond TST...forget about trying to see the horizon. It's no wonder ppl walk around wearing masks it's because of all the pollution, smog an smut from the cars, buses, planes, etc...and well some ppl are just dirty...
by nightfall we took one of the 'ding ding' street tram's to causeway bay for some dinner. I like causewaybay... it's alive and full of ppl -not that HK isn't full of ppl bc it is - well young ppl - Went by time square, which is a block long, and ate morewonton noodles and went to honeymoon for dessert yum!
Walked over to kumbaklay for some prelim shopping...hehe.... I'm coming back with a full suitcase for sure!
around the world
So the Cardinals won the world series...
Went up to Langtau to see the giant buddha. Pretty cool, the gondola ride up was awesome, you could view the buddha from very far away...
Went down from there into Tai O - small fishing village at the base of the mountain. It was so fascinating to see that culture and lifestyle. There houses are built onto stilts, and their income is primarily based off of well fishing. Dried fish stalls everywhere, and carts catering to the tourists that come down from lantau mountain ...
It's a difficult life, that was obvious to see, but it seems incredibly peaceful as well. Everyone sat on their decks over the water hanging out with neighbors and families as the sun set.
Afterwards we traveled into the subarbs to another fishign spot where we picked out our catch, Fresh Abalone, Thailand (roughly translated) Pissing Shrimp which longer than the length of your hand and taste like lobster, clams, snails, freshwater fish, oysters... and brought it all to a local restaurant where they cooked it for us... all in all it came out to about $200 for 10 ppl, including the beer. In the US this dinner would have cost well over $700 - 800 dollars if not more given the number of ppl that were eating.
It's good to be in HK for food.
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I've touched on this before, but the longer I stay in Hong Kong, there are many western attributes that I do miss that Hong Kong for all of it's international attributes still lack.
Again, it is very comfortable being here, although difficult at times since I don't read chinese there is English everywhere. My chinese isn't as bad as I thought it would be, so far no one has assumed that I am from america when I do speak it. Which is kinda nice... but since I"m not fluent it's difficult for me to get my meaning across with the limited chinese that I do know.
I really can't put into words what it is that is throwing me off, it's these small chinese idiosyncracies that drive me nuts. Rudeness and pushing is huge - basic manners are lacking around here. It's mostly chinese guys and grandmas - but my mom says that's bc they're from china and that's the way that they are...
The other is just the way everyone carries themselves around here...They seem so diminunitive because of how they carry themselves, screaming stereotypes of quiet passive ppl. Maybe I'm just an arrogant uptight new yorker who is stereotyping. maybe...
A part of me actually cannot wait to be back home, I miss being away from my family and being able to move on my own without someone worrying about where i am. They keep telling me that HK is not like NY, that much is obvious, but being treated like a 10 year old, it's getting tiring. And I'm not very patient with my family ... sigh.
Free food is not worth hanging out with family day in and day out
Macau
Last two days spent in Macau
Food:
Egg Tarts - awesome
Double boiled milk dessert thingys - Awesome, highly recommend the ginger and red bean ones, near old town
Curry chicken - we got screwed, gotta go back when I have the time to try it again
Cookies - Pastries!!!! there are padaria all over old town - free cookies and fresh jerky galore!
What is it like?
It's like Europe - thanks to the Portuguese, except dirtier thanks to the Asians.
The streets are super narrow, there are mopheads everywhere, although there were one or two cute vespas going around. It's really clean and dirty at the same time. Because of the huge casino boom - they're trying to rival las vegas and doing a really good job so far - parts of the island are really nice and other parts are really dirty and more ghetto. Cheap labor and high spending asians from hong kong and mainland make it an easy money maker ... vegas better watch it's back and find some more ways to compete.
My family rock - they took me site seeing everywhere, and fed me every two hours. I haven't been hungry since I got off the plane. I actually miss being hungry. I'm starting to realize as I spend more time here, that part of the reason I'm so comfortable here is because I am a city girl...and Hong Kong is that and more, also growing up with my huge family helped a lot as well, my chinese may not be very good but i've gotten by quite well so far. HK satisfies the very basics of what I like in terms of being comfortable to live in a city - major transportation system- easy to communicate and move around...constant people and movement ...shopping and food everywhere =) I definitely get looks from locals here, I guess it is obvious i'm american - still not sure what it is that distinguishes me...but they see it...
For a New Yorker I thought I walked a lot - but it doesn't compare with all the walking I've done since I've been here...I"m burnt every night and haven't had the energy to go out and party yet - just gotta get more sleep.
tomorrow - Lai chi kok and mong kok - for more shopping.
culture clash...or lack thereof
"m sitting in Hong Kong right now...well more specifically my aunt's condo in Hong Kong. I thought the moment I stepped off the plane there would be this crazy culture schock for me.
Instead, it all feels pretty normal. It's like one big chinatown, except all the apartment buildings are more than 30 stories high. Don't expect any brownstones around here. Spent my first day hanging around kowloon and walking down Nathan's road (or lane?) and nothing.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but i didn't expect to be so comfortable around everyone who is Chinese.
As American as a lot of people thingk I am, I'm inherently chinese culture wise. I grew up Chinese, and I may not speak it very well but I understand it quite well.
It might actually be easier than I thought to pick up and move here...thank god for british colonialism for 99 years...everything is half english here. But I don't know about living in those apartment buildings...there just so..Chinese!!!!
oh and the food...Fucking AWESOME.
Tofu - holy crap... best I've ever had in kowloon.
The shopping, so far i've just been comparing prices but it's ridiculously cheap... tomorrow the real pain on my wallet begins.
culture clash
Less than 24 hours I'll be on a plane heading back to Hong Kong. Why am I saying 'back'? Well, it's quite simple, I was born there approx 23 years ago and I haven't been back since.
What's changed? Apparently everything. The city's cleaned itself up. Become a economic and might I add fashion powerhouse. We ended the British colonial - old school! - rule of 100 years and transferred power back to China - 2 governments / one country (which by the way isn't working out so well).
Hopefully the hospital i was born in is still standing, even though the apartment we first lived in isn't.
I am anxious about....
Culture clash, worried about being suddenly emersed in an all chinese culture.
Not speaking chinese very well.
Standing out like an american - being called out on it
Getting lost!
Being treated like an outsider within my own culture... even if you see me as an American - I was raised Chinese... maybe you need to look a little closer to undertstand that about me.
I'm excited about
Getting Lost!
Meeting new people
Improving my chinese
Potentially loving Hong Kong - maybe i'll be inspired to move
Learning the in's and out's of a new city
Air conditioned subways!
Really awesome food
Really awesome shopping
Relaxing and catching up on lots of sleep...
and coming home to something very exciting...
::Big Smile::
oh, and my blog is completely pointless. It's so much easier to just go out and experience life rather than sit here trying to write it out ...
I should try and focus on one thing and write endlessly about that. It's a shame I have the attention span of a gnat...
is someone making coffee?
what?
crack, chinese food, beer ...
Dumbo arts this past weekend was fun...see above. Nesting in Courtney (the artist's) nest... gotta love live art...
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So on a weird note, chinese take out at 12am (apparently I'm a gizmo), combined with a whole 2 beers I drank and random babbling do not make for good dreams
Dreamt i was snorting up coke, quite professionally might I add - thanks hollywood - and trying to eat chinese food, while some chinese old guy kept giving me strange looks like why I didn't share the coke.
no more spareribs with white rice and fried spring rolls. mmm..friend spring rolls
Owned!
http://www.devilducky.com/media/51459/
Yes! He may not be the greatest president, but goddamn he can retort!
almost as good as crossfire with jon stewart, almost
86°F
