Hong Kong
At this moment, I am standing in line at the Visa office to fulfill my purpose here in Hong Kong. Thanks to 张申 however (and I mean that sincerely), I have just come off from a long and eventful weekend in the city. As I have some time before the blessed event of acquiring legality occurs, I thought it a good exercise in social decency to post a brief list of my adventures thus far.
Step #1: 19-hour train ride from 郑州 to 广州, then a 3-hour ride from 广州 to 深圳, then the metro from 深圳 to 红空. Trying to sleep with the eyes of 5 young and unkempt Chinese men on me. Very fun. And with a dead phone.
Step #2: Have a crazy Friday night.
Step #3: Wake up, deal with some practicals, have the best hot bun in the Hong Kong for breakfast (with, surprise surprise, shit coffee), do some shopping. First stops? The top record stores & used bookstores in the city. Traditional Chinese dumplings for lunch with inferior noodles (Henan spoils me terribly).
Step #4: Ask a stranger in Pacific Coffee (a chain in HK comparable to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf) to share a pastry with me, make a new friend. Go to a Mexican dinner with new friend, leave disappointed but grateful to have it nonetheless.
Step #4: The hunt for Jimmy, my first contact from CouchSurfing in HK. End up at an Irish pub & procure some free drinks from the locals. Meet up with Jimmy and some other CSers, who offer me a free bed for the night. Awesome.
Step #5: Sleep in.
Step #6: Check dim sum off the list for lunch. The menu: Roast goose, Chiu Chow-style dumplings, coconut pudding. My checklist for food in HK nearing completion, I leave the restaurant & B-line for a street vendor for an eggy-coconutty waffle (gai dan zai). Cuisine checklist = complete
…for now.
Step #7: Shopping, shopping, shopping @ Ladies’ Market in Mong Kok. Buy nothing.
Step #8: Stop at a Starbucks for some Wi-Fi and a cappucino, meet some Christians, find my place to stay for the night.
Step #9: Go to Jimmy’s house for dinner and music talk. Good times, leave at 2am.
Step #10: Face the challenge of getting downtown in a timely manner. Wait in line @ the Visa office. Offer candy to a child (she refused… smart kid), type up tumblr post.
