Out and About

Today got off to a fairly spastic start.  Between my nearly blinding myself with the ribbon on my tshirt and thinking I shorted out half the hall with an ill-advised combination of chargers and adapters, I was just not at my best at 6am.  So I said screw it and got back in bed.

When I did finally drag myself out it was to go over to Hong Kong proper and hop a ferry.  Taking the subway to Central at 830am on a Friday morning is not the best idea, but it is an experience.  Think sardines in a can and you can just about picture the scene.  I want to give a special shout-out to the woman on the subway who managed to put on eyeliner while the train was in motion.  Congratulations random stranger, I (who can barely manage a non-wobbly line while standing a foot from a mirror, holding extraordinarily still, and sticking out my tongue ever so slightly) have never felt less like a woman.  Well done stranger!

At this point I want to say how much I love the public transportation in Hong Kong.  I love it in a way that only a farm girl can: as an exotic and mysterious service sent from heaven.  Like Thai delivery.  Between the MTR and the 3 different ferries I took over the course of the day I sampled the best Hong Kong had to offer and I was not disappointed.  I was also not broke as the public transportation here is awesomely cheap. 

I spent the bulk of the day on a little island called Cheung Chau.  Once you get off the ferry it’s like you’ve entered the China of the movies.  There are bicycles lined up everywhere, it smells like gasoline, and (I swear to God this happened) a little old man with a curio shop was sitting outside listening to classic Chinese music on a record player.  It’s also about 90 degrees here and the humidity is just this side of rain.

The island is getting ready for their big yearly Bun Festival which I am going to miss by about 12 hours when I leave for Bali.  It dates all the way back to the plague of the late 19^th century and has evolved into a kind of 4^th of July centered around some kind of child’s race/climb to gather buns off a giant totem.  I will attach photos of the prep.

The island isn’t very big so I managed to see a lot of it in the 5 hours I was there. I toured a couple of little temples.  I took a hike (more like a vigorous walk, don’t get excited) through the “Mini Great Wall” which is on the wilder backside of the island.  I walked along the beach.  Did I get in? No.  When the selling point of your beach is that you have  a shark net, you can pretty much just count me out.  Shark net?  Sounds like something a mid-level dominatrix would wear to the office Christmas party.  It does not sound like something that would actually protect me from a shark.  No deal.

Discoveries of the Day:

1)      McDonald’s serves “Grilled chicken curly pasta” for breakfast.  It is delicious.

2)      There is a giant difference between Ming Dynasty dragons and Chang Dynasty dragons.  The Mings look like Falcor from The Neverending Story.

3)      Apparently having blonde hair and blue eyes means you actually look like Barbie over here.  I am okay with the comparison/complete overlooking of shape and size.

Yuuumm, sweat.  In a can.

Bun towers.  Not at all phalic.

Richie Elson, this one is for you.  It's called Zombie Rock.  It looks like Frankenstein lying on the slab. 

One of these architects was trying to prove something.  Not telling you which one though...

Ruby, this overly sweet Asian Coke is for you.

I bid you adieu.