Cucumber sandwich, anyone?

Buddha's backside

Who's cow? Macau!

Not sure if it rained in HK today, because we got the heck outta Dodge. Took a ferry over to Macau for the day. The weather was actually quite pleasant. We even got in the sun a bit. Unknown to us (before our trip) there are 2 docks in Macau so we got managed into a boat to the wrong one. Well, so we grabbed a shuttle to one of the casinos, walked around a bit, grabbed some singapore food at the food court, then another shuttle to the other ferry terminal and then a bus to the old townish area to wander the streets. We may have spent as much time in transit as we did seeing the sites.

Found the Ruins of St. Paul, which reminded me of the Spanish Steps, partly because of the wide steps up to the top, but also because people are gathered all along the steps. The facade of the old church is pretty cool, and there is a good view of the city from the top. More meandering up around the fortress and more views. Took the return ferry, and enjoyed some gelato at the waterfront, staring at the HK skyline.

All in all a pleasant day, but looking forward to the sun promised to us tomorrow.

Hi Beth's mom!

Rain, rain, go away

One of these days I might actually get to see the big Buddha. I finally have a couple days off from work and it rains. And rains. I ran into a Frenchwoman the other day that told me not to bother going to Lantau because with the weather as it is, I wouldn't be able to see Buddha's head. I've also been told not to bother going to the peak unless it's clear. The two things I need to see most are still unseen. Oy.

At least I have a partner in crime for a few days. Beth has arrived from cold, rainy Seattle and she says, "At least it's warm here." :) That was before we wandered for a few hours out in the rain. But alas, we were able to scratch a couple things off the list. Jade Market, Ladies Market, Tin Hau Temple (one of them at least). I'd been looking forward to visiting the jade market, and might make it back there, but when every meter someone new is hounding you, I don't exactly consider it a pleasant shopping experience. The ladies market has some promising items, but purchasing items while maneuvering a wet umbrella just wasn't very tempting. Another day perhaps ;)

Beth did quite well for just arriving. She was awake all day before crashing out on her couch. She has a room near Chungking Mansion and let me use her wifi to load pics onto Facebook while enjoying the dry weather inside. We both live in rainy climates but we recognize the drastic difference. In the Pacific Northwest we don't find much need to use our umbrellas. Today I thought I was going to take one to the carotid. I thought before, 'Wow. What a lot of people.' Today, it was, 'Wow. What a lot of umbrellas.' Beth said she felt like a boxer with all the bobbing and weaving. I'm working on a strategy, but not sure that there is one winning one- stay close to the curb- or if a combination is necessary for survival-stay low and to your left. Either way, I'm ready for it to stop.

Bright side*my hair doesn't seem as frizzy* :D

Not eating McDonalds burger yet

Thought I should try Mos Burger sooner or later. I went for the full meal deal:)

Places you poo

Just to be fair...

Victoria Harbour

Even smoggier tonight.

Working nights aka What day is today?

This week is the only week while I'm in Hong Kong that I work all 5 days. Which I'm now realizing is crazy. I have 2 days next week, 3 the week after and then 4 before heading back. It's Thursday... it is Thursday right?..and I'm finally feeling awake at the right time. Monday was a drag, but I'm told it's like that every Monday. Tuesday was better, but then Wednesday, right when I thought I was doing good, sinus' acted up. Ug. But, I slept and slept when I got home...Thursday morning..no, it isn't Thursday, it's Friday. You see what I mean? Anyway, before going to work Thursday night I got some British medicine :) seriously, the Union Jack is on the box. Anyway, I feel better, but not 100 percent. Then I'll have one more day of work and the weekend.
Everyone I work with has been really great. The area where we work is a maze of streets and buildings and I've only dared go out once on my own, and that is just to the 7-eleven. They're everywhere! Of course, getting out of the building isn't the hard part, finding the way back is. But the people are great to me. Taking me out to eat, sharing snacks and such. I got to work closer with some of them this week and get to know them. One is organizing a dinner for Saturday night in Kowloon City. Thai food :) Someone said to me today, 'I heard you like curry'. I guess word gets out ;) Although there should be a bulletin sent out that I know how to use chopsticks because everyone asks or is surprised that I can. It certainly is different traveling with locals though. I usually don't need to order the food, although I do get consulted most of the time. I had a bite of a pig's ear today. What did it taste like? I didn't really notice the taste so much as the texture. Imagine what it might be like to bite and chew on a pig's ear... got it? That's exactly what it's like. Very tough.
For those who have asked (you know who you are), what is it like to work nights... I still might not know. I think my experience will be different than what it really is. Bravo to those of you who can do it. I'm not sure its for me. Now that I'm staying with my friend instead of at a hostel in Causeway Bay, it sure is easier to sleep during the day. Birds are singing outside my window rather than construction and honking horns. I even watched people doing tai chi from my window.
Hope the sky clears up soon so I can check out some of these great views I've been hearing about. I think it's supposed to rain next week so maybe I'll hit a museum on my days off.

Living the hostel life

So many things can happen in a week. Or you can hang out in a hostel common room meeting fellow travelers.;) I typically stay in hostels when I travel, and every one is different. Even the same hostel will be different on any given day of the year. You never know what you're going to get, and you make the most out of it. This trip is a bit odd because I'm working and not available to go with the flow. The flow has to stop so I can go to work, or meet the boss for dinner. I feel this as a disadvantage, but I wouldn't be here if it weren't because I'm working too.
By the way, it is an amazing city. I hope to actually see more of it soon. Meaning, I really haven't seen much of the touristy bits. Often on vacation because I'm doing so much every day the time seems so much longer. So far, this isn't the case. I feel a bit lazy, first it was the jet lag, then the work schedule, but I really haven't gone out to see much. Not to say I'm not soaking in the culture, I do that every day. And it is an amazing city. The people in my hostel are great. Some of them teach English in China and they are here on a visa run. Funny thing is they are stuck here longer because they didn't anticipate the holiday. Everything has been closed for Good Friday and Easter Monday in addition to the holiday last Wednesday. But they're making the best of it. Most of the people passing through are traveling though, and some of them for months. Its great that people can do it, I'm jealous and I admire them for it. But anyway, the people in general. As I've said in the past, everyone speaks English. I feel guilty for having it so easy- not to have to speak a foreign language, but love that it is convenient.
George and Mhairi have been the hosts of the hostel. I think they arrived the same day I did, but traveled up from Thailand. They are 18 and 19, and are a bit lot of fun. They are Scottish and lately I've been using Britishisms. It just happens it seems. Six nights of partying have finally caught up to them :) I arrived Sunday night but didn't really talk to many folks until Monday night when folks were chatting in the common room (a room with a dining table with a few chairs, a sofa, medium sized fridge and a couple cabinets). I think we were up until 3:30 that night. Tuesday night they were planning on hanging out but I headed into work to check if I could access my system. I got back to the hostel around 1:30 and one bottle of rum was already gone. Now to be fair, it wasn't just the Scots. There was also Sweden, Germany and New York. George and Mhairi had figured out this would be easier to remember people if they had nicknames. New York also became T-pain, cocoa pops, and Michelle. I am Dora (the Explorer) and Ti Ti. At any rate, they had finished off the rum, and Henrik headed to the store for another. We have the happy luck that there is a 24 hour store Wellcome around the corner. I knew I needed to be in the habit of staying up late so I joined in the fun. We were up until 5:15.
The next night I went to work for the duration. I arrived home around 7 am and people were awake still- Sweden was packing to leave and someone was sleeping on the couch. Apparently they had gone 'out' and just gotten back an hour earlier. T-pain who works for a small bank in NY is used to no sleep (20 hour workdays) and she seems always ready early in the day to get going.
Also George (baby doll) feels like if it's someone's last night in the hostel there should be a celebration. But in a hostel, every night is someone's last night.
This has been going on every night. Friday night they tried to talk me into calling in sick. To be fair, I hadn't been able to sleep well and had only 3 hours of sleep that day. At any rate, I finally did get to join in the fun on Saturday, and had 2 thoughts on it all. Wouldn't have missed it for the world, but also I'm kinda glad I had to be at work all those other nights as it was well after 6 before we even thought about leaving the bar.
We've seen many new travelers and swapped out Swedes, Germans and French. Had Wales, added Denmark and Toronto. Every trip, every city, every hostel is different. Love it all.

Working days are upon us

Wednesday was a HK holiday. The transformation in the city streets was easily seen. People rushing about wearing black were exchanged for relaxed patrons wearing everyday casual wear. Walking with their friends and families. The weather also made a drastic change. It was almost chilly...almost. I decided to head down to Central again, and I'm glad I did. Now though I took the subway. Much faster & the subway is amazingly easy to navigate. I exited in the direction of 'Statue Square' or something like that and found large numbers of people hanging about in the park. I thought, oh they must do this on holidays. Then as I wandered around, I notice that it's all just women. There are groups of women all over, on the sidewalks too, gathering and having little picnics. Cool, I thought. Must be part of this holiday. Streets are closed and there are groups in the middle of the streets. Some are dancing and singing, most are just visiting. No men (or very few). And oddly enough, no children. Hmm. Strange. I meandered about and later at the hostel George and Mhari reported that they saw the same thing at Victoria Park (where they were playing tennis balls :))
Now, this is where working here and knowing people in HK comes in handy. The first person I had a chat with at work explained it to me. On holidays and Sundays the guest workers get together in Central and Victoria Park. Since they don't have their own places to gather with friends they do this. He said most of them are from the Philippines. Silly me, I didn't even pay attention to nationality :)
So, last night was my first night working, and it wasn't all that bad. Once I was there and going full speed I didn't even realize it was the middle of the night... after all, 3 could be 3 in the afternoon, a perfectly normal time to be at work. I got a coffee (more like an americano) right before work, and it did a good job. I was jonesin' for another around 4 but was afraid it would keep me up. I went to sleep after 7 I think and up about 2. It will take me a while to get into it, but I'm usually feeling sleep deprived anyway, so thats ok. ALSO, when I got back to the hostel around 7, people were up! Henrik our Swedish flatmate was packing to leave and Iswarya said they'd just gotten back from partying about an hour earlier. So when I got up today around 2 many of them were still getting up and feeling the effects of their endeavors the night/morning before.
Right now, it's raining. I can hear it but haven't been out yet. It sounds like it's raining hard too. I'm meeting Doris for dinner around 7 before heading into work. She is letting me borrow a phone too, so I have a local number which is great! Ok, I should shower before it gets to be too late. Would like to venture out in the rain perhaps too ;)

Central

Today I walked to 'Central'. I thought I'd mix it up a bit and wear my jeans and sambas. I've learned over the years it's best to mix it up as far as foot wear goes when you're walking all day. Yesterday I wore capris and my flip flops. Today I thought I was going to melt. Another neat trick I've already picked up, is that there are certain places where there are breezes or are just cooler. By the water, for instance (yes, we knew that). So today when I was feeling over cooked, I found my way to the Central Pier. I had probably the worst Chicago Dog ever, but the biggest I've had. Yes, so far in terms of finding food myself, I'm not being very adventurous. Starbucks, melon ice cream, and hot dog. I have plenty of time to find that other stuff right? Anyway, as I meandered from the pier, I came across the giant Apple Store. No, Denise, they didn't sell giant apples. Anyway, as I was in need of an attachment for the outlets here, I ventured in. Yikes. But I made it out with what I needed. Then I wandered around through some malls. And we're talking shops like dior, manolo blahnik, marc jacobs, etc. I believe it was called Landmark. Then I wandered along the street, through H&M, ate mango ice cream, and back through another mall, with similar high brand names. Walked through a Lovely park, but was still melting. I finally got to the subway- I decided I could not walk back the two subway stops because they might find me in a puddle somewhere. But after I got off at my stop, it took me too long to get to my street. Wrong turn after wrong turn after wrong turn. I really should do better about recognizing landmarks. It really doesn't help that the same stores are on every other street. Anyway. I'm back to the hostel, and have the air conditioning running. I'll probably find something to eat (besides the lychee flavored mentos I bought) before heading to work. Hopefully all my systems will be go and I won't have to stay for long. After all, my hostel friends are planning to bar hop tonight. Ah, to pretend to be young again... seriously, one of them is 18!

Biggest Apple store I've seen.

There's a first time for everything

My first toilet to squat above... I'll have to work on my angle to minimize splashing:(

You gotta start someplace

Perhaps I should've practiced posting from the computer because right now I can't figure out how. The dropdown items are in Chinese:) Oh well, future Tina will figure it out (with help).
So far so good, my friend Sammy picked me up from the airport got me to my hostel, and fed. How do I ever do this without a local?!? I learned how to make tea (there is powder not bags) and smelled what I assume to be real fresh wassabi. I've slept and now ready for my first day.