Fried Tofu Blocks

Kim took me and another classmate to Sham Shui Po. The restaurant he took us to had the best food I have eaten in HK, and shopping the neighborhood was fun.

The top floor of the wet market, where there are always restaurants...this is like a food court in a mall....





View of the market





Fresh fish, their hearts were still beating.





Frogs





Cuttlefish





More seafood





Tofu and bean sprouts





und Camera parts





After parting with Kim, the next day I went to IFC in central Hong Kong, on the Hong Kong island part. Or the "Manhattan" part if you will, where I live. :p





Like a bridge over city rooaddds





Security guard?





Pabst Blue Ribbon with Chinese characters leaning against oranges. Perfect. By the way, the oranges in the wet market were from Florida! I recognized the PLU and everything!





Back on the Kowloon side, in Kowloon Tong. Here is a 4 story Christmas tree. No really, check out the escalators in the background...





Around Kowloon Town. A peaceful mountain "college" part of the city.




Pond/Park





There University of Hong Kong where I will apply to attend shortly.





Around Mong Kok in Kowloon





Near Sham Shui Po in Kowloon





They make medicinal teas here for cough and cold, constipation, acne, and other things I forget.

I tried some for cough and cold, it was like drinking a cough drop. The ingredients are turtle shell and herbs. I did feel better afterwards.





Victoria Park nearby where I live.

Victoria Park again with the city buildings watching it.





The My Little Airport Show!
The show was great. Everyone was low key, sitting around drinking green tea. Good scene. Here is a photo of the stage with Nicole and AhP singing.




Ray, who met me at the metro, guided me to the show, translated the Cantonese between songs, and was generally awesome.





My photo with AhP and Nicole of My Little Airport.

A video from the show.

We went to Kowloon Town

On Monday I met up with Amy, who Judith introduced me to and we went to the Hong Kong history museum. There I learned about China the past 100 years, how they turned to communism to throw out imperialism, and then turned to socialism to throw out communism. This is where they stand today.

The museum also contained a history of Hong Kong, a place occupied by both the British and the Japanese. The trip to the museum was followed by the light show (again) and a trip to the night market. Then a trip to the zoo/botanical garden the next day. Here are das fotos:


Hong Kong Street Scene in Wan Chai





Old Skool Violin





Me mit giant statues in the Hong Kong history Museo





So glad I don't have to enter one living in HK





Ladies Market in Kowloon (For men and ladies and everyone)





Statue on the walk of stars





Light show again





The Night Market





Hong Kong is like San Francisco with a lot of hills, so they have movators.





Another Hong Kong city scene





Toys at the indie basement place where I got the My Little Airport tickets





Soy Milk in vending machines instead of soft drinks. This is so how the world should be.





A night scene of Fortress Hill, my neighborhood in Hong Kong




This evening I went to Mong Kok in Kowloon (pronounced Cow-loon) to buy tickets to the My Little Airport show this Friday. There I meet Ray who gives me a high five when he finds out I am going to the Friday show and agrees to meet me at the metro stop and guide me to the show. We talk My Little Airport, mourn the loss of Nicole, and then talk more indie. Turns out he is a sports commentator for Ping Pong. We then talk about the upcoming Asian games to take places in Hong Kong before my cell phone starts ringing. It is Kim (the guy from the airport who I have kept up with via email). He is setting a time to meet tomorrow so he can show me where to shop.

K: where are you now?
P: I am in Mong Kok.
K: Too expensive! I meet you tomorrow. Bring walking shoes, it will be cold, dress in layers. Don't keep your money in one place. Different pockets, don't let the shop keepers know how much you have.
P:Got it.

And so I am lucky to have Kim, possibly the world's most frugal person, as a guide to Hong Kong shopping. For if there is one thing which predominates in Hong Kong it is shopping. In most Western cities you have cafes and bars lining the streets. In Hong Kong you have retail. Electronics, shoes, clothes, food. Sometimes it spills over into the streets. These are the ultimate business people. Not good, not the best, the ultimate. Go anywhere in the world, and you will find a grocery run by Chinese. Frugality combined with respect, dedication, and hard work, help get these guys there. Perhaps their only flaw is that they are too focused on efficiency and customer service. You barely finish your plate and a drink before it is whisked away, and while you could sit at a restaurant for hours after, the whole feel of the culture tells you to do otherwise. Hong Kong is for moving on, ever on. Keeping on. But the people are so friendly and helpful. I met Kim at the airport and now he is meeting me to show me around. I met Ray at the indie record shop and he will meet me also. It is just so nice. Feels like home.