Day Trip: Hong Kong (Kowloon & Central)

Despite having waayyyy too much work to do, D and I escaped to Hong Kong on Saturday to stock up on some supplies. We set out for Juizhou Port, and took the ferry to Kowloon. We had some time to kill before the ferry left, so we had breakfast at the little cafeteria at the port. Last time we were there, we couldn't quite stomach it -- food left out, typical Chinese hygiene standards (i.e., low*). But we must be getting used to things here because this time we didn't even bat an eye before digging in:



Once we arrived in Kowloon, we returned to the shopping center that we visited the first time we went Kowloon, and I was hell-bent on finding some comfy shoes (my dogs have been killin' me lately) and some tee-shirts that actually fit. D was in search of any and all clothes that fit.**

Our haul from the mall: Birkenstocks (both for me and D), several "fun" books (Margaret Atwood novels), Lush shampoo and conditioner, and some Benefit lotion (saucily named, "Do it Daily"). I love my new shoes for two reasons. First, they're f-ing comfortable. Second, since they're clogs, they also remind me of my bestest friend academom who has a fondness (addiction to?) clogs.

Since we'd already toured part of Kowloon on our last visit, we decided to take the Star Ferry to the main part of the Hong Kong, a part of town called "Central." This ferry is a no-hassle affair. You just leave the shopping center and walk down to the pier and follow the signs for the central-bound ferry. Then, you put 2.20 HKD in a machine, which lets you through a gate and into a holding pen for the boat. The trip across the water is short -- maybe 10 minutes. The boat looks like a "real" ferry (as D described it) -- sides open to the water; benches for seats; sailors who hoists up the thingie-you-walk-across-to-get-onto-the-boat. It's good fun zipping across the harbour and seeing all the boats milling around. Here is a picture of one (of many):



Riding on the boat made me happy:



Once in central, we toured a bit of the city. It's an incredibly hilly place. Imagine the terrain of Pittsburgh mixed with the hilliest parts of San Francisco mixed with Midtown Manhattan mixed with what you think a big Chinese city would look like. It's fabulous -- narrow twisty streets and neon signs and skyscrapers everywhere. People jamming the streets. High-end shops mixed with junk stores. It's a very exciting place to be.

I don't have any pictures, because they really wouldn't do the place justice. Maybe next time we'll get to go up Victoria Peak and I can take some photos of the view.

Footnotes:
* D and an ex-partner of his once had a phrase to describe weather that was hotter-than-hot: "Texas hot." This phrase was created after a cross-country trip landed them in Texas in the summer. In the same spirit, D and I have taken to using the phrase "China clean," as in "Is it clean or is it China clean" (meaning, is is clean, like how my mom thinks of clean or is is "clean" -- what passes for clean around here). It's been very useful.

** On the subject of shopping for clothes: the Chinese seem to be really intolerant of larger-sized people, viewing them as just one notch above slothfulness and depravity. If you think that the U.S. has size-ism issues, take a trip to the PRC.
[Edited to add: D wants me to add that people around here seem to view larger folks as handicapped, too. This is true. Whenever we are walking with Chinese colleagues and have to ascend a big flight of stairs, they always turn to D and comment, "Maybe you have trouble getting up the stairs?" Never mind that he works out 5 times a week. They equate thinness with health and (for some reason I have not been able to understand) strength. Of course, this is a nation that views ping pong as a rough-and-tumble sport.]