Last stop: Hong Kong!

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I arrived in Hong Kong at about 8pm and headed for Kowloon area of Tsim Tsa Su, which is a touristy area and a good place to find budget accommodation. I took the airport express train into the city and shared a taxi with a pastor to get to the place where I would be staying- Chungking Mansions. This is a rundown (understatement!) building with many hostels and guesthouses. The place is swarming with immigration workers from Africa, India, the Phillipines who live in the building. There are long lines to get up the elevators. After checking in, I went downstairs to get some food and was too afraid to get in the elevator to go back up. The robbery still affects me and being in an elevator alone with 6 other African men was more than I could handle. It was absolutely sketchy, with the police around and everything.

I stood in the lobby until I saw a French guy and we went up the elevator together. He was really cool (although I can't remember his name) and we ended up going to sit by Victoria Bay and have a beer, which was good because I needed to get away from that place. Bad vibes. (I find it funny that the LP said that woman would be uncomfortable in the Valentine Inn in Petra, Jordan, which is completely fine, but give no warnings about this absolutely dodgy place!) The guys who run the joint where drunk when I arrived, and ended up playing drunken versions of Elvis songs on the guitar for me and my French friend, who the drunk man with a humpback thought was "very handsome... beautiful eyes". He must have said that about 100 times in 30 minutes. He was in love, "but not gay"--APPARENTLY. Really hilarious/sad.

Anyway, the next morning I met a girl from Taiwan, a German guy, and a Dtuch guy and we spent the next two days checking out all this sites. We took the peak tram up to Victoria Peak, The view was good, except there was so much fog, but we could still see the bay, so it was ok. Then we checked out the longest escalator in the world, and then went to the Hong Kong Museum of Art. The highlight of the day was definitely the lightshow that they have from the Tsim Tsa Su prominade which looks over the bay. All the buildings are choreographed with music and tons of lights. It was really pretty. Then we sat there drinking the night away enjoying the best part of Hong Kong-- the view of the buildings in the bay.

The next day was more of the same...taking the Star Ferry and checking out the city. Oh, and I checked out of the place that made me sweat...too sketchy, I decided to pay more money and rest assured (ie. make it home alive!).

That night we checked out Soho area which has tons of great bars. I met some cool people and have a great night (MASSIVE JELLO SHOOTERS AND BIG DRAFT BEER! on the businessmen I met).

I like Hong Kong. The transportation is great, it is very easy to get around, and it is great fun.

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