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The Entrance into ChungKing
If I had taken a photo inside, I think I would have been eaten alive..yeah I'm talkin about you, man in the green striped shirt..
Man 1 - "..And here comes another one, she'll be easy"
Man 2- "That she will be, but I'll get in before you do"
Me- "Damn, and so it begins"
Journal Excerpt, July 8th
Greetings friends, family and randoms.
So I could start by saying that I have done all the touristy things that Hong Kong has to offer, but that would be a lie.
Instead I have been drawn into a more intriguing aspect of this place - that being the residence of 36- 44 Nathan Road.
Also known as 'The ChungKing Mansions'.
The stomping grounds of the so called 'mansions' have been described by some as a 'microcosm of the United Nations'. Take away the formalities of the latter and add a touch of ghetto and that description could not be more apt. Makeshift stalls, restaurants and men trying to get you to stay in their "beautiful $10 rooms", everywhere you look there really is a representation from each continent of the world (sorry Antarctica,maybe not you..). I have this idea, that if all the governments of the world and their civilians were as diplomatic and friendly as the inhabitants in this dwelling seem to be with one another; then wars, civil unrest etc wouldn't be much of a problem...But will I hold my breath? I think not. My idealistic heart will not fool me this time.
Oh, what a smart idea it was to book my nights stay beforehand.If not, I would have been a pig to the slaughter for the Indian men on the groundfloor searching for a westerner to stay in one of those aforementioned rooms.In their eyes, I would presume, me being a shortass solitary female westerner wasn't going to hurt their chances (my backpack, which screamed "budget traveller" was also not helping my situation). But no, I was not to be had ('no' being the most used word in my travel vocab so far) not on my first day of international travel at least.. *pats myself on the back*.
My stubborness however, doesn't always pay off.
I was to later learn that one of those men was from the hostel that I was looking for, who had been standing there with an A4 piece of
paper with my name and my nationality scribbled on it. But I blatantly, if not hesitantly ignored him. Yes, you may well have assumed that he was genuine and I was stupid for ignoring him but I had been told by the hostel specifically to ignore anyone on the groundfloor purporting to represent them, yes ANYONE... Did I mention that he was Indian? Yeah, that wasn't doing him any favours under the circumstances.
As for my room, which cost me close to 30 Australian dorry, let's just say that I'm appreciative I didn't get a look at those 'beautiful $10' rooms. If mine was any example of what to expect in the rest of the building, I think I would have been staying in a shoebox, that being in the literal sense of the word.
Did I enjoy the multicoloured lights of the city buildings that illuminate the skyline every night?Sure they were pretty.
But some things can be more appealing to the foreign eye;
If you are willing to take on a certain perspective,
If only for a fleeting moment.
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