Typhoons, LKF and one big Buddha

---

(I realise my blogs are getting longer and longer, and this is not cool. I have started dividing the blogs into chunks, so if you start a story and get bored, you can skip to the next story in the next chunk. I will try to cut down in the future)


Thursday brought about a little wind. In Hong Kong this is defined as a type 8 typhoon resulting in the closure of all transport, shops and general amenities. In all fairness we didn't feel it much in Clear Water Bay but from what i've heard Central felt it. With a type 8, comes the cancellation of all classes. We had a free day! First off i went straight back to bed. I had worked over twelve hours solidly the day before for homeworks and deadlines, only stopping to eat or to a class. At lunch i met up with Edo and Enrique. All the canteens were closed. The uni shop had only just opened with a queue snaking through it's small isles. much like bacteria, there was one place that could ride out any conditions: McDonalds. McDonalds was the only place on campus serving warm 'food'. The queue once again choked the restaurant. Fortunately, as i've learned whilst here, Italians and Spaniards don't queue for food. They don't queue for much it seems. Once again my natural British manners and decorum flew away with the breeze outside and i found myself jumping in front of a good forty people. If you don't turn around, you don't see the resent and hatred in their eyes.
One problem i find with this campus is there isn't much to do. It's quite far from the fun and frolics of central Hong Kong but there is little to satiate the appetites of the students. The typhoon closed the pool, the pitches, the gym and the track. There was nothing do...had it not been for an Austrian with access to some poker chips. Gambling is illegal in Hong Kong so we definitely did not play for money. Sixteen people split into two tables and it was my lucky day. I knocked out most of my table, one guy three times as he kept buying back in. I had so many chips i struggled to carry them to the first table when we played best four from both tables. I dominated the game with hands any sane person would never think to play. I rode my wave of luck straight through the defenses of a guy who plays poker thirty hours a week and makes a living of it. He had a much better hand but my luck swept all this chips from under his chin to my position. Eventually it came down to me and one Swede. In two hands my fluke caught up with me and the tables were turned. I never got back up and came second. A poor end but a good way to pass a day in doors.


By the evening, the typhoon was designated a type 3 typhoon, the next level down, so we went out to Lan Kwai Fong (LKF), the party area of HK. The night was good but quivered in the shadow of one moment I still enjoy now. It isn't too rare a story, but, from my situation it unraveled in front of my eyes like a play on stage as i watched on from the royal box.
To set the scene:
A group of twenty or so were heading up some steps from one road to another. A fellow UCL exchange student who wishes to remain anonymous (let's call him Edo for the sake of this story) was trailing behind, as usual. We were at the first floor and noticed he'd been distracted by a local girl in a bar across the road. We now had a great view to watch him strut his stuff.
(from Edo's POV)
His lines were going down a treat. He started to hear shouting. He knew it was us from the steps, no doubt shouting at him to come along and stop preying on the innocent local girls. He ignores us and continues. His luck is in and he gets a kiss, and another, to cheers and applause from the Royal box (this is the moment we had been waiting for). After watching a couple of kisses, and feeling slightly queezy we send Vlad to talk to Edo. Vlad whispers to Edo. His face drops. He turns to his.....girl.
"What is your name?"
"Paula."
"What's your name??"
"Paula...!"
"What's your REAL name?!"
"...Paulo"
From our point of view it had been clear from the on set, but Edo, with doey eyes, had only seen the inner beauty behind the Adam's apple, broad shoulders and well trimmed beard. Sufficed to say he wasn't up for a big night after this and i took him home leaving the others to the festivities.


The following morning i had to wake at 0900 to get to a specialist that morning for my illness. He sent me for two tests after a chat and a quick examination. I came out $1200 (100GBP) out of pocket but with confidence these tests will turn up something positive. One test was a simple x-ray of my lower abdomen to check for kidney or bladder stones. The other was a urine sample which will be cultured (encouraging any bacteria to grow and show itself). Results come out in a week or two.


After catching up with some sleep, i joined a group of exchanges heading to Mr Wong's, a restaurant quickly gaining great prestige throughout UST. All you can eat chinese and all you can drink beer for $50 (4GBP). By 2030, when turned up it was full. We waited, starting on the free beers for half an hour until some tables could be set up outside the neighbouring shop when it closed, but there were no chairs. The mood was good so eating on our feet with enough beers to poison a blue whale was no problem.
We then, once again headed for LKF. Another good night was had, even though some chap started on me for very little reason. He scarpered before i could collect myself to launch a retaliation, it was an odd encounter.


Saturday morning was tough, but as i had been the one to organise a trip to the giant buddha (the largest sitting buddha in the world) i couldn't exactly flake on my own plans. A large number did however chose to sleep off the effects of the night before than hike the stairs to NP360 on Lantau Island. Edoardo (who unsurprisingly hadn't been out the night before), Antoine (a French Canadian i dragon boat with) and myself set out. We grabbed an all you can eat sushi lunch for $80 (6.50GBP) and headed up. There isn't much that can be said about the buddha, it is better to have a peek at my facebook photos.
We made our way back into Central in the evening where we went for a traditional Chinese pudding and then joined thousands of people on the bank of the river for the light show on display as it was National Day in China on Saturday. A very long and tiring day but a good one all the same.

I can't see much happening between now and Wednesday when i jet off to the Philippines (though i could blog about my impending washing load), so you have a week off from my incessant babble.

---