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Published: December 19th 2010
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After what seems like too long, I decided to take a trip to Hong Kong. Having a four and a half day weekend made it an easy choice. A friend and I caught the bus out of Peizheng at 1230pm, bought tickets for the 145 bus to Hong Kong, and inhaled our 15 RMB McDonald's lunches while we waited to leave Huadu. The trip was much faster than I anticipated, as we reached the border by 4pm and got to our apartment a bit after 5pm.
The apartment, while nothing fancy and lacking the breathtaking views we all dream of, was decent sized. One large bedroom, one tiny bedroom, a bathroom bigger than a broom closet, cozy kitchen, and a living room are all squeezed into the same amount of space I have in my apartment at Peizheng. For Hong Kong, this is a decent sized apartment, and I found myself imagining what it would be like to have a family of four or more living in a space a fraction the size of my modest childhood home.
My friend gave me a quick tour of the neighborhood before we headed down to TST. We were in search of
Mahjong anyone?
Or cards, if you prefer an Indian restaurant my friend said was somewhere by the Temple Night Market. The Temple Night Market stretches for blocks upon blocks, and we must've walked nearly a kilometer before backtracking and asking directions. It was well worth the effort; the food we ate was the best I've had since I was in India. We started with somosas, noting the men from mainland China at the table next to us. (It's amazing how much they stick out in Hong Kong, sometimes.) I had dal (lentils) in a creamy tomato sauce while my friend had chicken in coconut sauce. We split two baskets of nan bread and left feeling full and satisfied. We perused the night market and I finally bought the "I heart HK" tshirt I've been wanting since 2008.
We next went to the Miracle Mile to a pub we both know and love. We savored a few pints of Guinness while watching the people around us and catching up.
We got back to the apartment after 11pm. It was now time to figure out the hot water heater! We managed to figure it out: first turn on the water in the shower, then hold the "light"
Mmmmmm
One of the best things in life! switch in place for 60 seconds, flip it to ignite, run for the bathroom. I was delighted with my two-minute shower, feeling warm, clean, and happy it hadn't been the 30 second shower I'd been warned about. Apparently the foreign teachers were taking really long showers and the building manager decided we were wasting too much water and gas, so he rigged the timer to turn off the gas after less than a minute. I can understand shortening the amount of gas we can use, but couldn't he have at least given us 60-90 seconds?!
I snuggled into my bed, gazing out the window. My view from my tiny room is nothing but tall apartment buildings and some hills. I cannot see the horizon.
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