Hong Kong Day #2

I got up around 6:30 yesterday and went to work in the common area of the hostel. This hostel is small in every way. I am in a 4 person dorm-although only 3 of us are staying in there now. My bed is next to the wall-my neighbors bed is next to the wall-and if I reach my arm across I can touch my neighbor's bed. This would be ok if there was a large common area-but the common area is really just a small desk and 3 stools-so this place clearly isn't a place to spend any time at. And in the common area, the guy who works at the hostel sleeps in a cot, so I worked for a little with the guy in his cot. Once the guy folded up his cot though-it was only a few minutes more until some hostel lady ordered me to move my feet so she can clearn the floor. She got up with her mop and bucket, removed the stools, and started to clean. I just lifted my feet so she can do her job.

After a while-I got on the MTR-Hong Kong's expensive subway, so I could get to where the tour meets for the 11:00 am walking tour I have scheduled.-This tour took place by the clock tower near the ferry terminal, I place I haven't been before. I had time-so I stopped at Mcdonalds for breakfast. I had the big breakfast with an Ovaltine and yogurt. When I went to use the restroom-it was being cleaned. I waited about 20 minutes-it was still being cleaned. I went to a restroom at the opposite end of the small mall I was in-and that one was being cleaned as well. I came back to the Mcdonalds rest room-it was still being cleaned. Finally, the cleaning woman-who saw me while she was walking slowly back and forth with her mop bucket and toilet paper-let me in to do her business. She was still cleaning-she just let me in. Cleanliness is obviously a priority in Hong Kong-vs. Egypt, where in Cairo the same piece of old pastry wrapper was on the stairs to the hostel for the entire 4 days I was there.

At 11:00 a tour guide named Matthew introduced himself to roughly 6 of us-and he showed us the old water tower, which was part of the train station-but the train station was torn down a long time ago, and moved aways-the water tower still stands as memorial to old Hong Kong. He told us the language in Hong Kong is actually Cantonese-and taught us a few phrases (which I forget). He showed as the Peninsula hotel-where Jackie Chan likes to eat, and a traditional British tea is served for around $45 US dollars at 4:00 pm in the afternoon. They also have 15 minute helicopter rides for approximately $250 around Hong Kong harbor. We also had a taste of egg balls, a traditional treat, and some tea, which was pretty good. He showed us a little Indian market-where there was cheap Indian food. His English was a little hard to understand-and when he wanted to say a building/place wasn't around any longer-he said "bye bye no more". He was very enthusiastic. Although I didn't learn as much as I would have liked, it was nice to meet other travelers, including an Ecuardorian girl with her boyfriend, and a family from Germany who originally came from Turkey.

After the tour-I checked another office about getting a Chinese Visa-I learned while it would be expensive-I could come in the following Tuesday and have it ready the next day if I rushed it-this seemed like a good plan if I was willing to wait.

After this, I walked back to the ferry terminal, and the Hong Kong Cultural center. Outside, there was a free concert from some groups in traditional costumes. Different groups of singers got up-some very good, and some painful to the ears.

Later on, I had another tour with Matthew-this showing the night markets-this was much more interesting. Matthew showed us where the food is made. He showed us people setting up for the night market, boxes of live frogs ready to be cooked, snakes which we're alive ready to be killed and cooked, and he gave us taste of tangerines.

Later on, I had dinner with Chorouk, a Morroccan I met on the walking tour l who was working in China, but whose Visa ran out and she was here to reapply. She told me the ins and out of China, and how few folks spoke English. We got lost walking back, found the MTR, and went back to our respective hostels.