***
More than 15 hours after leaving JFK, I arrived in Hong Kong. I've found HK to be a perfect launch point for the rest of my trip: Its qualities as the world's consummate 'East meets West' location (it's not a city, technically, but a "Special Administrative Region"--located in Southern China but not part of the Mainland) have made for a smooth transition to Asian culture.
We're 12 hours ahead of New York. I've never been able to sleep on planes, and so I arrived feeling as though I'd just pulled an all-nighter--heavy legs, slight headache, dry and puffy eyes. Staying up and going out that first night was the best way, however, to fight through my jet lag. Ultimately, it took me about 16 hours--two-thirds of a day--to adjust my internal clock to the new time zone.
Through my expat friends Yuzhen and Trammel, I've learned a lot about HK's (large) expat community--comprising mostly Americans, Brits and Australians in their mid- to late 20s, working in finance or for firms with some degree of global operations. "Transient" is their predominant, collective self-description: Groups of friends are constantly in flux, coming and going (though now mostly going, as people are losing jobs here, too) all the time. They're a fun crew, and everyone seems to know everyone else. I'm not convinced I could live here, though; the obvious impermanence of such an existence would be discouraging. One could make the same point about New York, of course, especially since I'm not from there. But with friends from college, work, church and other networks around, I do feel like I'm a lot more rooted in New York than just about anywhere else.
Saturday, my first full day in HK, was busy: After breakfast, Trammel and I took the tram to Victoria Peak, which overlooks the HK skyline. We hiked down most of the way to get back to Central district. (It's worth noting here that a cool feature of HK is the natural reserve / greenery embedded in the urban geography. The downside is that many streets are extremely steep--especially those in Central district, which is close to the peak--and require real effort when walking). After this, I went bowling, played squash, napped, went to dinner (see comments below), and partied until about 3 AM.
Today, I set out to explore more of life in HK. I walked down to the waterfront, and along the way saw legions of what I learned were filipino housekeepers (they work for wealthy HK families and have Sundays off) enjoying their own version of "Sunday Funday"--sitting together in makeshift cardboard "shelters," doing each other's hair, eating KFC, and generally having a grand time. After this, I took the train to Kowloon, which is just across Victoria Bay from HK proper. There's a great waterfront area in Kowloon where I tried to take some panoramic pictures of the HK skyline, but even on a sunny day like today, the constant haze hanging over the buildings prevented me from getting any clear shots. It's partly pollution, partly water vapor, but disappointing either way. Kowloon also boasts HK's "Avenue of the Stars," and I was able to pay homage to both Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, HK cinema's two uber-celebrities and favorite sons.
Briefly, I've noticed an interesting dynamic related to automobile ownership in HK: Since a) there is a distinct cab culture in HK which rivals New York's in terms of reasonableness and ubiquity, and b) the government marks up the price of cars by at least, and usually more than, 100%, owning a car is unnecessary and / or prohibitively expensive. Merely owning one is a huge status symbol. Furthermore, of the cars you do see, a disproportionate number tend to be high-end (Mercedes, BMW) or ultra high-end (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, and so on). Unlike in many (usually mainline Protestant) circles in the U.S., there seem to be no societal checks on Western-style ostentation in HK. Those who have, flaunt. I can only imagine what it was like during the bygone days of blistering economic expansion here and in the rest of Asia.
A few notes about what I've eaten (I'll continue to devote special attention to my gastronomic experiences throughout the trip):
First, it's obvious that HK is not representative of what I'm sure to encounter in other countries. This is a first-world, expensive place to live and visit, and more or less on par with what I'd find back home. And yes, you can drink the water.
On Friday, Yuzhen, two others, and I ate Chinese food at Shui Hu Ju, only a few steps away from where I was staying (Trammel's apartment). Yuzhen said the restaurant got great reviews, but she was somewhat disappointed with our meal--a reflection of the food snobbery entitled to any resident. I came away with a higher opinion. Everything we had seemed fresher and less greasy than what's typical for the New York delivery circuit, though I did think that flavors overall could've been bolder or spicier where appropriate. Highlights included steamed French beans with garlic, noodles with a hot chili / peanut sauce, and sauteed prawns with coriander. Dinner, including alcohol, came out to about US$45 per person.
Saturday, my second night in HK, Yuzhen arranged for 18 of her expat buddies (including me) to have a multi-course French dinner in a "private kitchen" in Wanchai district. It was BYO--virtually always a great feature. Dinner was a good time, but I gave the food itself average marks. Everything was classic French, with no Asian influence whatsoever: I had a green salad, crab bisque, sorbet (cleanses the palate between courses), magret of duck with orange sauce, spinach & mushroom gratin, and creme brulee for dessert. No individual dish stood out, though eventually that didn't matter, as the group had finished off the wine by the time we were halfway through our entrees. Luckily, someone brought a case of beer for backup. Altogether, cost was totally reasonable--about US$70 per person, including booze.
***
I haven't yet decided whether to spend one more day in HK or head into Mainland China tomorrow. I haven't arranged to stay anywhere once I move on to the next spot; I wonder if I should feel nervous about that.
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