Monday, November 24, 2008
New Pics and Posts.
See the new link in the photo section for new pics and read the two new posts below.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
November activity...
Since the last time, there hasn’t been too much going on, but here are the major items. Last weekend I went to Lamma Island with one of my new friends from work, Pramit. We hiked from one side to the other and you can find pics in my new link. (when I get them in here tomorrow) Lamma Island is one of the less inhabited islands within Hong Kong. We had to take a 25 minute fairy ride to the island, even though you can see it with the blind eye, from the southern side of Hong Kong Island. I dont think I saw one car while on that island. However, I did find what Shryock's house would look like if he lived on an island coast. (please refer to pics)
There are a lot of seafood restaurants on Lamma Island as well. The most famous being the Rainbow Seafood restaurant. I did not eat at either of them, however, I did take pictures. The crazy part about these restaurants is that the seafood is still alive and you pic it out. Not just for lobster, but for prawn, squid, and all kinds of fish. (again, you can see the pics)
Also last weekend I played soccer with another friend from work, Eugene. I was the only Gweilo on the team, but it was fun. (I am really out of shape)
I have booked the airfare to come back to the U.S. as well as scheduled two additional trips. For $1900 US, I was able to get a roundtrip ticket from HK to NYC as well as two short trips. I will go to Boracay in the Philippines (via Manila) during the Chinese New Year in January and will go to Xian, China during Easter in April. You can wiki these two locations, but Boracay is an island in the Philippines with white sand beaches and Xian is where the Terracotta Army was found. (and is still there of course)
Ok, so the week before last I went to the Goldfish Market, Flower Market, and Bird Market on Prince Edward Rd. in Kowloon. (the peninsula part of HK) This was really sweet. Let me start with the easiest to describe as I passed through it briefly, the flower market. The flower market is basically a street with numerous vendors selling flowers, houseplant, trees, and flower pots; any type that can be grown in the region and of all different colors, shapes, and sizes. The bird market was a line of shops which had birds (go figure) of different types, that one can purchase. There are mainly small song birds, mainly in individual cages. There are also some parakeets, canaries, and parrots. One bird said hello to me, but that was the only one that I found could talk. There are also many breeding grounds there for “live” bird food. Containers full of crickets, maggots, and worms. (yes, there are seeds as well, but aren’t as interesting to see)
Although the bird market was pretty cool, the Goldfish Market was the best. This is an area about 3 city blocks long in which this one street has tons of shops with fish. When I say fish, I am talking small fish to big fish that you can purchase as pets. Most are smaller fish which they already have in plastic bags, hanging on the sides of walls. They have a lot of exotic fish, prawns, turtles (never knew there were so many different types), and others that you can purchase as well. There are even shops here with other types of pets, most popular being rabbits and chinchillas. As with the bird cages and the flower pots, there is also everything you need to take care of a fish or other pet. They have aquariums from 5 to 50 gallons (or even bigger), food of all sorts, and every piece of aquarium exhibit you could think of. (pirate ships, bridges and the like) This place is great and definitely worth visiting.
That should catch you up for now. Pics to come soon!
There are a lot of seafood restaurants on Lamma Island as well. The most famous being the Rainbow Seafood restaurant. I did not eat at either of them, however, I did take pictures. The crazy part about these restaurants is that the seafood is still alive and you pic it out. Not just for lobster, but for prawn, squid, and all kinds of fish. (again, you can see the pics)
Also last weekend I played soccer with another friend from work, Eugene. I was the only Gweilo on the team, but it was fun. (I am really out of shape)
I have booked the airfare to come back to the U.S. as well as scheduled two additional trips. For $1900 US, I was able to get a roundtrip ticket from HK to NYC as well as two short trips. I will go to Boracay in the Philippines (via Manila) during the Chinese New Year in January and will go to Xian, China during Easter in April. You can wiki these two locations, but Boracay is an island in the Philippines with white sand beaches and Xian is where the Terracotta Army was found. (and is still there of course)
Ok, so the week before last I went to the Goldfish Market, Flower Market, and Bird Market on Prince Edward Rd. in Kowloon. (the peninsula part of HK) This was really sweet. Let me start with the easiest to describe as I passed through it briefly, the flower market. The flower market is basically a street with numerous vendors selling flowers, houseplant, trees, and flower pots; any type that can be grown in the region and of all different colors, shapes, and sizes. The bird market was a line of shops which had birds (go figure) of different types, that one can purchase. There are mainly small song birds, mainly in individual cages. There are also some parakeets, canaries, and parrots. One bird said hello to me, but that was the only one that I found could talk. There are also many breeding grounds there for “live” bird food. Containers full of crickets, maggots, and worms. (yes, there are seeds as well, but aren’t as interesting to see)
Although the bird market was pretty cool, the Goldfish Market was the best. This is an area about 3 city blocks long in which this one street has tons of shops with fish. When I say fish, I am talking small fish to big fish that you can purchase as pets. Most are smaller fish which they already have in plastic bags, hanging on the sides of walls. They have a lot of exotic fish, prawns, turtles (never knew there were so many different types), and others that you can purchase as well. There are even shops here with other types of pets, most popular being rabbits and chinchillas. As with the bird cages and the flower pots, there is also everything you need to take care of a fish or other pet. They have aquariums from 5 to 50 gallons (or even bigger), food of all sorts, and every piece of aquarium exhibit you could think of. (pirate ships, bridges and the like) This place is great and definitely worth visiting.
That should catch you up for now. Pics to come soon!
Halloween is still scary for some...
It's been awhile since I posted. Pat Scott, this one is for you.
Let me start back around Halloween. For Halloween I went to a local club on the Kowloon Peninsula called “Club PP”, not to be confused with Club Pee Pee. Anyway, this is quite a large club with laser lights flashing around like it’s the 4th of July. (I considered wearing sunglasses when I saw the pictures of the place online) The club was decorated for Halloween and all of the servers, bouncers, and bartenders were dressed in costumes. However, none of the customers were dressed in costume, including me. I was the only “ex-pat” in the entire club of well over a thousand people. I had gone there with Jackie Chan, his cousin Anthony, and a couple of Anthony’s friends. We drank pitchers of Green Tea and whiskey and played a dice game in which you try to bluff the other person on the number of dye that are showing. (the dice are shaken in a cup like yahtzee)
Around 2:45 we decided to leave. Not because the bars were closing (as many bars in Hong Kong don't close, or at least not til 5 in the morn) but because we finally decided to go to LKF. (as you remember from my previous posts, this is the main ex-pat area) Well, we got to LKF, but went to a bar a street above the main area, so I didn’t get to see the chaos as described to me later in the week. However, this bar was still crowded and was a lot of fun. As I had been drinking liquor already, I continued with this approach and bought multiple rounds of shots and beer for my new friends. I have no idea what we were drinking as this bar did not know the OU favorites of “Angry Pirate, Hot Nut, etc.” I do know that I spent a lot of money and that we got into a cab to head home around 4:30 am. That was the last thing I remember. The next thing I remember is my front door closing behind me and me standing in the hallway of my apartment complex.
Let me clarify and give more embarrassing description of this event. You see, I had transported home without a problem (surprising as it was the first time that I had drank while living in my new apartment). Once home I had gotten undressed for bed and then went to use the restroom or perhaps simply go to bed. Instead of opening the door to my bedroom or bathroom, however, I had opened the front door to my apartment and stepped out. This is where my memory begins again and I see hear the door shut beside me. You see, the doors in most Hong Kong apartments will lock every time they close, as did mine that early Saturday morning. Well, needless-to-say I was standing in the 66th floor hallway of my apartment building in nothing but my boxers. No tee shirt. No socks. (thank God I don’t sleep naked) Realizing what I had just done, I for some reason did not panic, but instead further realized that I had to do what I had to do. I took the elevator down to Level 6 which is the floor that connects all of the towers together. I walked past the two security stations to the other set of elevators and took that one down to Level 2, the Administration Desk. There were two security guys working there as well, mind you it is around 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning from what I can tell. I tell the guy I locked myself out and ask if he can call a locksmith (as my realtor had said they would do) You see, the apartment complex actually does not own the apartments, they only management the property. They have no keys to the apartment. Anyway, I sit down in the chair and wait 20 minutes for the locksmith. When he gets there, I walk up to my apartment with him, he picks the lock, and I have no money to pay him. So I have to get dressed, go back down, walk up the street to an ATM (with the locksmith) and give him 300HKD (roughly $40.
I got back to bed and slept until 5:00 in the afternoon. Not sure what I drank that night.
Here is how the last part would have read from the security guard’s log of the day’s activities. “Young white boy come into office at 7:30 this morning. He think it only 5:00. He drunk. He wearing nothing. He say he have no key to apartment. He say he want me open door. I say I can’t. He say, ok, goodbye and start to leave. I stop him and say that I call locksmith for him. He say thank you, release toxic gas, and sit on chair. 30 minute later, locksmith come. Thank god”
I only have a couple pics from that night. One of a random group of people at Club PP and another I took for Pat Denbow and Sean Boetcher of two Asian girls dressed up as Ghost Busters. (will post new pics tomorrow)
Let me start back around Halloween. For Halloween I went to a local club on the Kowloon Peninsula called “Club PP”, not to be confused with Club Pee Pee. Anyway, this is quite a large club with laser lights flashing around like it’s the 4th of July. (I considered wearing sunglasses when I saw the pictures of the place online) The club was decorated for Halloween and all of the servers, bouncers, and bartenders were dressed in costumes. However, none of the customers were dressed in costume, including me. I was the only “ex-pat” in the entire club of well over a thousand people. I had gone there with Jackie Chan, his cousin Anthony, and a couple of Anthony’s friends. We drank pitchers of Green Tea and whiskey and played a dice game in which you try to bluff the other person on the number of dye that are showing. (the dice are shaken in a cup like yahtzee)
Around 2:45 we decided to leave. Not because the bars were closing (as many bars in Hong Kong don't close, or at least not til 5 in the morn) but because we finally decided to go to LKF. (as you remember from my previous posts, this is the main ex-pat area) Well, we got to LKF, but went to a bar a street above the main area, so I didn’t get to see the chaos as described to me later in the week. However, this bar was still crowded and was a lot of fun. As I had been drinking liquor already, I continued with this approach and bought multiple rounds of shots and beer for my new friends. I have no idea what we were drinking as this bar did not know the OU favorites of “Angry Pirate, Hot Nut, etc.” I do know that I spent a lot of money and that we got into a cab to head home around 4:30 am. That was the last thing I remember. The next thing I remember is my front door closing behind me and me standing in the hallway of my apartment complex.
Let me clarify and give more embarrassing description of this event. You see, I had transported home without a problem (surprising as it was the first time that I had drank while living in my new apartment). Once home I had gotten undressed for bed and then went to use the restroom or perhaps simply go to bed. Instead of opening the door to my bedroom or bathroom, however, I had opened the front door to my apartment and stepped out. This is where my memory begins again and I see hear the door shut beside me. You see, the doors in most Hong Kong apartments will lock every time they close, as did mine that early Saturday morning. Well, needless-to-say I was standing in the 66th floor hallway of my apartment building in nothing but my boxers. No tee shirt. No socks. (thank God I don’t sleep naked) Realizing what I had just done, I for some reason did not panic, but instead further realized that I had to do what I had to do. I took the elevator down to Level 6 which is the floor that connects all of the towers together. I walked past the two security stations to the other set of elevators and took that one down to Level 2, the Administration Desk. There were two security guys working there as well, mind you it is around 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning from what I can tell. I tell the guy I locked myself out and ask if he can call a locksmith (as my realtor had said they would do) You see, the apartment complex actually does not own the apartments, they only management the property. They have no keys to the apartment. Anyway, I sit down in the chair and wait 20 minutes for the locksmith. When he gets there, I walk up to my apartment with him, he picks the lock, and I have no money to pay him. So I have to get dressed, go back down, walk up the street to an ATM (with the locksmith) and give him 300HKD (roughly $40.
I got back to bed and slept until 5:00 in the afternoon. Not sure what I drank that night.
Here is how the last part would have read from the security guard’s log of the day’s activities. “Young white boy come into office at 7:30 this morning. He think it only 5:00. He drunk. He wearing nothing. He say he have no key to apartment. He say he want me open door. I say I can’t. He say, ok, goodbye and start to leave. I stop him and say that I call locksmith for him. He say thank you, release toxic gas, and sit on chair. 30 minute later, locksmith come. Thank god”
I only have a couple pics from that night. One of a random group of people at Club PP and another I took for Pat Denbow and Sean Boetcher of two Asian girls dressed up as Ghost Busters. (will post new pics tomorrow)
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