First Stop: Hong Kong Days 1 and 2
December 10, 2015
After the cheese fiasco, I ran to my gate and was seated in a middle seat at the back of the plane. In sheer panic of being tortured and awake in a middle seat on a 15 hour flight, I gulped down two glasses of wine and quickly fell asleep within an hour of the flight take off. Towards the end of the flight, I awoke confused and grossly uncomfortable, adjusted my seat, and watched the new Meryl Street movie, “Ricki and the Flash.” The credits just began to roll as the pilot announced the preparation for landing. Before, I knew it, I had landed in Taipei.
When I stepped off the plane, I became acutely aware of my dry throat and dehydration mounted my pallet. I roamed the Taipei airport in search of a water bottle. Hello Kitty, chocolate, and alcohol took precedence over water at all of the gate stores; so, I began my 30 minute trek around the airport while carrying a load of two grown men on my back, (or so it felt). I spotted a water bottle at a noodle shop at the other end of the airport, and quickly purchased the life-saver and trekked back to my gate.
After my short workout, I hopped on a flight from Taiwan to Hong Kong. I was served some rice and meat for breakfast (see picture). It looked worse than it tasted. A man next to me ordered two Whiskeys on the rocks during the 1.5 hour flight at 5:00AM. No judgment; he was probably on LA time.
Everyone looks the other way at airports. We disobey social norms. We wear sweatpants in public. We use gum instead of a toothbrush. We drink before noon. We sleep with our mouth wide open. We eat breakfast for dinner, and dinner for breakfast. Airports/planes highlight us at our worst, a bunch of degenerate train-wrecks, humankind at its finest. I like airports.
I walked out of the plane, and was impressed by the swiftness of movement. People didn’t linger in the plane. They grabbed their bags, and marched out of the plane with purpose. I was already in love with Hong Kong. I quickly made my way through security, but was quickly stopped (i.e. racially profiled), and was asked what country I was from. I watched as all of my Chinese and Caucasian counterparts strolled by me unquestioned. Of course, a 100 pound American woman born in Texas with blonde highlights is stopped in Hong Kong. I don’t blame them. I definitely look suspicious.
After getting further searched, I was finally past customs, and on my way to the Main Island. I love a good train system, (and was able to purchase a roundtrip ticket to HK Island and back for only 24 USD on the Airport Express.
When I strode out of the Airport Express on Hong Kong Island, I was greeted by a beautiful woman, dressed to the nines, makeup flawless, and hair slicked back in a bun: my old roommate and friend, Lan. She had her iPhone camera out, and smiled and waved, while taking my photo as I made my way towards her. It was nice to see a familiar face in an unfamiliar city across the world. I was also excited to meet her new fiancé, and get a taste of her life in the city. I knew a lot of time of solitude was approaching in other parts of the world, so I welcomed the ease into traveling abroad alone.
We flagged a cab, and for the first time I sat in a car driving on the wrong side of the road. We arrived at her nice Soho high-rise apartment, and I was amazed at the densely populated city. You couldn’t walk down a street without bumping into someone or stepping aside. The city sits on a hill and there are small shops and restaurants on every street. It is a walkable city as you can cut through streets with strategically placed cobblestone pathways uphill, long bridges, and escalators to help cut the walking time. However, because turns are on alleyways and not actual streets, it is definitely easy to get lost. The smells of street food penetrated the windy roads. Though I was traveling alone, I felt a part of something larger, a community of nomads brought together in one diverse, vibrant setting. My journey had just begun.
I was starving. I quickly showered and Lan and I headed to grab lunch at Ore-no by Ginza Okamoto, a two star Japanese Michelin chef. While crossing the street, Lan quickly warned me that cars do not yield for pedestrians. Good little piece of information to know, so I don’t end up in the hospital on my first trip abroad. We opted for the standing lunch. (Hong Kong is so efficient). If there’s no seats, instead of waiting in line, why not stand and eat? Great idea, especially since I had been sitting in a plane for the past day. We ordered an assortment of sashimi and a Japanese curry that was out of this world. The flavor was phenomenal, and I’ve never eaten a Japanese style curry. There was a lot of food, but between the two of us, we did a great job devouring it. We were in and out of the restaurant in 40 minutes. America: take note.
After lunch, I walked Lan over to her office and was visually mesmerized with the Christmas decorations. I went Snapchat crazy and started to take videos of the décor, (apologies to my followers). I walked around aimlessly, walking into random shops on my way back to Lan’s apartment. In my haze, or the bright colored decorations, I decided that I needed a nap.
A few hours later, and after my eyes received some rest, Lan arrived home from work. We quickly dolled ourselves up, and headed to a lounge opening party where we were served free glasses of champagne and hors d'oeuvres. I love anything free, and if there’s anyone I can count on for mastering the art of free, it’s Lan. Her fiancé, Billy met us there, and I met a few of their friends in Hong Kong.
One of her friends was a woman from Australia, and she corrected me when I was walking through my upcoming travel and referred to Melbourne as, “Mel – Born,” with my awful Midwest accent. Apparently, it’s called “Melbin.” Good to know prior to my trip to “Melbin.” I tried to teach all of them how to Snapchat, and immediately felt in touch with the younger generation, even though I was older than most people I spoke to. The champagne worked up an appetite, so we headed to dinner, and I put my trust into Lan and Billy as the menu was in Chinese. Whatever I ate was tasty, but I couldn’t tell you what it was. I headed to bed that night exhausted and full. I fell asleep at about 10PM with a smile on my face.
(Scroll through slide show below).
December 11, 2015
The time difference between LA and Hong Kong: Hong Kong is 16 hours ahead of California. I’m opening my eyes to a new day every morning, while my friends in the states are getting off work the day before. It is fun being a day ahead than virtually everyone you know. It’s like you’re in on a secret before anyone else. When I ring in the New Year in 2016, I will be the first to experience the upcoming year. The downside is it will be over more quickly, but unlike most, I will have another 11 days of travel after the New Year. Not too shabby, eh?
I woke up at 1AM on Friday morning (9AM California time on Thursday). I had to hop online for work, and communicate with coworkers in the states. I spent all night/morning/afternoon working/attending meetings. But, I won’t bored you with the details. When I was finally finished working, and the jet-lag started pounding me in the face, I realized I was hungry and decided to grab a bite to eat. I stopped at a local vegetarian restaurant, Grassroots Pantry, and continued to work as I gulped down a Thai Green vegetable curry. Every meal in Hong Kong continued to get better and better. Good thing I was walking or I would have to buy a whole new wardrobe upon my departure. My eyes started to droop, and I knew that I couldn’t last any longer. I walked back to Lan’s and took a late afternoon/early evening nap to refresh me. While I was sleeping, I missed some texts from Lan:
“Doing ok?”
“Hey girl, you good?”
“Just Checking in”
“Just want to make sure you’re alive and not lying in a gutter somewhere.”
Whoops, what I good friend. I slept right through her texts.
We made plans for dinner, when she got out of work, and I ran into Lan and Billy’s helper as I was making my way to the shower.
Helpers are the most amazing thing in Hong Kong. It is the norm in Hong Kong for middle to upper class households to have a live in helper or one that stops by a few times a week. Helpers are the secret to success and efficiency in Hong Kong. They do everything: cook, clean, laundry, take care of your children; you name it. They are also very affordable. They cost significantly less per week than a maid service in LA costs that just cleans your house/apartment. As a result, working is so much more approachable for women with children or even those who work long hours. Who wouldn’t absolutely love a home cooked meal waiting at home, child care during a long work day, a clean home, and fresh clothes nicely folded? Women can really have it all in Hong Kong, not just the super wealthy. They don’t need the book “Lean in” to give them balance and they can actually do it all. What I would give for a helper, (especially with Topanga and my travel schedule).
When Lan arrived home from work, we decided to have an early dinner at Yardbird, a restaurant right next door to Lan’s place. Lan, Billy, and I arrived early, so there was no wait. It is a popular restaurant, so if you get there an hour later, the wait is over an hour. The restaurant was very trendy, and the food was out of this world. The restaurant focused on small plates and skewers made to share, so we shared a number of items to include a few yakitori dishes, Korean fried cauliflower, and a liver mousse pate that was delightful. Suffice to say, we were rolling out of the restaurant on our stomachs.
After dinner, Lan and I, feeling the weight of our tummies, decided to take a walk around the area. We walked into this random Art store, and I discovered a wall that involved making a vow to your pet. I, being the unashamed tourist that I am, decided to contribute to this art studio by writing on the wall and dedicating it to Topanga. So, Topanga, there’s a dedication to you halfway across the world. I’m convinced that she felt my love from Hong Kong.
Lan and Billy, being great hosts, decided to take me bar hopping that night to give me a flavor of the nightlife in Hong Kong. I didn’t have cute urban clothes (as most of the things I packed were bathing suits and summer day dresses), so I wore the jumper I wore the day before again. This time I decided to dress it up with some fake eyelashes that Lan strategically helped me glue on. They were really intense in person, but they photographed extremely well. I felt like a Kardashian for the night thanks to the assistance of my glamour girlfriend - hairstylist and makeup expert, Lan.
We decided to walk around the Central District, and the bars were overflowing with people. Unlike most bars in the States, people were hanging out on the streets and sidewalks rather than standing in the actual bars. We walked by so many different types of people: business men in suits, women with hello kitty tights, tourists, neighborhood locals, and Expats. We settled on Ozu Bar because old school hip-hop music impounded our ear drums as we approached the bar. Lan and I shared a sake tasting of three types. (Good thing we shared it, because they were rather large tastings). Billy stuck with some Whiskey drink. We made Billy take 10 photos until we found the right one, (such a good sport), and then we decided to bounce and head to another place.
Our second stop was a night club. Lan knew a partial-owner/promoter of the club, so in typical Lan fashion we walked right into the VIP section, and were offered free drinks. We stayed for a drink, and explored the newly remodeled space. The club was so different than clubs in the States. Nobody dances in Hong Kong. They just stand there on the dance floor and awkwardly stare at the DJ. To be fair, it was before midnight, so maybe the club starts hopping later. After finishing half of the drink, we decided to leave, and were given free pocket squares as we left.
The next spot we stopped by was a bar/taco joint. We met up with a few of Billy’s friends, and were greeted with a shot of Patron. The tacos looked tasty, but because tacos are uncommon in Asia, the price was inflated. 15-20 dollar tacos? No thanks.
The bar was crowded, and after chatting with Billy’s friend, we decided to head to one last bar. Right as we walked in, a woman from across the room woman approached Billy recognizing him from afar. They spoke for a few minutes as Lan and I watched as she chatted up a storm. Just as she walked away, Lan laughed, and said to Billy, “You have no idea who she is, do you.” Billy sheepishly replied, “No clue.” I laughed. The man played it off well. I couldn’t even tell.
After the third bar, we decided to go to the Denny’s of Hong Kong, Tsui Wah. Again, I let Billy order as the menu was in Chinese. One of the dishes we ordered was a Cow Tongue curry. The curry portion was amazing, though I didn’t try the meat itself. Beef tongue texture just didn’t sound very appealing. However, I need to have that curry every night before I go to bed.
I was in bed by midnight. How starkly different was this night than the many nights Lan and I spent in DC, closing down clubs, and making it to after parties. Does this mean we’re old now?
No way: I'll blame it on the jet-lag.
(Scroll through slide show below).
