Day 1: On The Wrong Side of Hong Kong?

~ 14th March 2014, Friday~

 We've finally landed safely at the airport. It's my first time in Hong Kong as I had trouble with my visa for China two years back. This time round, I was smarter, I got myself double entry visas. Fancy taking a train to collect the luggage. I wonder how does the floor plan of the whole airport looks like. We were quite disappointed that our passports were not chopped. Everything was computerized. So, no chop and sign or whatsoever. My newly renewed passport is quite empty if not it will be filled up with chops of going in and out of Hong Kong like I actually stayed there. Will I get lost on my own in Hong Kong? Definitely YES. Do I speak Cantonese? No... unless I am forced to as I can understand Cantonese dialect. Don't even think of scolding me in Cantonese I can scold you back.

Finally we met up again after two years 

Pinky's second aunt... also my second aunt? I don't know... I just call her as how Pinky, my international travel buddy calls her. It's really extremely kind of her to travel all the way from Shunde to welcome us in Hong Kong. Mind you, my international travel buddy was still busy packing her stuff in Melbourne while we have already landed safely. 

Counter for purchasing Octopus Card

Second aunt purchased our Octopus Card for us so that we could travel by just swiping the debit card for all sort of public transportation. We're headed to the place where we would bunk in for a couple of days before leaving Hong Kong. Nah... I'm not on holiday for three days only. I don't do three days holiday. So, let's go home... wherever 'home' was.

In the belly of the public double-decker bus... 

I thought we're going to take the MTR to reach faster, but instead, we were waiting at the bus stop and yes... shucks... I've just arrived and I was running with my luggage to catch a bus that flew passed us. Darn! Everything in Hong Kong moved at the speed of lightning. Everyone needs to learn to slow down in life. I'm sure people who met us on the road thought that we were walking at the speed of a tortoise with double shells on our back. Yes, I know we're slow by Hongkie standard but it's really very fast already according to my Penang standard where we hardly walk. We only drive around, not walking from one street to another side of the city and walk up and down a quarter of the map. 

Replica of Penang Bridge... I felt that I'm back home...

From the airport to the last stop of the bus station, we had to go pass two bridges and I was thinking,"Hey, they looked so much like Penang Bridge." Okay, I'm from the jungle, entering into a big city. And I can't help it but think, why the bridges looked so much like Penang Bridge. Anything to do with British colonization there and British time here? Same kinda structure. So, nothing special... yet... I believe.

Bird shit on the road sign

So, we're gonna stay here for a couple of days. Before I left, my translators have translated for me the address that I would be at. I have a team of translators who helped me out with my holiday plans. God bless them all for their hard work. No wonder the smell of salt was so strong, more like the smell of salted fish. Now you know where to go hunt for suppliers of high quality ginseng and bird's nest? I'm saying it's of high quality because I have seen them with my own eyes. Really of good quality, thoroughly cleaned seafood of sorts. I can take you there as I have good geographical memory, if there's such a thing. I know how to get around the area after being taken around once. I have a little of photographic memory for historical facts and numbers. A little of language brain and other than that, no more I think. After throwing my luggage around like I'm back home, we left  for dinner. That's a really tiring part, hunting for dinner.

Rinse your drinking glass in hot tea...

Let me get you started with what you should do with your eating utensils. It's the same as in China and Taiwan. That tea in the teapot was not for you to drink yet. You're suppose to wash your pair of chopsticks, soup spoon, small bowl and plate with the tea and then that tea was to be gotten rid of. Only after that, you asked for more tea for drinking. It's the same kind of tea. Some restaurants just let you wash with boiling hot water. The first time I was in China and now, again going through this process before eating, fancy I didn't throw the hot cups into the air, but to keep on the safe side, Pinky would be washing my eating utensils for me. Thank you for your services, dear. 

Clean your plate for food waste...

By the way, you're suppose to take your food and put them into the small bowl. The small bowl is used for eating while the big plate is for you to put your bones and whatever nonsense that you feel like spitting out of your mouth or digging out in between your teeth. My family in China knows I'm the total opposite so, they don't bother to wash my bowl properly but instead my plate was washed thoroughly as I use the plate instead of the bowl. Don't follow me, okay. This is just my style.

Toilet paper on dining table provided by the restaurant...

That's a roll of toilet paper for you to wipe anything that you want to wipe, but it's definitely not for you to wipe your ass in public. Hong Kong still gives you free tissues, but in China, please bring lots and lots of tissues. Tissues are not free but as usual, I carry anything and everything except for tissue papers. The best part of being here in the restaurant was, we washed everything clean and chit chatted and ordered our food. I was about to faint from hunger but one of the waitresses told us that we had to wait for an hour. Even second aunt couldn't wait as she has to go back to Shunde. So, she marched us out of the crowded restaurant. We went to another place in one of the streets, it was quite a fancy restaurant which I don't mind having my dinner there. But since there was an invisible waiting list, we went marching in another direction until we finally landed in a quite empty shop. Empty shop means one thing, food is not good. Seriously, not good at all. Hungry people cannot be picky eater. So, I ate whatever I felt was edible. Done with dinner, go home! Nothing much to do so since we're staying at the top floor, one of the uncles took me up to the rooftop. Whoa!

Penang Bridge in Hong Kong?

Was that the bridge which we used just now? I have no idea but it was a good view from the top but most part of the sea was blocked by other taller buildings. Hong Kong is one place with so many tall buildings lined up like dominoes. If one falls, can you imagine the domino effect that will suffice? 

Our first outing in Hong Kong: Taking photos on the dark rooftop...

We were having a date night up at the rooftop without a pot of hot tea or coffee to accompany us on a cold night. The weather was really good at around 15-degree Celsius and we were in total darkness. Okay, I have good eyesight that helps at night. At least I didn't trip on anything and went flying 34 storeys down.