First Day in Hong Kong

On the first morning, Josh and I woke up around 8 and got ready for the day. Our water heater was broken, so we took sponge baths. Later, Stuart returned and gave us access to another flat to access that washroom while the staff works to fix ours. Always an adventure, right? 

We walked down the hills towards Admiralty in the most circuitous manner I could imagine. Rather than taking the staircases that turned out to be directly below us, we walked about a mile west and then headed north to the Admiralty area. We saw one Maserati and one Lotus while we walked, and we also saw several BMWs, Mercedes, and Hondas zoom by us. All through our walk, we were surrounded by tall apartment buildings that rose from the hillside. These apartments usually had 15 or more levels, and they were not all new. Some of them looked like they'd been around for thirty or forty years. 

 We eventually found Admiralty, after we found the Tram's track and wandered down some step-hill climbs that zig zagged between the apartment buildings. We also found the Pacific Place mall. It's similar to a western mall - trendy stores, glitzy advertising, security guards, shoppers - but there was a distinctively Chinese feel to it. The canned music being piped over the PA system sounded like traditional Chinese instrumental music, and some of the advertising was definitely directed towards Asian fashion and styling. The mall was very sleek and looked nothing like I remembered it. I actually don't really remember it.

We also found Starbucks and McDonalds. I really don't want to eat there, but I am also curious about the slight differences between the menus. Starbucks here is apparently run by a third party as a franchise, rather than the American corporate-run businesses. McDonalds is already franchised, and the menu is updated to incorporate more Asian cuisine. The double Fish Filet comes with a side of wasabi, and the McRib is covered in teriyaki sauce. We haven't examined Starbucks' menu yet. 

We went to the main offices at lunchtime and met the CEO, David Youtz. He's friendly and animated. He has lived in Hong Kong for the past four years and has a long history with China and Hong Kong, because he and his wife have adopted four children from Mother's Love, in Nanning, China, and he had taught in China years ago. 

Wenda, our main contact here at Mother's Choice, walked us to Wan Chai, which is a local's shopping district composed mostly of small shops and open air stalls. We had to purchase white shoes for the Wee Care facility, and we wanted to buy some groceries for our flat. I'll detail Wan Chai and downtown walking soon. Eventually, we hauled our bags back to the Hopewell Tower and then caught a taxi to take us the rest of the way to Mother's Choice. 

We have had a full first day in Hong Kong, and it has been great to see Hong Kong from a different perspective. It is so different and so much the same, and certain memories awaken in my mind wherever I look. I remember vaguely the walking we did around the downtown (or Central) area, and I remember sensations and friendships when I wander around the Mid-Levels area. 

We have the next two days free to continue acclimating to Hong Kong. We'll soon be getting local mobile phone sim cards so that we'll have local phone numbers, and we'll start getting familiar with street names.