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Hello All,
When I woke up I went downstairs to look for something to eat. Instead of having the expensive breakfast (especially so when it doesn't just go on Richard's room tab) I decided to have a walk to see if I could find anything. My area seemed to be very asian, and there were a lot of cooking animals in the windows, which didn't really appeal to me. Instead I went into a small supermarket to buy some milk and cereal. When I got to the front, there wassign that said cash and Octopus card (their really cool swipe card) only. I hadn't gotten any cash yet, so my plan was to hide my stuff on a shelf, run out for cash, come back and get it. As I put it down and walked off, one of the employees started yelling at me! She spoke no English, but I don't think she was happy that I had put the milk, spoons, bowls and cereal in the toilet paper aisle! Rather flustered I picked it all up, walked to the front and discovered that it was only one line that needed cash or octopus card.
Mike met me at my hotel (he lives in residence at the university) and the first thing we did today was get on a double-decker tram to head towards Central Hong Kong. It seems like everything in this city is a double or triple decker of some sort - footpaths, subways, restaurants, buses. They really know how to maximize space. I sat on the upper level of the tram next to a Chinese lady. When she got up to get off, a random man in the middle of the tram yelled at her (I think) to close the window. When she tried to close it, it wouldn't budge, then she lost her balance and fell onto the person across from me. She then yelled back at the other man, didn't close the window and stormed off. Hilarious start to the day.
We then took the Star Ferry from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon. It cost 2 HKD and took about 25 minutes to go 500 metres! It was definitely the least efficient part of the day, but it sure gave great views of the city.
From Kowloon we took the subway to the NGong Ping Cable Car on Lantau. The gondola takes you over Tung Chung Bay, past the airport and into the mountains all the way up to the Tian Tan Buddha Statue (Big Buddha). The gondola is 5.7km long and takes about 25 minutes. The size and height of it was truly incredible. I would say that it might be cooler than Whistler's Peak to Peak Gondola from Whistler to Blackcomb… It would be waaay cooler if you could ski down from the Buddha! The Buddha itself was amazing. It was enormous and placed at the top of a long series of stairs - Quite a different pose from the Reclining Buddha we saw in Bangkok. He was gold in Bangkok and Grey here. Must have been the Thai sun.
The subway system here is unbelievable. Everything is logical and seems to make perfect sense. My favourite part is that because so many people get off the trains at once there isa serious crowd heading up the escalators to get out - In response to this issue, the escalators are so fast! At least 3X the speed of back home easily.
After lunch in the Soho district with the ridiculously long covered movator - Mike went to class and I headed to Causeway Bay in search of custom suits. I managed to make it there on the subway and found the place that one of my other friends had suggested. Had 2 suits and 4 shirts made - Pretty cool!
One myth about Hong Kong is that everyone speaks English well. I managed to disprove this myth on my way home from the Tailor. After getting out at the closest subway stop to my hotel, I thought that I could manage taking the tram instead of a taxi. When I saw something familiar, I panicked and got off the tram. Turns out I wasn't close to my hotel yet. I asked about 5 different people where Traders Hotel was and they looked at me like I was speaking Hindi or something. It didn't help that as I walked towards what I thought was the direction of my hotel, there was less and less English. But then finally I saw the golden arches of McDonalds next to the hotel and managed to make it all the way back without anyone's help!
Last day of the trip tomorrow!
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