OK....I've decided to talk more about the things I've noticed about Hong Kong. As you know, I am a keen observer of the human condition. And there is LOTS to see in Hong Kong.
Bag Lady
Back home in Canada, we have the term 'Bag Lady'. Generally, it refers to a homeless woman who wanders the streets pushing a shopping cart. She would have dozens of bags attached to the cart, filled with all manner of recyclables and usable goods. Here in Hong Kong, there is a woman that is well known, that puts a new spin on the definition. This woman actually WEARS plastic bags on her body and head. She ties them up into knots, and applies them to various body parts. She basically encases herself head-to-toe in plastic bags. You can't really see her face, and she lays down on the ground in plastic splendor. I've seen here occupying a few street corners in Central, usually at one of the major zebra crossings, in order to beg for coins.
Tidy Construction
Hong Kong is under perpetual construction (and destruction) like most cities around the world. But what amazes me about roadwork here, is just how neat and tidy it is. There is a construction site near my apartment that exemplifies this concept perfectly. I am not entirely certain what they are doing, but basically its a huge pit in the street - I guess it has something to do with underground piping or wiring. But what makes it strange to me, is that every day after quitting time, they dismantle the construction site and cover it up like it never existed. And the next morning they return, put up the fencing, remove the flat metal plates that cover the large hole, and bring the heavy equipment back. So in the daytime, it's a chaotic site with dozens of people in a huge pit, with several large diggers. And at night, thousands and thousands of people walk over the covered hole oblivious to whats underneath the metal sidewalk.
Super Cleanliness
Every morning, on my daily pilgrimage to Starbucks, I have to go up 2 floors to get there. And every morning, 7 days a week, there is a small army of people scrubbing the place down like it had never been cleaned before. Just how dirty does the floor get every day, that they need to polish it every morning? There is a woman that is on all fours, with a scrubber looking for shoe scuff marks. They wipe down the escalators, step by step. They feather dust every nook and cranny, and make all the glass surfaces squeaky clean. Every day. And this happens everywhere. This city is obsessed with cleaning.
Signs
Signs are a way of life here in Hong Kong. There is nary a flat vertical surface on any building without a huge sign on it. In fact, it's pretty clear that buildings are designed in order to maximize the sellable space for signage. The city is well known for it's neon signs that hang out perpendicular from the buildings over the roads. And what gets me, is that the large advertising billboards (I am talking about signs 20 stories high) are replaced very frequently. No sooner do I become familiar with a large ad, then it is taken down and replaced overnight. I think there is a whole subset of the population here that rappel down buildings in the middle of the night putting up huge new Adidas ads.
Walking with Beer
Public drinking is not illegal here. I've seen, on many occasions, men dressed in suits walking down the street with a can of beer in their hand. And even more strangely is that I've seen it at 8 in the morning. Guys will walk in to the local 7-11, and buy a tin, pop it open and slurp it down, on their way to work.
Maximum use of space
Hong Kong is a city of about 7 million people (plus one!). Yet, it's a small city in area. And what makes it interesting, is just how clever developers and city planners are with space utilization. I guess that they are forced to think about the best possible way to fit everything in. In Canada, this is not really a problem, since the country is huge. As an example, here in Hong Kong, petrol stations are very often located underneath bridges and overpasses. Since this city is hilly, there are lots of elevated roads, and what better use for that space? I've also noticed that people don't live on the ground floors here. All buildings are designed to hold businesses in the lower floors. What would often be unusable space anywhere else in the world is valuable real estate here. If there is an empty space, somebody is selling something in it.
Umbrellas
It's been raining a bit here lately. And as noted previously, I am a bit taller than the average person in Asia. If you combine rain, umbrellas and a short population, you can imagine just how dangerous it is for me to walk on the streets when it is raining. The rain won't stop people from being outdoors, so the streets are just as crowded, except they all have umbrellas. And they are all pointed at my eyes. I am constantly dodging the business end of countless umbrellas from short women who can't see my head from underneath the canopy of nylon. I am always batting away their weapons, and they don't know why.
Update on plans...
I will be leaving Hong Kong on Thursday, heading to Taipei for 5 days. I really enjoyed my time in Taiwan last year, and I look forward to going back. I would like to explore other parts of the country, but once again, I will remain in the city. After Taipei, I will enter China for a month, starting with Shenzhen (and possibly Guangzhou). I will fly up to Shanghai in the middle of April and look around there. I think you can expect more regular blog posts from me once I am traveling again.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Daily Routine
It's Friday night, here in Hong Kong. I am nesting comfortably in my little Serviced Apartment. Living in Hong Kong is not as exciting as I once imagined. I suppose that once you change from traveler/tourist mode to that of a resident, things become different.
I have settled into a routine here. Every morning, I get up (usually about 8 am), splash some water on my face and hair, put some jeans and a t-shirt on, and then go down to Starbucks. They know me very well at the local shop. The lead Barista, Wilma, mockingly scolds me if I am 'late'. Wilma tells me that her father named her after the character in The Flintstones. She has a sister named Betty. I don't even bother placing an order. As soon as she sees me enter the shop, they draw my Venti Americano. I guess I am a regular. Once, she wrote my name on the cup, along with a little heart.
After I get my mega coffee, I head back to the apartment, and begin my morning online. I check email/junk mail. I respond to whatever I need to, and then dig in to job sites. Every morning, I scour all the local and international sites for new postings. There are less and less postings all the time. Essentially, there are none in Hong Kong. All I am seeing are for jobs in other countries. At this point, I am applying for them. Who knows?
After a morning of job hunting, I either go to the gym or to Yoga. Most days it is Yoga. I found a great studio, not far from my apartment. They are one of the few studios that do Hot Yoga, which I prefer. Sadly though, the price is quite expensive. The monthly rate is about 3x what I was paying in Vancouver. But the upside is that I quite like the classes. There is a wide cross section of teachers, from all over the world, and most of them make the class quite enjoyable. I was used to "Bikrams Yoga" in Vancouver, but I am now learning all sorts of new postures (that I am barely able to perform), so my practice is growing. I also like that the teachers usually play music in the studios. Music helps me to relax, so it makes sense.
After Yoga, I head back home to work on some photos. I've made some major updates to my 'boys' website (link to the right), with several new guys added. I am now preparing to update my 'travel/art' site with many of the stuff I shot during my travels. I am also planning to do a re-design of both sites to make them more current.
At night, I try to meet up with friends for dinner, or a movie. It's not every night, but fairly frequent. I know a lot of people here, really. Most of them are encouraging me to find work here and stay in HK. It's just not that simple.
Sooner or later, I will have to leave Hong Kong, if I don't find work here. My Visa expires in the middle of April, and the lease on my apartment is up at the end of March. If I end up leaving Hong Kong, I will most likely head north into China, since I have a visa that allows me to. The job market in China is only slightly better than here in HK. The other places I am considering going to are Thailand and Malaysia. I am not sure the work climate is any better - but I do like those countries a lot.
This photo was shot yesterday, when I went to a small HK Island village called Shek O. It is a picturesque little town with lots of colourful houses and several beaches. This photo was shot by my friend Woody (retouching by me).
I have settled into a routine here. Every morning, I get up (usually about 8 am), splash some water on my face and hair, put some jeans and a t-shirt on, and then go down to Starbucks. They know me very well at the local shop. The lead Barista, Wilma, mockingly scolds me if I am 'late'. Wilma tells me that her father named her after the character in The Flintstones. She has a sister named Betty. I don't even bother placing an order. As soon as she sees me enter the shop, they draw my Venti Americano. I guess I am a regular. Once, she wrote my name on the cup, along with a little heart.
After I get my mega coffee, I head back to the apartment, and begin my morning online. I check email/junk mail. I respond to whatever I need to, and then dig in to job sites. Every morning, I scour all the local and international sites for new postings. There are less and less postings all the time. Essentially, there are none in Hong Kong. All I am seeing are for jobs in other countries. At this point, I am applying for them. Who knows?
After a morning of job hunting, I either go to the gym or to Yoga. Most days it is Yoga. I found a great studio, not far from my apartment. They are one of the few studios that do Hot Yoga, which I prefer. Sadly though, the price is quite expensive. The monthly rate is about 3x what I was paying in Vancouver. But the upside is that I quite like the classes. There is a wide cross section of teachers, from all over the world, and most of them make the class quite enjoyable. I was used to "Bikrams Yoga" in Vancouver, but I am now learning all sorts of new postures (that I am barely able to perform), so my practice is growing. I also like that the teachers usually play music in the studios. Music helps me to relax, so it makes sense.
After Yoga, I head back home to work on some photos. I've made some major updates to my 'boys' website (link to the right), with several new guys added. I am now preparing to update my 'travel/art' site with many of the stuff I shot during my travels. I am also planning to do a re-design of both sites to make them more current.
At night, I try to meet up with friends for dinner, or a movie. It's not every night, but fairly frequent. I know a lot of people here, really. Most of them are encouraging me to find work here and stay in HK. It's just not that simple.
Sooner or later, I will have to leave Hong Kong, if I don't find work here. My Visa expires in the middle of April, and the lease on my apartment is up at the end of March. If I end up leaving Hong Kong, I will most likely head north into China, since I have a visa that allows me to. The job market in China is only slightly better than here in HK. The other places I am considering going to are Thailand and Malaysia. I am not sure the work climate is any better - but I do like those countries a lot.
This photo was shot yesterday, when I went to a small HK Island village called Shek O. It is a picturesque little town with lots of colourful houses and several beaches. This photo was shot by my friend Woody (retouching by me).
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Observations
I've been in Hong Kong for a little over one month now. And I intend to stay here for another month. That is the best excuse I have for not writing more often. I think I've been running out of things to say. The whole point of this blog was to talk about my travels in SE Asia. But I haven't really been traveling....
However, I've started to notice things about Hong Kong, that I've never really thought about, before. Perhaps having lived here for a while, I am feeling more like a resident, and less like a wide-eyed tourist. I've been to Hong Kong many times, of course, but some things are starting to become evident to me that I have never really noticed before.
For instance:
1) Restaurant Service.
I've eaten in a large number of restaurants in Hong Kong, and Asia in general. But one thing I am really struggling to get used to, is how poor the service is in restaurants. Maybe I am just too fussy, but I just don't quite get the way they do things here. If you order an appetizer, a main, and a dessert...good luck getting them in THAT order. I often get the appetizer after the main course. When I press them for an explanation, it's usually "oh, we just type them in to the computer, we can't control the order they are delivered...". And if you are dining with a friend, it is pretty common for one person to get ALL of their food before the other will get any. And it's a good chance that they will get their dessert first. Very strange system here. And, they have the balls to charge for service automatically, even if the service is quite bad. Is the service really bad, because the staff are paid so poorly? Or this the accepted standard here in Asia?
2) Slow walkers.
I am staying in Causeway Bay, in Hong Kong. This is arguably one of the busiest areas of Hong Kong. There are always tens of thousands of people here on the streets at all times. But they walk SO SLOWLY! It's really a dramatic contradiction of how busy the city is. I've never really thought of myself as a fast walker, but I sure seem to be, in this city. Maybe my legs are really long? And I've noticed that people seem to be completely oblivious to others on the street. They will turn their head one way, and walk the other way. In a regular small city, this wouldn't matter much, but in Hong Kong they are constantly walking into others. And for some reason, when they walk in groups (very common), they walk slower, and side-by-side-by-side, blocking access to the sidewalk to all others. Why does this happen?
3) Groceries.
I went to the local supermarket recently. I understand that the Asian diet is a lot different, but it's not just that, that makes me scratch my head. I wanted to buy a loaf of bread, but they don't sell WHOLE loaves of bread. They only sell loaves with the ends cut off. Imagine a loaf of bread, then reduce is to the middle section, and that is what you get. Don't people like crusts here? And even then, the bread is square - not bread shaped. Weird.
4) Clothing
There is definitely a discernible style here. I never really noticed it in the past, but you can really see a Hong Kong style. It's not quite like other countries. Of course, I've been noticing mostly men, though. The body shape has a lot to do with it, too. Since HK men are usually quite slender, they are able to wear clothes that accentuate or flatter the body. So, that means slim cut pants with small waists, and sweaters or shirts that are fit to the body. Colours are bold, and fabrics are top quality. Even though guys here attempt to create an individual style, there still seems to be a uniform among all of them. I really stand out here, dressing as a Westerner.
I will be updating one of my websites in the next few days, posting photos of all the guys I've shot while on my travels in the south. Stay tuned!
However, I've started to notice things about Hong Kong, that I've never really thought about, before. Perhaps having lived here for a while, I am feeling more like a resident, and less like a wide-eyed tourist. I've been to Hong Kong many times, of course, but some things are starting to become evident to me that I have never really noticed before.
For instance:
1) Restaurant Service.
I've eaten in a large number of restaurants in Hong Kong, and Asia in general. But one thing I am really struggling to get used to, is how poor the service is in restaurants. Maybe I am just too fussy, but I just don't quite get the way they do things here. If you order an appetizer, a main, and a dessert...good luck getting them in THAT order. I often get the appetizer after the main course. When I press them for an explanation, it's usually "oh, we just type them in to the computer, we can't control the order they are delivered...". And if you are dining with a friend, it is pretty common for one person to get ALL of their food before the other will get any. And it's a good chance that they will get their dessert first. Very strange system here. And, they have the balls to charge for service automatically, even if the service is quite bad. Is the service really bad, because the staff are paid so poorly? Or this the accepted standard here in Asia?
2) Slow walkers.
I am staying in Causeway Bay, in Hong Kong. This is arguably one of the busiest areas of Hong Kong. There are always tens of thousands of people here on the streets at all times. But they walk SO SLOWLY! It's really a dramatic contradiction of how busy the city is. I've never really thought of myself as a fast walker, but I sure seem to be, in this city. Maybe my legs are really long? And I've noticed that people seem to be completely oblivious to others on the street. They will turn their head one way, and walk the other way. In a regular small city, this wouldn't matter much, but in Hong Kong they are constantly walking into others. And for some reason, when they walk in groups (very common), they walk slower, and side-by-side-by-side, blocking access to the sidewalk to all others. Why does this happen?
3) Groceries.
I went to the local supermarket recently. I understand that the Asian diet is a lot different, but it's not just that, that makes me scratch my head. I wanted to buy a loaf of bread, but they don't sell WHOLE loaves of bread. They only sell loaves with the ends cut off. Imagine a loaf of bread, then reduce is to the middle section, and that is what you get. Don't people like crusts here? And even then, the bread is square - not bread shaped. Weird.
4) Clothing
There is definitely a discernible style here. I never really noticed it in the past, but you can really see a Hong Kong style. It's not quite like other countries. Of course, I've been noticing mostly men, though. The body shape has a lot to do with it, too. Since HK men are usually quite slender, they are able to wear clothes that accentuate or flatter the body. So, that means slim cut pants with small waists, and sweaters or shirts that are fit to the body. Colours are bold, and fabrics are top quality. Even though guys here attempt to create an individual style, there still seems to be a uniform among all of them. I really stand out here, dressing as a Westerner.
I will be updating one of my websites in the next few days, posting photos of all the guys I've shot while on my travels in the south. Stay tuned!
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