Visit to Central, Hong Kong

Hello!

Ok, for all of you who have emailed me asking to see the apartment, don't worry! I'll show you - I am just waiting until JP returns and finishes unpacking his bags before I take pictures! It looks a little messy right now! :)

I heard some bad news today - one of the other pilot wives said that it took 2 months for their boxes to come when they moved here! Yieks! Wish I would have stuffed more into the 2 bags I brought with me on the airplane! Oh well...it will get here when it gets here.

Before I moved to Hong Kong, I did a lot of reading about it online. One of the sites that I frequently went to was for expats living here. On that site, I began emailing a girl from here who wanted to meet me once I got here. Her American name is Erica. She was born in Hong Kong and teaches english in a local high school for boys. She wanted to talk in english while she showed me around town. Needless to say, I was a little nervous to actually meet her! I had many warnings - Mom, John Paul, Grandparents, my new friend Gabby, and others. I left my engagement ring at home, hid my passport under my clothes, took very little money, and met her in the crowded subway station downtown (in Central). She texted me what she was wearing so I could find her and I told her that I was 31, tall and blonde (let me tell you - I'm VERY easy to spot here! HA!). Well, clutching my cellphone tightly ready to dial while screaming for help, I went ahead and met her. As I was walking up to her, she looked at me and then kept looking behind me. Turns out she saw me but since I had told her I was 31, she was looking for someone who looked older. She said, "I thought most Americans looked older than their age, but you look younger." So, she won my heart right away! - Just kidding! ;)

Turns out, I had nothing to worry about. She was lovely! We spend 3 hours together exploring Central - which is about a 35 minute subway ride away from where I live (in Tung Chung). http://hong-kong-travel.org/MTR/

She showed me around a grocery store, told me how to make stir-fry, showed me where to buy cheaper clothes, where to "look at" expensive clothes!, and we enjoyed a little snack at a local restaurant. She had me try a drink that is popular here - it is half tea (British tea) with half coffee and milk. After about 3 spoons of sugar, it was really good! :)

The funny thing was, she had me try a special treat - fried bread. Well, when it arrived, I saw what looked exactly like french toast with a little butter, a little honey and some sweetened condensed milk on top. That's exactly what it was - french toast but without syrup! It was yummy! :)

(Me with Erica with an old police building from 1919 behind us- at least I believe that is what it was ...I saw a lot of buildings today! -  and little street shops all around us)



She took me on the "world's longest escalator" - which is basically a series of regular escalators one right after another. So you ride a little, walk a little and then ride again! You can get off between and shop or look around. Here's a picture:

Sadly, I'm afraid many Americans have left a bad impression on a lot of the Hong Kong people. I'm seeing that more and more. Erica immediately asked me if I wanted to see the bars in the western part of the city. When I told her that I don't drink alcohol, she was shocked. She said that all the Americans that she has met want to know where to find other Americans and where to go to the bars. As we went past the more western area, I saw more bars than I could count with a lot of westerners in them.

I'm afraid that many people I have met start out with a bad impression of westerners, and Americans in particular. They have seen many American men, married or not, come to Hong Kong to find Asian girlfriends and drink their time away while they're here.

Erica was very pleased to see that I was interested in trying the local food and seeing the sights here. We did a lot of walking today! I was getting a little tired near the end, but since she is so used to walking, she was fine! - and I found out that she is 4 1/2 months pregnant too!

I enjoyed seeing a few places where I can buy some more inexpensive items and clothes,

and she even took me to a local grocery store and showed me how to shop! She told me how to make stir-fry and filled me on on what she eats and how she cooks.

On a side note - I am learning to bring my water bottle everywhere I go. I have only seen one drinking fountain so far! Most people here bring drinks or buy them. Also, ordering water with your meal usually comes in a tiny little glass and if you order a cold drink such as pop, it will cost you a few HKD more than a hot drink!

I enjoyed seeing Hong Kong at night! Erica took me down by the water and I took some pictures. My pictures aren't very good, and being there was MUCH more beautiful than it looks in the pictures, but it will give you an idea anyway.

(Erica thinks this is Hong Kong's tallest building - sorry it's blurry).

(Blurry again, but it's still pretty!)

 

(Beautiful view of Central)

(Across the bay looking at Tsim Sha Tsui)

So - that's all for today! I'm looking forward to John Paul's return tomorrow night!