Hong Kong, Day 1

Hong Kong is probably the coolest city I ever had the chance to put my foot on.

But let's take a step back, to where all of this begun.

---- Dicember 18th, 4 PM

The cellphone vibrates inside my black, tight, H&M's working pants. I try to be indifferent since I'm talking with a costumer. Hopefully she will soon realize she doesn't like coffee and 20 kuai are a too high price just to look cool, so that I can answer the phone before it stops vibrating. It's Jean. She called me few times today because she had to book my flight for Hong Kong, where I can finally get my working visa for China.

"Wai?"

"Hi, it's Jean"

"Yeah hi"

"So I have to tell you, you flight is tomorrow morning...at 8"

"...are you kidding me?"

"No I'm sorry, you'll be back on Saturday morning"

"But...I don't have time...I mean I'm working now and I have plans for the night...I don't know what to do, where to go...how can I get ready?"

"yeah I know I'm sorry...but you know next week is Christmas. Also can you pass by the office? you'll need to take your working permit documents"

"Yeah...ok..."

----- 

So that's how it started, me being extremely pissed off.

Packing, canceling a date, booking a room and realizing there's no way to get to the airport at 5 in the morning. No metro, no bus. So I took a lucky guess based on experience and I was lucky enough to find an illegal taxi that would take me there for cheap with 3 other people.

The thing that amazed me the most once I arrived there was that Hong Kong it's extremely green. Only a small part of the island is covered by tall buildings, and even in the center trees are everywhere. It feels like being in a tropical forest the all time. I couldn't take pictures of it on the first day, but I have plenty on the third day.

Rooms in Hong Kong are extremely expensive. So I decided to stay in the famous Chungking Mansions in Kowloon, which are the cheapest place to stay, as well as the creepiest and dirties. That's basically where the African and Indian illegal immigrant stays. BUT the Chungking Mansions are so famous and such an important part of the Hong Kong experience, so I don't regret making that choice.

And my room was clean in the end, just very, VERY small. And it was about 40 euro a night for this....

Here's some photo of the mighty place. Practically, a small city itself. Welcome to Africa!

I must explain before going on that Hong Kong is divided in two main parts: Hong Kong island, the rich and posh part of the city, and Kowloon. The two parts are divided by the sea which can be crossed by ferry, taxi or metro.

So then I moved from Kowloon to Hong Kong island where I had my documents done

      Facing from HK island to Kowloon

It's right here on this bay that I met quite an interesting fella'. I was about to take the ferry back to Kowloon, when this Bangladesh 40 years old business guy starts talking to me. At first I think he is just another lonely traveller looking for a chat. But then he started telling me things like "Did anyone told you your lips are very beautiful?" and then some other phrase containing both the word "lips" and "chance". In that moment I realized that he was a VERY lonely traveller. So, no I'm sorry, I'm not coming to dinner with you mister creepy guy. Have a nice day.

After that lovely moment of my life I moved to the Kowloon pier, where the move star lane was!

Facing HK island

  JET LI!!!!

             

               BRUCE LEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

            (jizzed in my pants a bit)

        You might be dead, but there's still huge crows of people looking at you

I ended the day by strolling around the bay and my hotel

Skyline facing HK island

Every night at 8 they put on a music-light show on the skyline. here's 30 second of that

I was travelling by myself. I found that travelling alone is quite convenient, you go where you want, when you want and you do anything you want to do without having to agree with someone else. 

At the same time, not being able to share the experience with someone it makes it less enjoyable.

I wasn't in fact totally by myself. Everywhere I went there was in fact the ghost of a perfect travelling partner making me company. On every single step I made, I could see myself and my partner taking that same step, eating in that same restaurant, shopping in that same place, looking at the same skyline, like re-living memories I never had.

Also, my new room-mate Totoro was with me. So I didn't felt that lonely the all time.