Arrived Safely in Hong Kong

I arrived safely in Hong Kong, glad that I opted for the hotel to pick me up since I was disoriented by the long flight. Since this is my third time in Hong Kong (1983 and 1999), it’s nice to have a moment of semi-familiarty on my road to the totally unknown. Before I left I was so focused on learning about Nepal, and learning Nepali that I neglected Hong Kong entirely. I used the extra time at SFO to find a tiny Hong Kong tourist guide for my short stay here. My hotel is a block away from the Temple Street Night Market, a mass of stalls selling mostly touristy stuff and a dizzying array of street food vendors. Right across the street was an Indian restaurant where I had a quiet, delicious dinner. Afterwards I walked in the market for a few minutes before I came back to my room and took a hot bath.

The hotel is perfect for me. The room is clean, there’s free internet and local phone calls (not the norm in HK, last time I was here I spent a small fortune on calls). The bed is firm, with sheets covering the down comforter instead of  a bedspread of dubious cleanliness ala Super 8. My room is too tiny to do some of my favorite yoga poses but well designed, with a tiny fridge and electric kettle.

This morning I was chagrined to find that all the web sites on my computer display in Chinese! I couldn’t figure out how to sign into Skype or post to my blog. Google searches didn’t have a solution. At the hotel’s free buffet breakfast I asked a guy who spoke native English if he knew how to fix it, and he did, yay.

Tomorrow I’ll get to see the Super Full Moon from the plane, 16% bigger and 30% brighter than usual.

 

I’m going to wander around for a while and take some photos of the neighborhood. If I don’t post again before I leave HK tomorrow, I’ll post when I get to Kathmandu.