Hostile Traveler

My plane was delayed for 3 hours while we sat on the tarmac, so what was supposed to be 15hrs or so on the plane turned into 18.5 hours. The airline really did a nice job in pacifying the people though. If you had a bunch of customers that were stuck for 3 hours with nothing to eat or drink, what would you give them to make them happy? Alcohol? Nope. Water? Nope. If you guessed a granola bar you’d be correct. Generousity knows no bounds…

After a relatively uneventful flight (once we got off the damn ground) and a quick train ride, I’m now in Hong Kong. I’m staying at a place in Kowloon called The Royal Garden Hotel, which is quite nice. The center of the hotel is open all the way up to the roof, so the main restaurant area is open to the inside hallways of all the rooms. If you’ve ever stayed at an Embassy Suites, it’s kind of like how those are laid out. The rooms themselves are fairly standard, but each one has a 42″ plasma TV on the wall, which is a nice touch. See the first couple of pics below for an idea. The hotel also has a heated pool on the roof that I may have to check out tomorrow. I’m pretty sure they need a touch of pasty ass to make the pool complere. Hopefully I don’t blind anyone with my whiteness.

After checking into the hotel at around 10pm and taking a much-needed shower (which is the greatest thing /ever/ after a long flight) I decided to head out and grab a wee pint or three and some food. There’s an area in Hong Kong called Lan Kwai Fong (LKF) which I believe in Cantonese means “White Person Containment Area”. LKF is a total expat area full of bars, pubs, and restaurants set on a sloping sqare of streets, which is always entertaining to watch people fall down. It’s far from authentic Hong Kong, but when overtired and jetlagged, it’s a great place to grab a beer and a sandwich without having to fight with language. You can get an idea of what’s there at www.lankwaifong.com

The thing about LKF, especially on a Saturday night, is that it’s crowded. Super crowded. See the pictures to get an idea. Apparently a few years back during Chinese New Years, there was a bit of a stampede and some people died from the press of the crowd. But, I guess now there’s more security and such to keep the drunen idiots in line.

Incidentaly, I found the perfect bit of marketing. The last picture is of a sign outside of a drug store in LKF. They certainly know what their customer base is…

I wound up eating at a place called Bulldog’s Pub, which is an English/Australian themed place where you can get a proper pint and some decent grub. While watching rugby (a game I fully do not understand) I wound up having a couple pints of Kilkenny’s along with some pretty tasty Guinness Stew. Washed down with another pint of Hoeaarden (my personal fave), and it was time to call it a night…at 2am. The place was still rocking when I left, and I’m sure it will be until the sun comes up.

Speaking of which, it’s late and time for bed. More tomorrow. I’m off to the electronics markets to get some stuff I need for the class I’m doing this week. Should be interesting.

Also, thanks for the comments - nice to know people are reading.