A day and a half on the night (and a day and another night) train and I was on Hong kongian soil. The ride was a long one, with me being the main curiosity of the car... I guess that's part of the things that have weaken my joviality during my last weeks in China... for the past two months, I've been laughed at, finger pointed at, stared at, gawked at, giggled at, touched by, and I don't know what else by the entire Chinese population. When I wanted to buy something at a store, it took at least 12 Chinese to carry out the order... one to not understand me and call for someone who can speak a bit of English or good sign language, and another 10 people to stand around and stare at me while talking about my height, color, chest hair and what I buy. It can get to you after a while. If I remember correctly, my first similar experience was shared by Raquel. we.. well, I, wanted to eat dumplings at a nice old vendor next to the train station. so we sat down on the low benches and started the munching, while a police officer, a rickshaw guy, some dude and the vendor herself were standing on top of us, staring and laughing while we ate. I think I have a picture somewhere, but that's irrelevant.
I guess I was upset at all the attention, upset on being alone and upset due to my inability to communicate (which I have only me to blame).
But never mind. I was in Hong kong now. and nobody gives a flying f***.
you know something? that's awesome.
My first day in Hong kong, and I was off to meet with my couchsurfing host. Since he told me he was studying till 4pm, I had a lot of time on my hands, and no clue where to start.
So I ended up at a Fancy shmancy mall. I really don't like that kinda malls I gotta tell ya. The huge building had a vaguely mazy like feeling to it, and getting from the bottom floor to the top was a serious endeavour with lots of strategy planning before hand.
But, it was worth it. Next to a small ice skating thingy, there was a cinema, with NORMAL movies!!! Not just the usual crap they showed all over China, but actually movies, like WALL-E (awesome movie) and other new features. So I decided on catching up on my movie titles.
4pm, and I was waiting at university station. John, a cheerful fellow with a very quick stride, arrived and quickly went down to business. He told me: "listen, I'm gonna be busy till Monday and on Wednesday I'm going into china for a week. I have an apartment in the center of town which you can take, but I won't be able to take you around town myself... is that ok?"
DUH!
Although I really could use a company, especially when it comes to the benefits of couchsurfing, the offer was too good to pass on. So after a bit of organizing, we were on our way to one of the city centers on Kowloon. Stepping up the stairs from the underground, I was dazzled by the lights and the amount of people walking to and fro. The numbers of different foreigners was stunning... from Indians to Americans, passing along the streets along with the Chinese. I was one of many, and it was a great feeling. The next great feeling came when one of the many Indian tailors came to me and badgered me over a great cashmere suit for only 200 us dollars. It was just like Bangkok. John was taking me to the apartment, walking through streets, dodging other people, and I was too busy being happy to notice where we are going. The next notion of Modern society occured when we crossed a small magazine shop, with plenty of PORN. Porn! at last!
I'm back!
Toam imposter!
