I'm not a people person. Not when it comes to huge crowds of people stampeding you to get ahead in line, or take a picture, or get a piece of chicken at a buffet. Hong Kong is an interesting, beautiful and entertaining city. And the locals seemed pretty well-adapted to the tight spaces and fast pace of life. But the visitors, many from China ... god, the visitors. Phuong and I also fall into that category -- we were visitors -- but we tried our best not to be homo neanderthalensis when we went to Disneyland, Ocean Park, Madame Tussauds and restaurants. As a result, we got shoved, pushed, butted in front of, and had cameras and elbows thrust in our faces by throngs of chuckleheads looking for what they perceived was an advantage. I really liked Hong Kong, but .... well, I guess I'm not a people person.
Disneyland Hong Kong was OK. I've been to Disneyland in the U.S., which is larger and more Disney-esque. I didn't mind that the Hong Kong version wasn't huge. It had the usual stuff, like Lion King, It's a Small World, photos with Mickey and Minnie, Tomorrowland and more. The parades were well done, but the fireworks show was a bit of a dud. I was surprised by that, but after a long day in humid Hong Kong, a short show was swell with me. A woman crawled between my legs -- on concrete -- so she could stand in front of me and videotape the fireworks. We were standing in our spot for 30 minutes, and she crawled into action three minutes before the show. Gotta love it.
Ocean Park was cool, and the aquarium was excellent, even though a Chinese woman nearly knocked me on my ass while I was taking a picture, and then yelled at me for being in her way. But this behavior was one of the subplots of the trip for me. Maybe I'm too sensitive. I know I'm not a people person.
Tai chi was everywhere, and I loved it. People were practicing in nearly every park. And there are lots of little parks in Hong Kong nestled among the countless highrises and skyscrapers. But people don't flinch at tai chi. On our last day, our bus made an unexplained stop that lasted way too long. So I got out and did my tai chi on the sidewalk. The locals walked around me and honestly didn't give me a second glance. Only the Vietnamese on our travel bus gawked and giggled a little. The tour guide tried to mimic me and one girl came out from the bus to watch a little. Actually, the Vietnamese were cool about it and more or less congratulated me when I got back on the bus. I've been doing tai chi a long, long time, so even though I'm not in great shape, my form wasn't too bad. Phuong didn't seem too humiliated by the whole thing.
Hong Kong food wasn't bad, but I prefer Thai food. But our meals were OK, even with the chicken head on the plate. Like I noted, the weather is humid and pretty warm, but not like Vietnam. The people weren't overly friendly like Thailand, but they weren't creeps (except for the tourists). Hong Kong reminds me a little of San Francisco. Lots of hills, water, scenery, and things to do.
7-11 is everywhere, but that was convenient since our hotel, the Regal pain in the ass, didn't offer free ice, free internet, or much of anything else. I got hassled at my complimentary breakfast by some turd who insisted I'd have to pay. I'll take the high road and chalk it up to a language barrier.
Phuong and I had four nice days in Hong Kong, and equally important, she got a stamp in her passport that hopefully will lead to a USA travel visa. Hong Kong is a modern city with no motorbikes to speak of. It focuses on foreign companies and business, food, tai chi and tourism. Too bad the tourism brings in tourists. It's like my old friend Steve Wolfe used to say: California is really great, except for the all the Californians.
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