Human Traffic

No, no, not human trafficking. Krisi and I continue to avoid prison and white slavery (phew!). The title of this blog refers to the density of people on the streets of Hong Kong. I have never seen so many people in my life, all crammed together, apparently, not even bothered.
We landed in at the airport in Hong Kong at about noon (after eating 2 breakfasts and 1 brunch, which included wine), and quickly made our way to the YMCA Salisbury on the Kowloon peninsula. This was the least expensive, non-grotty hostel option we could find, for about $150 CAD per night. It's very simple, but nice and clean, and located right on the harbour so we can watch the light show right from our bedroom window!

Although the beds looked lovely and comfy after almost 36 hours of travelling and very little sleep, we decided it was time to walk. We planned out our route, aiming to hit all the markets on Kowloon. Our first challenge was making it up Nathan street, which was crowded like Montreal during F1 weekend. Then we hit the flower market (which smelled lovely), the bird market (somewhat creepy with the caged birds and their various creepy crawly dinners in buckets on the ground), and the goldfish market (selling mainly fish in plastic bags). One thing we noticed was how slowly people here walk. I told Krisi that I would move faster if I just stood in one place and hoped to get to the next. For those of you who have walked with me or seen me making my way about town, you know I have a long and determined stride. So, in my jet lag, these crowds tried my patience. And by this time, Krisi and I were bumping into each other, lampposts, and other people at an alarming rate. After a slow walk through the various other street markets selling jade, all types of clothes, "copy bags," and sex toys (a street dildo? I think not!), we sat down at a place called "Healthy Dessert" for a mango trio, including mango ice cream and mango puree with gelatinous rice balls (my new favourite thing in the world). Krisi enjoyed a strawberry juice while I had "Crystal Jelly with Mango and Strawberry," which was basically mango and strawberry juice with chopped up fruit and slivers of clear jello, drunk through a big straw. You never nknew what kind of mouthful was going to happen next! After a few more markets (copy watches, anyone?) and a stroll through lovely Kowloon park, we got back to our hotel at 7ish, watched the Victoria Harbour light show, and crashed. 10 good hours of sleep later, and I am drinking a very expensive coffee and using very expensive internet.
Today we are meeting up with Sarah's friend Monica. I think tomorrow we will do a big hike up Victoria Peak and perhaps indulge in an expensive afternoon tea at the Peninsula hotel, just to say we did.
I am taking tons of pictures, but have not found a way to get them on the blog. There is a great series of Krisi and I in the Korean airport, taking photos among huge posters of Korea. We were pretending to be in Korea and it sure made us laugh a lot. In fairness, that was after 24 hours of travel time, but still, the pics are pretty funny. You'll have to trust me until I find a way to post my pics. Perhaps i will find a computer that will allow me to download one day soon!
OK. I can no longer afford this internet connection if I want to eat today. And I do.