But I knew I would get sick eventually...even though I take my vitamins everyday and try to watch what I eat, when you're traveling for a long (and I haven't even really been gone that long) you're bound to get sick. I'm just glad I got sick where I could properly rest up, instead of while I was in Japan or New Zealand when I'm hopping from town to town. I really hope I don't get sick in Japan (especially because I want to see as much as I can), but I know Japan is really clean for the most part, so it shouldn't happen. I've delayed my flight to Japan by a day just so I could get more rest here, so I'm leaving on the 31st now.
I only went out one night (without family), which was the night before I got sick. First, I met up with a friend from back home, Herbert, whom I've known since elementary school, at the main bar and club area in HK, Lan Kwai Fong. We chilled at Hong Kong Brew House, while I worked my way down a 1 L mug of Hong Kong Beer (local brew). I personally found it kind of odd, it seemed a bit sweet and a bit salty to me haha. Then we were later joined by another friend from back home, Nathan, whom I've known since I was a really really young. I almost didn't recognize him for a second when I first saw him because of the glasses. I sort of lost touch with both of them during university, so it was good to catch up. After a while, we headed over to The Keg, a Canadian themed bar. It was definitely nice to see the Canadian flag again. Then after a bit of wandering around the streets, Nathan had to leave early since he had work the next day, so me and Herbert just continued to chill on the streets, drinks in hand, just conversing (we couldn't get into any clubs because we were both wearing shorts). I'm not sure I'll ever get used to being allowed to carry drinks onto the street haha (it still felt so foreign!).
Me and Herbert! At the Hong Kong Brew House. I wanted to get a pic with the 1 L mug of Hong Kong Beer, but I finished it and the waitress took it away before we took the picture. You can tell I'm red already (as usual) hahaha.
Outside The Keg. You'll notice this trend in the next few pictures, but apparently I lose the ability to smile properly when I'm slightly buzzed hahaha. I totally did not expect to see that sign!
Inside The Keg. See, I told you, I couldn't smile properly hahaha. It was a bad angle, and the guy at the bar was blocking it a bit, but they had giant Canadian flag underneath the bar. It was enough to make me feel more at home! They even had a Jagermeister shooter dispenser!
Some shots of inside the bar.
Out on the street outside The Keg. That's Nathan in the front with beer in hand.
Me and Nathan holding up our Mill St. brews from The Keg. I'm obviously the one holding up the Coffee Porter haha. They had Mill St. beers! How awesome is that?! We actually grabbed their last 2 Coffee Porters in stock (Herbert had never tried it).
Me and Nathan on the streets. I'm still trying to get over why I couldn't smile properly haha! I only had the equivalent of 4 beers that night.
A shot of another street in the area. Lots of people, most of them expats.
So what do I think of Hong Kong? (I'm not even going to mention the subway system, it's just going to lead to more TTC bashing hahaha. It's similar to Shanghai's, but it's a little better IMO) Well it's only been a week, so it can't give the best review (especially since I haven't been around much), but I like it better than Shanghai for a few reasons. First, while it is almost as dirty here, at least the people here don't try to add more dirt to the existing problem (for instance there are trucks that drive by every day to spray the streets and sidewalks with water to try to clean it up). For the most part, people actually properly dispose of their garbage. Second, while it is still crowded, it's not as bad as Shanghai - only 7 million people here. Thirdly (and this obviously is a big factor), I can actually understand what they're saying and it's much easier to communicate here (despite my poor Cantonese)! And it's not only because I can understand Cantonese a lot better than Mandarin, it's also because English is the 2nd official language of Hong Kong! Most of the signs here have English as well as Chinese, and there are even some signs that are exclusively English! With the large number of expats still in Hong Kong, the city is definitely much more Westernized than Shanghai (which is good for me haha). And of course, the food is nowhere near as oily as in Shanghai!
But the best part? The majority of people here have manners and follow the rules! When the pedestrian sign shows red, people don't cross! When it's green, you still don't have to be afraid of possibly getting hit by a car! The driving is still pretty bad here, but definitely not as bad as Shanghai. At least the cars here don't run red lights (I was amazed how often it happened in Shanghai)! People don't spit everywhere! People line up for things! People don't push to get onto the subway to fight for seats! People are constantly arguing! And people actually cover up when they cough and sneeze! I can't believe this all has to be a surprise to me haha. China never liked it, but I'll say it, thank you for the British occupation. If it weren't for them, the people in HK would be as bad as in Shanghai. But I italicized "majority" for a reason. As I told my uncle about my trip to Shanghai, he mentioned that ever since China took back HK, there was an increasing number of immigrants from mainland China coming to HK - and the consequence of this? - a disturbingly increasing number of people were starting to behave the way they do in Shanghai. He told me it was quite noticeable. And I noticed it myself too, compared to when I visited HK 4 years ago. There are people who will cross at red pedestrian light, spit everywhere, and push to get on the subway (despite there always being time to get on). And obviously much more people around HK speaking Mandarin. The Chinese have a 50 year plan to re-integrate HK back into China...let's hope they don't destroy it in the process.
I'm going to spend almost all day tomorrow resting as well since I want to get better as fast as possible, so this will most likely be my last update from HK. Like I said, I'm not sure what to expect in Japan, but I'll to keep the updates coming.
Now that it's official, I should also mention I've made several changes to my travel plans. Due to a interview opportunity at Indiana University for their dentistry program at the beginning of November, I will actually be flying back to Canada for 2 weeks before flying down to the US for the interview. I would love to stay in Japan longer than 6 weeks instead of flying back to Canada, but Japan is really expensive, and it would be way over budget (it's already quite expensive to arrange all these new flights). So we can catch up briefly when I'm back in the GTA! So I will be back in HK for a couple days after Japan to rest up before flying back to Canada. After my interview is done, I'll rest up for a couple of days in Canada before flying back to HK, where I will spend a little less than a week. Then I'll be heading over to New Zealand, as planned. And before flying home to Canada, I will be stopping over in HK again for a few days to rest up (the flight between NZ and HK is long).
So I guess I'll a few more opportunities to see HK. I'll leave you with a shot of the Kowloon side at night when the famous daily "laser show" comes on (obviously viewed from my grandma's place...and I don't see what the big deal is about the "laser show", it really was that spectacular to me, and it was more like a "large beams of light" show, not really a laser show haha). Like I said before, my trip to Japan will be the true start of my backpacking adventures, so wish me luck in Japan!
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