Days 45/46. Hong Kong.

Well, laid low my entire time here. The weather did finally clear up today, Day 46, but still too hazy to get a good photo from the Peak, so just hung out by the pool...


...and, you must admit not a bad place to hang out. Finished my Bryson book about Australia (enjoyed it, but almost feel you've had to have been there to appreciate his observations), and now almost finished with the newest book about the #1 ladies detective agency in Botswana, Double Comfort Safari Club, by Alexander McCall Smith...if you haven't read this series, they are quick, enjoyable, mindless little stories that I enjoy from time to time. Next on my list is "Stones Into Schools" by the author of Three Cups of Tea (although I just read in the Hong Kong paper today that someone is disputing the legitimacy of his story?--seems like it took an awful lot of time for that to surface? As his first book has been out for quite some time).

Yesterday, I also went to the Ladies Market for a couple of hours, which is a famous street where they set up tents every afternoon, and sell "stuff" into the evening. It got its name because most of the merchandise is geared towards the ladies....but I saw plenty of men there, too. T-shirts for $4 (I bought myself one, as I am getting tired of the two shirts that I have :-), jade jewelry, clothing, embroidered items, handmade purses, etc. People were rolling whole suitcases down the street....loading them up....I think its called the exporting business :-). I still find the signs very interesting walking down the street...hip pop dance instructions...very god chinese food...lukfuk jewelers...and on and on.

All in all, a pretty lazy four days in Hong Kong, but I've about knocked this cold out of my system (there is a part of me that is also wondering if it was actually the side effects from my malaria medicine, which could be similar symptoms....if so, I'm done with those, so regardless should be mostly out of my system for Russia).

Other things one can do here are take a boat cruise on the harbor (the last time I was here, I went on a boat to an island that was an old fishing village and had lunch...I think you can still do that), go up to Victoria peak for the vista and lunch (you can walk up or take the tram), walk along hollywood street, take a side trip to Macau, go to the famous Stanley market, or the jade market (they sell pearls there too), have high tea at the Peninsula Hotel, etc.

Tomorrow, I head off to Moscow, where I'll hook up with my friend, Cynthia, from Baltimore, who is going to join me there (she was one of three people who took me up on my offer of meeting me somewhere to help me celebrate my 60th year). So she will be my first travel companion....am looking forward to the company. We will also take the train up to St. Petersburg for a few days.

It's going to be a long haul to get there. I was originally on a direct flight from Tokyo to Moscow. But the only other OneWorld carrier who goes to Moscow is Cathay Pacific, with only three flights per week, and they were all booked for this week. So I have to fly to Moscow via London. So about 13 hours to London, then another 4-5 hours to Moscow. Hope the London flight is one of those planes with beds :-).

Russian I learned from my shoe repair man in brooklyn...(spelled phonetically)...
Spasibo-- thank you
Izvi nitay -- so sorry
Dos vi dania -- goodbye.
Darn, forgot to get the important one -- where's the bathroom?

Anyway, dos vi dania, until the next time I have wifi access....

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Location:Tak Fung St,九龍,Hong Kong