Day 9 (Max)

Sam rejoined my daytime adventures today as the weekend arrived once again. After getting a quick bite to eat at a local chinese diner (I had a prawn for the first time - basically a bigger, similar tasting version of shrimp), we decided to explore the outlying islands, using the fishing village of Cheung Chau village as our focal point. Our day's journey started with a "fast ferry" from Kowloon to Cheung Chau, arriving in a blisteringly quick half hour.

The goal for Cheung Chau was simple: explore the island...until we get bored/tired. Our guide books suggested hiking wherever we felt comfortable and some maps on the island suggested trails for viewing. Sam and I walked along the various trails (some more advertised than others) and into the labyrinth-like city, exploring its claustrophobic alleyways and dusty foot-paths. I thought the city had character and a certain mystique not seen in the other areas of Hong Kong.

We returned back to Kowloon via our second "fast ferry" for some delicious Indian food - garlic naans, lamb curry, etc. Sam decided on the restaurant because, of the two Indian restaurants in the area, this one didn't have people in the streets aggressively harass you into their restaurants (They'll say anything, short of being offensive or illegal, to get a person into their eating establishment. Thankfully, the street hawkers nearby Sam's apartment recognize him, so they're a bit nicer.).

Most curiously about the meal - there were Bollywood videos constantly playing in the background. Culturally, the indian people tended to use indians for their models, whereas in Hong Kong, they tend to prefer caucasians (or chinese who look similar to caucasians). In fact, Sam and I saw a large advertisement for eye plastic surgery that helps chinese people look more like caucasians (it was all in Cantonese, so I had to look at the before and after pictures a couple times before I knew what they were selling). I'm not quite sure how I feel about this.

Cheers!

Max