Be Cause (way Bay) the world is round

Day 33 - 21st April 2006

Hong Kong Island

When my friend Craig went missing from Marish Middle school in October 1989, I wondered what had happened to him. When he returned at the end of the month, it turned out that he'd been to Hong Kong with his parents (well, he was only 9) and he came back with some brilliant stuff, as Craig often did. Amongst his booty was a pirate cassette of Michael Jackson hits recorded by some local artist ripping him off. Many was the Sunday afternoon Craig and I would spend listening to this on Craig's Dad's beat-up old JVC cassette recorder whilst playing Nintendo. I'd always wanted to check Hong Kong out since that day.

17 years have passed, James and I are in Hong Kong (Causeway Bay to be exact), and Craig is in a printers in Petersfield Avenue. Ha ha ha. Sorry Craig.

It's certainly a difference from India. In terms of economic development, we've wheeled forward several decades. My first impressions of the place were that everything was clean, well organised (apart from our hostel) and enjoying the life-style products produced in the sweat shops of it's near neighbours. It is a very trendy place and everyone is wearing branded clothes, I think it's more secular too. The place is a chain store paradise with streets delineated by block upon block of high rises. We're going out for the night tonight, so hopefully I can speak to a few HK residents.

I should have been wise enough not to try and orientate myself in the city yesterday, with next to no sleep on the previous night's flight. I stumbled up and down Nathan Road on Kowloon in the afternoon, getting mardy and decided to stay in Causeway Bay for the evening. It's not easy being vegetarian here. 'nuff said.

This morning we went to Stanley Market on the south side of Hong Kong Island to buy new gear, simply because everything we have is dirty and now in the laundry. The market is small-ish and mainly sells cheap clothes.

In the photo of me at Stanley Bay, to the left, I am wearing the Chinese workers hat my Grandparents brought me back from their holiday in 1986. I just wanted to reunite it with it's home land.

In the market you can buy t-shirts with Mao Tse Tung on the front or 35 Hong Kong Dollars. I'm sure this place has changed a lot in the last few years...


Being a vegetarian in Hong Kong is pretty difficult. Last night's pumpkin pie turned out to be some rotten jelly thing in melon sauce (see left). I should have known I wouldn't get much in a posh restaurant for 20 HKD. The parsley didn't fill me up. Today I have made my own cheese and tomato sandwiches from the supermarket.