Hong Kong - day 1

Unbeknownst to me this is the Rugby Sevens Week amongst other things in Hong Kong. And there were no hotel rooms at all. Well almost. I had to pay some ridiculous price for this tiny place without windows and had to be kicked out the following day anyway.

Desperate, I drew on my 'support group' ie my obliging extended family and came up with some thrice removed relatives that agreed to take me in. Actually it is Uncle Hua Sai, Uncle Hua Min's brother. He very kindly agreed to take me even though he couldn't quite place me within the extremely extended family tree. Pathetic of me. Anyway, I think I've got a place to stay tomorrow. We'll see.

How I got Uncle Hua Sai's number is equally convoluted. I think it is via Uncle Norman who got it off Aunty Meng who probably got it from someone in her office. Something like that.

Other than that, Hong Kong is actually quite amazing, only my second time here. The physical geography is stunning with it's harbour and towering craggy peaks. Today, the peaks were shrouded in mist, after rain perhaps, and some of the more distant islands look like they were suspended, hovering over the sea. Not to mention the constructed stuff, most obvious being the quirky feng shui approved sky-scrapers. Makes an amazing sight, the Hong Kong skyline. Most famously the view of Hong Kong Island from Kowloon. Sorry, don't have pictures, look it up on the internet yourselves for now.

Then there's the hustle and bustle. The throng of humanity pouring out of the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) at near peak hour. I was too chicken to jostle at peak peak hour. And now sitting here in an internet cafe in the infamous ChungKing Mansions. It is a large run down building with lots of tailors, mobile phone and magazine shops on the ground floor and rather insalubrious accommodation options on the upper floors. Sprinkled among that are 'saunas' offereing massages. Packed with non-Caucasian, non-Chinese visitors ie Sub-continent and Africans. Aunty Meng would just love the place. Will remind her of her favourite shopping centre in Singapore, Mustafa's. But I think Mustafa's is more classy but ChungKing Mansions is more cosmopolitan.

ChungKing Mansions also has a large sign that proclaims, "De luxe Hotel". Not. Was told by an Indian 'agent' that they have rooms for Chinese too, like me.