Another Adventure and Some More Pictures

Gunter and I went into town today, as I was looking for a something for a certain someone with a birthday coming up. First, however, we needed to eat lunch. I took out my Fodor's guidebook, and it was immensely helpful. We went to Good Luck Thai (in Lan Kwai Fung) and had a great meal. And it wasn't very expensive at all. I had a whole coconut for my beverage, and I had some pork fried rice with shrimp, carrots, corn, and olives. It was delicious.

So we were very pleased to have a full belly from a good meal, and we decided to hop back onto the MTR and go to Yau Ma Tei. The Fodor's guide said there was a very cool jade market there, so we wanted to see it for ourselves. We walked around Yau Ma Tei, and it's a nice little place. We eventually made it over to the jade market, and it was very cool. It was in an enclosed area with tons of vendors trying to sell you all sorts of crap. I got a very nice piece though, and I bargained HK$600 off the price, so I think I got a very good price - hopefully. On our way back to the MTR we stopped at Tin Hau Temple, which was very nice for a pagan house of sin.

Tonight we are going out and meeting some friends nearby for a seafood barbecue/buffet. I think it should be good.

In Hong Kong, they have a very smart device called an Octopus Card. It is very much like a Charlie card or a Chicago card for the CTA, as you pay for the MTR with it. With the Octopus, however, you can pay for almost anything. Most stores have a pad which recognizes the Octopus card. I guess it's kinda like a debit card. I also forgot to mention that the Octopus card only charges you depending on how far you go. Say I went in to LKF, I would pay HK$5.4; on the other hand, if I was going to Yau Ma Tei again, I would only pay HK$3.8. It's a very smart system, and I think it's something the US cities should think about.

On another side note, I would like to mention that yesterday, with a little help from Billy Joel, David Bowie, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans, I broke the 8900 song barrier on my iPod. Uncle Jimbo, I'll update your iPod upon my return.

As promised, here's a little background on Hong Kong itself:

Hong Kong (officially, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) is a territory of the PRC (People's Republic of China) with a high degree of autonomy (a policy called "one country, two systems"). Hong Kong therefore has virtually full freedom, except in affairs of foreign policy and defense. Hong Kong keeps its own currency, the Hong Kong dollar, as opposed to the Chinese renminbi. Like China, it also pegs its currency to the dollar, holding the exchange rate at HK$7.75 per US$1. It has one of the most advanced financial systems in the world, ranked only behind New York, London and Tokyo.

For a long time, Hong Kong was a British territory (up until the mid 80s), and finally became part of the PRC in 1997. It is extremely developed, and extremely crowded (as those photos of the towering apartment complexes can attest to): there are seven million people living here in an area that's slightly smaller than New York City. It is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. It is also divided into four regions: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula (where I am), Lantau Island, and the New Territories. As I've mentioned many times before, it is extremely hot and humid here, as it is located directly on the South China Sea, which gives it a tropical climate.

Hope that helps/gives everyone a better idea of exactly where I am in the world.