Deborah's Southeast Asian Adventure

Didn't make it to the Penninsula Hotel for afternoon tea. There was a line and I didn't want to wait. So I had lunch at the Inter-Continental Hotel with a magnificent view of the skyline (right across from the Philips and ING buildings). I struck up a conversation with Lincoln and Eunice, a lovely retired Australian couple here for their 54th wedding anniversary. Lincoln was hilarious: the very gruff, no-nonsense the owner of a successful fan manufacturing company in Adelaide. He cracked me up, providing me with details about his three heart attacks and treatment involving a camera inserted into his groin area.

I then visited the Hong Kong Museum of History which provides a really interesting look at the development of Hong Kong from prehistoric times to present. Then, I headed to SoHo, an area frequented by expats which was recommended in a New York Times article. I went to G.O.D. (Goods of Desire), a shop which is a cross between IKEA and a Chinese craftshop. Very cool. True to fashion considering my obsession with Morocco, I had a cocktail in this cool bar/restaurant called Kasbah run by a guy from Marrakesh. (TIP: If you ever get there, try the Sahara cocktail.

Some general observations about Hong Kong:

Shoes and Dress Style: I can't get over it. The first thing everyone does when they look at you here is focus on what you're wearing on your feet. It's incredible. I've tested this over and over. They are discreet enough not to be caught staring at your face but they have no compunction about staring at your feet. I don't quite get the dress code here. It's 22 degrees, sunny and humid yet the women are usually decked out in suits or pants and closed shoes. (I'm walking around in sandals.) Most working women are dressed in conservative suits, mostly black, with sensibly-heeled shoes. Some more young at heart are sporting knee-high boots (can't believe it in this weather!) Of course, most are wearing very expensive handbags such as Louis Vuitton and Prada. The guys, including the tonnes of mostly white foreigners, are decked out in black or pin-striped suits, a tad bit boring.

Foreigners: The vast majority of people here are obviously Chinese but there are quite a fair number of foreigners who are mostly white Europeans, Australians, Kiwis and North Americans. Surprisingly, there is a community of African refugees and illegals as well as muslims from Pakistan but they are segregated in the poor area of the city. The other day, I was on the elevator at the hotel with a Chinese woman, her nanny and her baby girl. The baby was smiling at this white tourist but took one look at me and became terrified. It was a bit awkward so I asked her mom what was wrong. The mother replied, "She has never seen a foreigner before". I found it weird that she didn't consider the white guy a foreigner too.

Signage: It is almost impossible to get lost in Hong Kong as this has to be one of the best cities for signage that I've ever seen. Signs are everywhere telling you exactly where you are and pointing out major destinations such as museums, hotels and shopping malls. There are lots of information desks with English-speaking staff.

Overall, I think Hong Kong is a great mix of Chinese industriousness and British orderliness and efficient infrastructure. Everything runs so smoothly here. The subway is the most impressive system I've seen as of yet. Clean, punctual and easy to understand. Hong Kong is considered a "Special Administrative Region" which was passed back to China in 1997 with the promise that it would remain capitalist without major changes for 50 years. I'm curious what will happen in the future.