High in Hong Kong

Marginally interesting factoid -- 40% of Hong Kong's population lives in a residence above the 14th floor. The highest I have ever been (in a residential sense) was our 9th floor flat in Nottingham. Even our NYC friends (Seth/Jamie, Mark/Karyn) don't currently live above 14 – and yet it's basically a way of life in Hong Kong.

Life is different here in other ways too. There are public outdoor escalators to climb the hills of Hong Kong Island, and it's amazing to see the locals read the paper while they glide towards home or their next meeting. We recognized less than half the products in the average market (I would joke with Andrea that things were sheep's penis, until we started to think they actually were). Heavy competition keeps prices astoundingly low -- we had all our laundry, 27 pounds of it, washed and folded for $12USD – and I had 6 dress shirts custom tailored at a renowned place for less than off-the-rack prices at Brooks Brothers. And I'm convinced that no matter how long you stayed, you would never get a bad meal. Honestly, we ate nonstop for 6 days straight and not once did I have a meal that would even be described as mediocre. Everything was very good, and a few things were just exceptional. Highlights included the 2 of us devouring a perfectly prepared whole Peking duck (often ordered for a group of 4 to 6), and some legendary dim sum on two occasions. But even a normal meal is excellent. Last night we went to a very local restaurant (only white people in the place), and ordered 3 main courses - BBQ pork, beef with vegetables, and shrimp and pork fried noodles - plus Tsing Tao beer. The whole thing came to $210HKD ($27USD), and it was delicious. The style of the meal suits me too – ambiance is sacrificed for better quality ingredients (apparently the locals are suspicious of any place that looks too nice), food is brought out as it is cooked, you basically use chopsticks as a shovel between your noodle bowl and your mouth, and a messy tablecloth is considered the sign of a good meal. Bliss.

There is also a certain efficiency in Hong Kong that I love. More so that anywhere else I have been, people seem to work together to keep the place humming. Pleasantries are rarely exchanged in public – the coin changer at the ferry terminal knows you are trying to catch the next boat and quickly slaps the correct denominations down for you with a nod, and the waiters drop off food at your table without even slowing down. Servers also stand over you while you pay, not to be rude but to give you your change and get you moving. I used to get frustrated in London with the idiots with giant golf umbrellas in the narrow alleyways, people standing on the left on the Tube escalators, or waiters wandering off for eons. Here in Hong Kong, with a couple million people more than London in about half the space, they seem to have figured it out.

That's not to say Hong Kong doesn't have its problems. The air is filthy and getting worse – they are downwind from some of China's most industrial areas. While the Chinese government claims there were only 30 unhealthy air days in 2009, they use a pretty loose definition. By American EPA standards, they had a staggering 300 unhealthy days. And for all the efficiency, it is a very, very crowded place. I had a co-worker from Hong Kong who said that after having so much space in London, she could never move back. I thought that was funny – until now. It's a wonderful city for a week, but probably not number 1 on our future expat dream list. Off to Malaysia to keep eating -- stay tuned!