Keeping busy by exploring HK

My emotions were running high today. Last night, I walked around my neighborhood looking for dinner. I settled on Indian take-out. There were plenty of people out at the bars and restaurants, laughing and having a good time. To see all these people enjoying themselves, made me feel really lonely. I don't have a problem being by myself, but it is definitely more fun to explore a city with someone else. For a quick second I thought, "What the hell was I thinking to move across the world and not know anyone?" But then I came to my senses. This is only the beginning and it's only natural for there to be hesitation. I'm still settling in.

Luckily, before I pitied myself too much, I was able to talk to Aaron on Skype. I couldn't help smiling the whole time. It was so good to see him. He brightened my spirits and motivated me to stay strong. He also gave me some helpful advice...get out of the apartment and walk around. Sounds so simple, doesn't it?

I left my apartment and went on a search for a store to buy groceries and staples, like laundry detergent, paper towels and toilet paper. When on vacation, you don't really have to worry about these type of things. The hotel takes care of these types of things. For food, you just eat out for every meal. But that's not feasible (or affordable) for two plus months.

I ended up on Gage street, which is well known for its outdoor market. It gave me a glimpse of old Hong Kong. The street is lined with stalls selling dried foods, fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and live seafood. See a couple of pictures below.

After picking up a few groceries on Gage street and locating a store that sold the staples I needed, I continued my walk north to downtown Central Hong Kong. This is where all the action happens. It's where all the multinational banks have offices, where the Hong Kong Stock Exchange is located and where the fancy hotels can be found (Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Shangri-La, etc). It's also the skyline you usually see in photos. Hong Kong is well known for its shopping. Stores are everywhere so naturally there is a huge mall below the international finance centre, appropriately called the IFC Mall. This particular mall is one of the nicest I've ever seen. It contains every high-end store you could ever want imagine. There is also a massive Apple store, which takes up two floors. It was packed to the brim. I spent some time walking around the mall, ate at Pret a Manger, and then ended up at the ferry terminal. This is the main termainal, which has ferries to Kowloon, Macau and the outlying islands around Hong Kong. Below is a picture from the ferry terminal. Look how foggy it was. It was only 70 degrees, but humid as hell.

Justin