Hong Kong and south...

I arrived in Bangkok early this afternoon. I almost didn't make it.

 

Since I lost my wallet, I was trying to limit the amount of money I exchanged, as all of it was withdrawn from my chequing account with the help of Mr. Seath. So I had my lifeline in Chinese RMB. Over the few days in HK, I did my best to be frugal (even though a massive and delicious Mexican dinner proved to be the opposite), and limited the amount I changed into Hong Kong Dollars.

 

Last night, after paying the remaining tab for my guesthouse, I had just enough money for breakfast before flying here to Bangkok. In an attempt to make sure that all was well, I kept the money and told myself I'd get a small breakfast at the airport. Unfortunately, I neglected to consider the cost of the Airport Express metro ride into the equation. So, I got to the correct metro station with $40HKD and my metro pass. I was denied at the turnstile. So, after inquiring the cost of the ride ($100HKD), I realized I only had $9HKD left on my "Octopus" card (used for the Metro system). You do the math. $40 + $9 does NOT equal $100. So, the deposit on the Octopus card ended up being worth $50, giving me $99HKD. Still not enough. After digging through my pockets for the remaining part of the fare, I found one last coin buried in a pocket, paid my ticket, and, full of shame, got on the train.

 

I didn't go hungry, if you were worried. All was well, the flight was smooth (I had booked a meal that I had totally forgotten about), and made it to the world of a muggy 31 degree heat without any problems. Now I'm just awaiting the arrival of some friends-of-friends from Canada who are meeting up with me for a night on the town.

 

Hong Kong seems a long way away already. It was fun for sure, and I even got some sun while hiking the entirety of Lamma Island yesterday. If you're ever in HK, check out the Bookworm Cafe... awesome hippy food for decent prices. Sooo good, and a great start to the hike. I also got to check out a few small temples, a tonne of markets (including a bird market and a goldfish market) and a laser light show on the Victoria Harbour downtown. Met some cool people, as is typically the case when backpacking.

 

But enough stories for now... gotta get the streets so I can dare myself into trying some deep friend tarantula or scorpion (and yes, they do sell them openly in the street... so nuts!). Much love from SE Asia...

 

T