Hong Kong Journal: Per Pope's Request...A Typical Day In Hong Kong

Hello to you all! Happy Wednesday; I hope you're having a great week. Not too much to report here except that I'm continuing the job search and am increasingly spending time with new friends. I do miss my old friends, believe me, I think of you all often.

I recently received a request from a fellow blogger friend to photo document a typical day in Hong Kong. Because I love hearing from you all and listening to your blog advice, I was happy to fulfill the request. The request even involved specifics like "brushing your teeth," etc. I thought this was a great idea and could be fun, so I documented each step of my day yesterday. Here is a photo documentary of a typical Tuesday:

Sleepy, truly just woke up. Tried to make this photo as small as possible :)

Brushing my teeth...This experience is SO different when you do it in Hong Kong ;)

Agonizingly small ironing board debate: made for tiny apartments or made for tiny Asians?
It's just an awkward height for tall people.
Anywho...
Dressed in workout clothes and doing some morning chores: an augmented and scrambled version of Jersey Shore's GTL. Preparing for the gym, ~~tanning~~, laundry....and working on a few job e-mails!

Gearing up for a run!

Snapped this on my way out the door. This is my sweet doorman, who does not speak a word of English. We seem to get along well with waves, hand gestures and smiles. He was slightly taken aback that I wanted to photograph him. He is wonderful.

Just outside my apartment building on Wo On Lane is one of the many temples that exists in Hong Kong. The temple always smells of incense and usually has a worshiper at its entrance. A coffee shop and several bars surround the temple. Temples are very much a part of everyday life here. (Notice the dude on his blackberry to the right)

Various icons and coils of incense fill the temple. Sometimes you'll see little bowls of food that people have left beside the temple.

Contraband material: After stopping at 7-Eleven to buy some water, I arrived at the gym, where I force myself to run and take a steam. I was scolded for taking this picture--cameras are not allowed here.

After taking care of my morning errands, it was time to embark on the fun stuff of the day: shopping. My sister is turning 10 on October 4, so the goal of the day was to venture over to the authentic shopping district and buy some fun Chinese gifts for her. Since I was documenting the day, I included a few photos of the sites while on my walk. This is another temple I passed. I have posted photos of it before, but here it is again. It is quite large and beautiful. Everyone is quiet here except the fortune tellers. One of the fortune tellers speaks English. One day I may venture in and ask for my fortune...but fortune cookies are enough for me right now.

Doors of the temple.

The main drag of the antique shopping district: Hollywood Road. If you keep going far enough, you'll reach some great (and LESS expensive) shopping markets. The more centrally located shops are fine antique furniture stores and art galleries. I wish I were in the market for a 300-year-old urn, but I'm just not...and I don't think Carolyn wants that for her birthday.

You know you've arrived (at the markets) when you see things like this: Communist cards, LeBron James Cards, vintage pin-up cards, etc. You can find plenty of Communist paraphernalia here in Hong Kong. They like to sell Obama and Mao knick-knacks together. I wish I could speak Cantonese so I could understand their reasoning for this. (Don't worry Carolyn, this is NOT what you're getting for your birthday)

I liked these items. Porcelain bowls, chopsticks and spoons. I love using Chinese spoons!

Tweety. I'm not really sure why he was hanging here, on the side of the road.
I like looking at the scrolls behind him; the craftsmanship on the paintings can be really beautiful. The styles range from simple and minimalist to very ornate and painterly.

You see these medicinal tea shops around town. Locals seem to frequent them, as there is often a line of people at the window. This particular tea shop had English translations on the menu. Close-up below:

Turtle shell tea, anyone? As an aside, I learned later that jelly, which comes from chicken's feet (and is a common ingredient in beauty products), is the best conditioner a girl can use for her hair. I'll let you know when I (knowingly) try it...

On my way to the post office with the day's loot! Carolyn, your birthday package is on it's way. I had no idea, but shipping here is shockingly affordable! I shipped this to Virginia using Hong Kong's fastest shipping option for about $7 USD. Ok, EDIT: that's not true, Rob just corrected me. It was $17.50 USD. Still okay, but not that great.

Rob had been looking for a place to get a hair cut, and as we walked past this barber shop, he decided time was nigh and walked in. Here he is pre-cut. Did you know that they washed his hair 3 times before cutting it? Neither of us could figure that out. Rob had to wash it a 4th time after the haircut, as he is not used to the amount of hair gel men commonly use in Hong Kong. I wish he would let me post a picture. His hair really does look great!

Pope (my creative, design genius friend), this pic is for you. This little shop next to the barber had tons of cool leggings I thought you'd like. Generally speaking, everyone in Hong Kong seems to take pride in his or her appearance, as most people are fashionable and very well groomed.

After exploring the Western side of Hong Kong proper, I was pooped and went home to take a nap. I don't usually take naps here, but I did on Tuesday from 4 to 6:30 p.m.. Sorry--didn't photograph that. By the time I awoke, it was time for dinner. Rob and I met up and went to the video rental store around the corner and rented a movie. We also grabbed food for dinner.

Here is a picture of my TV--this is what the cable TV system looks like in Hong Kong. It's called NowTV. The Learning Channel here is really great. It's a combination of Discovery Chanel, Travel Channel and Food Network :)