Hong Kong Fooey

I have seen the future, and it is Hong Kong.

Jen and I made use of our long weekend (Happy Nino Aquino day everyone!) by traveling to Hong Kong. It is an ass-kicking city. Here’s why.

• Trains! First go underground about 15 stories and hope the sea doesn’t come in. Then buy a magical pass (called an Octopus card) that you keep in your wallet. Third, just wave your wallet at the turnstile as you go through.* Then you get on the train and go to a new magical place. You can even use your card to buy things at 7-11.
• Big Buddha! Take the train out to beautiful countryside and see a huge metal Buddha the size of Optimus Prime. You can also burn incense the size of a baseball bat.
• Giant Escalator! I dig moving walkways of all sorts. When I learned that it is a means of commuting to work in Hong Kong, I nearly applied for a working visa. It’s got to be almost a mile long. It flows down from the hills in the morning, and then reverses in the pm to get drunken businessmen home.
• Halloween Street: We found a street full of wigs, costume jewelry, and disco balls. All with negotiable prices. Jen and I would have cleared all the shelves if we weren’t trying to pay off our honeymoon. Good thing I swapped my watch for a giant disco ball.
• Conveyer Belt Sushi: This isn’t unique to Hong Kong, but you can’t help but love it when food comes to you on a conveyor belt. Special music from an old cartoon plays in my head whenever I see this.

Now I have another long weekend to celebrate my friend’s 40th birthday. Whoot whoot! Ask me about the Fredstock 2007 Toga Celebration in case I forget to tell you. It’ll be big.

* Given another day, I was considering an experiment where I would swallow my octopus card and then hump the turnstile for entrance. Despite the comedic value of this, time did not allow.