Oddly enough, Pabst Blue Ribbon is one of the cheaper beers here and Budweiser is one of the more expensive. Drinking is simply not part of the culture here, so no one checks for ID since there’s no age limit. There’s a lot of smoking though, mostly for image. People walk around with cigarettes hanging out their mouths, and just have one every now and then, instead of needing cigarette breaks every hour.
Posts tagged with "Hong Kong"
The Current Economic Situation
Hong Kong used to be an open port to China for trade. Ever since the China takeover in ’97, China has opened up for trade again, leaving Hong Kong as a middleman. Businesses have generally all stopped trading through Hong Kong, since it costs more to go through such a middleman. As a result, the Hong Kong economy has collapsed, and is now heavily dependent on tourism and information trading. That explains why I see so many commercials on visiting Hong Kong back home.
The shopping is great, due to the large tourism industry. Everything is tax free, and is generally cheaper than the equivalent from back home. I was able to find a red turtleneck for $30 that would have cost me $60 (not including tax) in Canada. The stitching is roughly the same quality, and there was an immediate two-hour 50% off sale on anything red, so I got it for $15 instead. I also bought a Seiko Criteria Kinetic Auto Relay watch, which powers itself on the movement of the wearer. The auto relay function automatically sets the date/time, which is useful for when the watch is taken off and runs out of power, so that the date/time don’t need to be set again. It’s only been five days and I’ve already spent more than I thought I would the entire trip. Going into debt has never been this much fun.
In The News Over Here
Professor The Honourable Arthur Li Kwok-cheung, Hong Kong Secretary for Education and Manpower, was caught playing games on his PDA yesterday during a meeting of parliament. Now I don’t feel so bad about playing my GBA in class.
Museums Of Hong Kong
Went to the Hong Kong Museum of History, and learned that Hong Kong people suck at fighting. Out of the two wars we were in, we won zero and lost two. First was against those damn British in 1839, taking Hong Kong from China so they could have free trade of their soulless opium. Then there was the Japanese invasion in the early 1940’s which made Hong Kong a living hell for almost everyone there, although one could say that the Brits were responsible for defending one of their colonies. I can sort of see what the return to China has done to the exhibits in the subtle hints of propaganda found in the later galleries.
Also went to the Honk Kong Science Museum, which is a complete rip-off of the Ontario Science Centre (or is it the other way around?), from the experiments to the interactive contraptions. I had actually seen almost all of the HKMS already just from my younger visits to the OSC, and most of it was exactly the same. I wonder if there was a collaborative effort with Ontario to create a standardized science museum.
Sitting In The Airport
I’m sitting in the Vancouver airport, waiting for the connecting flight to board. It’s 2:08 am back home, 11:08 pm here, 3:08 am in Hong Kong, and the terminal is almost empty. I caught scattered glimpses of the lit cities on the way over, lights bright and delicate underneath like rows upon rows of gilded chains.
A loud Julian sat next to me on the flight, telling me about his accomplishments in the IT sector, a bright young worker who’s made his way into a great position in a recovering economy. Only the sound of suitcase wheels grinding on grooved floors can be heard here, with an occasional announcement over the loudspeaker.
I can feel myself getting excited, finally, sitting here remembering all the great times I’ve had in Hong Kong. The fireworks, the family, the food.