Hong Kong - Enjoyable 2 Days

19th May 2009

It seems that summer is approaching a little sooner than normal this year. For some reason the change of seasons has quite an adverse affect on the Chinese students: I'm told it makes them lackadaisical and literally puts them to sleep (refer students in the background during a 10-minute recess) - or is it my teaching!?

I've just returned from an enjoyable 2-day business trip to Hong Kong:

• I travelled to Shanghai airport via the super-fast MagLev train: what an experience as I sat there watching the speed display climb up to 431kph!
• Hong Kong Island was quite a contrast to Wuhan and Shanghai: cars actually stopped at red lights! Pedestrians did not casually use the motor lanes as footpaths, as if they had a right to use them as such; there were no tricycles used for moving house, as appears to be the case in Shanghai; expensive cars, especially S500 Mercedes Benz, were the norm rather than the exception. Moreover, cars drive on the left-hand side of the road... Overall, Hong Kong Island appears to be a clean and well-policed city.
• Talking about red lights, my hotel was booked smack in the centre of the door-to-door red-light district. Generally, the girls were tall, slim and quite beautiful and in the hot weather didn't mind displaying their full wares. As it was hard not to look at one particularly attractive lady, as I was walking by, she got hold of my arm and almost dragged me in: however, after a protracted (and enjoyable) tug-of-war I displayed greater physical and moral strength and managed to extricate myself.

In the little time I had in HK I spent time looking around the beautiful harbour area, where I managed to see a junk, and shopping at their Times Square shopping precinct. All the famous clothing brands were there, including the Italian Ermenegildo Zegna where I saw a beautiful soft-leather, reversible casual jacket. I tried it on and casually asked for the price: a mere HK$37,000 (approx AUD$7,400). Without choking, I coolly made out as if I was considering it, but eventually said it didn't quite suit me!

The Dalian teaching position is still to be ratified by other stakeholders but I think it's looking hopeful. In anticipation of teaching in China for the next couple of semesters I have now commenced weekly Chinese lessons. However, I don't expect to advance all that much, as it is a difficult language.

That's it for now... Renzo