After my first two nights in the Walden hotel I moved into my new Serviced Apartment which is like certain friends, an apartment with benefits. I get weekly maid service and a small kitchenette with bar fridge. Once you put about 8 drinks in it, it's full. Then again if you put 8 people in this apartment the fire department would have something to say. Still the apartment is clean, quiet, and right near three different subway lines (the closest being Austin Station – they spelled my name wrong but it was nice of them to know I was coming) and the famous Temple Street Night Market and Nathan Road where if you want to buy any one of a dozen $100,000 CAD watches or a Million dollar ring for that special lady - well - you can. Rolex is positively cheap in comparison but then they don’t keep particularly good time and maybe people are figuring it out.

Speaking of cheap - most stuff is – there are no taxes on anything and there is no tipping. I left some money on the pillow for the maid – she cleaned everything but she left the money left on the pillow. I am now in the process of finding a new apartment. This is fine but astonishingly costly. Usually in Canada we pay half a month’s rent as a security deposit when moving into a new apartment. In Hong Kong, they want the first month’s rent. And they want two full month’s rent as security deposit. On top of that you have to pay half a month’s rent to the agent (the owner of the apartment pays the other half of the month’s rent to the agent). Now apartments in Hong Kong are expensive. $12,000 HKD is the one I am looking at and it’s quite nice but not at all considered expensive here. This gets you 610 square feet. If I get I will show pictures. The exchange rate is about $8HKD to $1Cad. So $1,500 for rent but the initial outlay will be $42000 HKD or $5,250 Cad. You get the deposit back at the end with 2% interest so it’s not all bad but you don’t get the agent fee back. Still, the rent is well under the amount the government provides foreign teachers so in the long run I save a bit of cash.

Anyway, here are some more pictures

This would be "The Lodge" where I am currently living. 4 flats per floor and separated from each other. No common wall. Apparently they count the hallway as part of the square foot rating - well 1/4 of the hallway. I still don't think it makes 400square feet. Pictures of the inside later.



Beer. You can buy a bottle of Guinness for $1.50Cad. I was out the other night having dinner and I decided to buy a bottle of San Miguel. A Philippines beer that is quite nice. $20HKD for a bottle or about $3.50. But what came seemed to be a jug. A huge 620ml bottle. And this at a restaurant. A lot of sloshed folks walking the streets. You can open the pictures and zoom in to see the prices - remember to divide the price by 8.


Double Decker buses and trolleys are everywhere here but I liked this one. A big black Double Decker trolley with the word Manifesto across the top. I am sure it's going to a mall.


A nice couple I had a chance meeting with. I could not place their accent but it turns out they're both from Cardiff, Wales. I said they didn't really sound Welsh at which point they really turned on the accent. They were both out to go dancing and drinking but I had work the next day.