My spoof of David Letterman: Top 10 Thoughts about HK on my first day here

Warning: Not funny like David Letterman's List

10. This hostel we're staying at (Dragon Hostel) is awesome. Friendly helpful staff, good wireless internet in the common area, clean room, good location, good air-conditioning in the room, tv, free local calls... and the best part: I prayed for a room with a window (not all the rooms in hostels have windows), and not only did we get a room with a window, but the 2 of us are staying in a room meant for 3. Bunk bed and a single bed. =) Not bad at all for a budget hostel. I am very blessed.

9. There's DBS here?!

8. If you look Chinese and can speak a little Cantonese, all you have to do is to say the minimum, point a little and pretend to understand the other person while reading his/her hand gestures to blend in. He/she won't even know you're not catching a word they're saying. At least, when buying street-side food. I'm sure my failure at comprehension will become much more apparent with longer conversations.

7. Toyota sells an amazing number of commercial vehicles. Almost all the taxis here are Toyotas. Same goes with their budget public transport buses (the small ones).

6. There are few other things that will make you feel more local than jaywalking with the locals.

5. Where there are tourists and internet access, there will be Facebook.

4. Elevated pedestrian walkways above roads are a genius invention.

3. Roaming around by myself is pretty fun. Also, I have a very bad memory when it comes to remembering how many right angled turns I've made.

2. I am completely hopeless at reading menus in 繁体字 (the unsimplified form of Chinese). I guess that should be no surprise since I'm already really slow at reading the simplified form, but it's really quite demoralizing to walk up to a street side drinks stall when I'm thirsty and want to order something, but not be able to read the menu and not know how to even ask about the menu (given that I probably look pretty local... besides the camera hanging around my neck).

1. In Hong Kong, there's ALWAYS a chance that you'll feel a few drops of water from the sky, even when the sky is bright and completely cloudless - if you stand in the wrong place under a building. It's rather disturbing really.


But again, I reiterate the first point on top. I am very blessed. I think these few days are going to be great.