Having a Blast in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of the rare cities that can compare to New York. So, for me, being here is great.
I visited a few touristy places that I hadn't had the chance to see the last time I was here. But, I have to admit that I enjoy the sheer density of the metropolis more than any of its particular sights or attractions.

I am now staying in another flat. Not because the last one was too small or shabby, but because they insisted that I give them the key to my room back every time I would go out. I came back pretty late once and there was no one at the counter. I tried opening the door to my room and found out that they had left it unlocked for me to be able to come back in. Now, that whole deal pissed me off. First, I should be allowed to keep my key. But, the real problem is that they left my room unlocked with all my stuff inside (including my passport). I didn't find that funny.

Hong Kong is so far ahead of the mainland. People drive properly; don't spit; can express their opinions; have fast and uncensored Net access; are mostly free from hawkers; use bathrooms to urinate and defecate; ... All it needs is potable tap water and it would be a First World nation within China.

I agree with Salman Rushdie when he says that "[Pornography is] a kind of standard-bearer for freedom, even civilisation." So, it fills my heart with peaceful warmth when I see all the porn (including some gay stuff) being displayed and sold on the streets here.

In a similar train of thought, I am amazed to see the number of "message parlors" and "saunas" in HK. It seems to me that all the Asian countries are far more into prostitution than Western countries. I wonder what social factors contribute to that reality.

On a more legitimate level, I find the women of HK less attractive than Mainlanders, in general. It wasn't until I went to Lan Kwai Fong (a party district favored by expats) that I saw many cute HK girls. Lan Kwai Fong is super cool. It's filled mostly by expats drinking and being rowdy on the streets in a joyful, drunken manner. It also has many girls fond of Westerners. So, basically, it's an area of plentiful drinking and intense flirting.

Some people were already dressed up in costumes in anticipation for Halloween. I'm told Halloween will be even crazier than what I saw last night. To give you an idea of how crazy this place is, on 1993-01-01, 21 people died of asphyxia in a crowd crush incident. Now, the police monitors the area a lot more to avoid any repeats. Still, the streets are packed with people. I'm so spending Halloween there!

The party in Lan Kwai Fong is more on the streets than in the clubs and bars. The local 7-Eleven makes a fortune by selling alcohol to merry people who want to party. I bought some drinks from the convenience store and started mingling. I ended up entertaining four ladies until 3:30am. I gave them my email address and hope to see them again. It would be great to have some friends in Hong Kong (and lovely ones at that).

I need to figure out what my Halloween costume will be...