Jul 29, 2007

Shenzhen: Day Two / Hong Kong: Day One

After a full evening the night before, we headed out of our Shenzhen hotel towards Lowu for our first suit fittings. Our tailor brought the partially completed suit jackets and pants for Howard and I to try, making adjustments accordingly. I added custom buttons from the shops nearby to finalize the look I was seeking from the suits. After the fitting, we grabbed a quick lunch and then headed back to Hong Kong. I would travel the following day to pick up the final products.

Prior to leaving Shenzhen, Howard and I ran to an ATM to try to get cash for the train to Hong Kong (roughly $73 HKG for First Class - i.e. a seat). We waited for nearly 20 minutes on a line, only to have the guy in front of me jam his card into the slot. I have never seen or experienced this before and was truly dumbfounded. It was fascinating to see a guy force the card into the slot, when it was clear the machine did not want it. After about a minute, it was confirmed that he jammed the machine, and looking proud of himself, the guy ran off. Howard and I were utterly confused...

The train to Hong Kong was not too bad, roughly 45 minutes. When we arrived, we went to the YMCA hotel next to the Peninsula, since our reservation was at the YMCA. For those of you who do not know, the Peninsula is an old, posh hotel known for its amazing tea service (a must do for tourists, apparently). Unfortunately, our reservation was for another YMCA in a poorer location. The hotel was a nightmare - no internet, small room, hard beds, remote control malfuctioning. We were able to survive nonetheless.

That evening we travelled to Victoria Peak, taking the Star Ferry across from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island and the Peak Tram up the mountain. At the peak, we took in some amazing views (to be shared tomorrow) and had a nice quiet dinner. We then went back to the hotel for some rest...

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