Like A BBQ Sauce, Tabasco, Vodka, Celery Lovechild

Outdoorsy is not a word many (or anyone) would use to describe me. As my parents like to tell me ‘Tommy was built for comfort, NOT for speed.’ Usually this is 100% true. The availability of air conditioning, comfy furniture and everything electronic are all directly related to a person’s happiness and comfort as far as I’m concerned. Yet, here in Hong Kong the mountainous terrain has drawn me out of my comfort cave.

Anyone with the ability to walk should go hiking in Hong Kong. The city is essentially built around a mountainous series of islands, and the experience is well worth it. I bought myself a book titled The Serious Hiker’s Guide to Hong Kong, which lists four major trails totaling nearly 300 km in length.

In two days I did about 30 km of trails. The first day was a nice, but relatively tame and uneventful walk with some people around The Peak on Hong Kong Island. The next day was a bit different. I started out on my own with the intention of getting some serious hiking done alone, and moving at the intense pace I travel at on my own.

I soon realized that hiking away from The Peak means a lot less people, pavement and signs. All together I managed about 20 km over about four hours. It doesn’t seem like much, but the trails are confusing and repeatedly go from peak to sea level. I can’t describe how disgustingly sweaty I was during this hike. Every rational part of my being was screaming to stop, go home, turn on the AC and make a fruity drink. Instead I pressed on, and I’m glad I did.

Hiking around the hills of the city reminds you at every turn of the contradictions and juxtapositions that make up the city. While my normal mindset and surroundings are more in tune with the themes of Sex and the City, hiking alone though forests and cliffs for a few hours had me feeling closer to Thoreau’s Walden. Between the butterflies, hawks, trees and that smell of the outdoors I was sure it was the most outdoorsy I had been in several years. It was a transcendentalist’s dream. Despite my general grossness it was a great day, and hopefully my lazy ass will get as much done as possible before my time here is up.

Beyond hiking I have no unifying theme to talk about, but I have had a few cool moments to share. The other day a good friend from home took me out with some people to try some cool bars. We first went to a place where I ordered a BLT (like the sandwich) which had bacon infused vodka. Bacon and vodka are two of my favorite things, but much like George Bush and grammatically correct sentences the two just don’t go together. It was like BBQ sauce, Tabasco, vodka and a stick of celery all birthing one horrible lovechild in my mouth. I gave it to a Chinese girl who actually liked it in exchange for a Mojito.

After a period of free drinks (since it was ladies night) we left, and I ‘accidentally forgot’ to pay for my shitty drink. Ooops. We then went to my favorite bar, which is, of course, a Russian bar where you wear fur coats and hang out in a walk in freezer. There we met some SUPER creepy Cathay Pacific pilots who bought us all shots (because just buying for the girls would have been awkward). Long story short, they were creepy and one of them kept me at the bar buying me weird shots until after the bar closed. I managed to escape his creepiness, and had a relatively uneventful night after that.

A few days ago I discovered an area of international restaurants. I had been living on a diet of very cheap Cantonese food and McD’s before this, so needless to say I was in heaven. Cantonese food can be good, but it is generally a combination of steamed meats/seafood and rice/noodles without much (if any) seasoning. Thus, I was in desperate need of something with flavor. Taco Loco and a Greek restaurant came to the rescue. You don’t really realize how much Quesadillas, Tabasco, Souvlaki and Hummus can lift your spirits until they are taken away from you for a few months. I saw Lebanese, Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish, American and Italian foods, which gave me a certain peace of mind for my future here.

I have also begun an awesome collection of posters I see on the street as advertisements. No one is going to stop a white boy taking something like a poster here, so I consequentially have the coolest room EVER. Everything from the Chippendale’s world tour, to some Chinese Obama spin off politician are showcased in my room.

My program also organized a cooking lesson. For a few dollars I learned how to make spring rolls and actually made some steamed dumplings. I felt very domestic, and was proud of my awkward looking treats.

Last, but not least, I found Planet Earth online. Holy fucking Christ was that a great find. I don’t know why I never bothered to look there for it, but I now feel like one of those annoying Jesus lovers who shove their gospel in your face at every turn. So if you are reading this WATCH PLANET EARTH. Needless to say I have gotten a few people hooked.

P.S. I would not be true to myself if I didn’t talk about the not so pleasant times I have had here. The honeymoon period with this city is definitely over. I have gotten sick of the food, annoyed with people, tired of the language and missed home. I suppose that is to be expected as the natural progression of living anywhere, and I’m glad to have experienced the city like this. Fortunately I was able to fall back on previous experiences of getting pissed off at everything in my surroundings, and remembered that its really better if you just take life one day at a time. Realizing that there is nothing you can do to change the vast majority of things that surround you, and simply accepting that it is what it is is something that I hope to remember for the rest of my life. I am fully convinced that the process of living in any new setting is loving it, then hating everything and then getting over it and learning to deal with it. Anyways, enough peace love and harmony hippie bullshit, just remember to watch Planet Earth.

P.S.S. I just finished midterms. I can honestly say I did more work, and learned more in the past week than I have all semester. Studying abroad is awesome for a lot of reasons, but one of the big ones is that most classes can be passed by simply studying for a few hours the night before. Seriously, I don’t know why the rest of the world is so much smarted than America if this is any indication of how their classes are.