Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
Look to your left and it’s ultra-modern 35-40 storey plus high-rise buildings stacked beside one another. Shift your gaze to the right and you might see dystopian type buildings, reminiscent of Blade Runner, 1982. Very Manhattan-like, all rushing toward the sky.
Elenka and I have been in a dim sum quandry for years. We’re sort of vegetarian, and dim sum cart gals do not speak English. So we’ve stopped eating these tasty treats at home because it’s just to difficult to know what it is we’re eating. In Hong Kong there was a dim sum place just around the corner from our hotel so we thought we’d give it another try, somewhere away from the very foreign Toronto. We lucked out with the har gow, and then the shrimp dumplings. I felt brave so I ordered a tray of sweet buns, only to find them filled with sweet pork. Not good.
It was on this trip that I came up with what well might be an ingenious plan for when we get home. I’ll get a card printed in Chinese that says, ‘No pork, no beef, no goat, no turtle.
’ Something like that. In hope that the dim sum carts gals would understand that cats, dogs and other four-legged creatures would also fall into that same forbidden “No’ category. Can’t wait to try this out at our local dim sum joint in Toronto.
We were in Hong Kong for just a day and a half. Over such a short period you can’t begin to grasp an understanding of a place or its people. Except for maybe efficiency. We took an airport shuttle from our hotel to the Hong Kong train station. At the train station, not only were we able to drop off our luggage, but we could get our seat assignments for all three legs of our fly-home journey. And it all took about a minute and a half. By the time I’d finished zipping the shoulder straps into my backpack we were ready to go.
Chinese/Hong Kong customs and immigration is no less efficient. For whatever reason, Canadians do not need a visa to enter Hong Kong. In fact Hong Kong customs doesn’t even stamp your passport. Instead, they have you fill out a tiny form.
But get this, the best of the efficiency doesn’t come until you leave Hong Kong. You can go through customs and immigration without actually talking to anyone.
Step one: Insert your passport into a machine and hold it there for about thirty seconds.
Step two: Move to the next station and have a droid take your photo.
If you do these two things correctly you’re home free. Elenka passed, I didn’t. A man with an iron strapped to his hip raced toward me with his hand out. I knew he wanted my passport. For the longest time he looked at my passport photo, comparing it with one he had on his hand-held device. Never once did he look at me, the human, who’d seemed to have caused all this ruckus. Then he asked my name and how it was spelt. Gun still holstered, he growled, handed me back my travel document, then sent me off to Canada.
Basha
2017-11-02
About time Canadians got preferential treatment! I, too, dream of porkless, beefless, goatless dim sum. Never thought to worry about turtle! We are in Mediterranean headed to Athens. Wow! Hugs to you amazing guys! We miss you!
Irene
2017-11-02
I am always delighted to get your latest conquest. And as usual it doesn't disappoint. I find my imaginary travels with you both are always the healthiest for me, i never need a vaccine. Love your stories, keep them coming. warm hugs Irene
Heather
2017-11-19
You've made dim sum sound much more exciting than anything I've experienced. Let's go sometime here and you guys can show me the ropes!