Hong Kong Part 2 - Settling In

Let's see, where was I....

So, one thing to remember about HK is you'll be using lots of cash. Usually when I get to a new country one of the first things I do is stop off at the ATM to get some local currency - it's usually a better exchange rate than using the airport money exchangers. Here I noticed that there were lines for all the ATM's, so I just skipped it. Well, because so much is based on cash, there are always lines for the ATM's here! Don't expect just to pop over to the ATM and grab some quick cash, you'll be standing in line for at least 5 - 10 minutes.

Since I've been here I noticed a bizarre emotional quirk I have regarding currency -  if I'm dealing in something like Pounds Sterling, Euros, or Yen it's easy to do the math in my head and move on. But here they call their currency "Dollars" and every time a taxi driver tells me it'll be "$80" for a 20 minute cab right my heart does a little leap...until I realize that's only about $11 in US currency. The new suitcase I picked up today was only about $75 USD, a great deal, but I had a tough time making myself buy it with the $490 HKD price tag on it. Stupid emotional quirks....

I'll spare you the details, but due to a point promotion Intercontinental is doing right now I chose to stay at the Crowne Plaza Causeway Bay my first night, then move to Holiday Inn Express the next day. (You'll find that I'm a point whore and it has served me well over the years.) While the Crowne Plaza was a beautiful, new hotel with tons of room and amenities, it was just too damn stuffy for me. I know some people just love having a door man who opens the door for you, calls a cab, takes your luggage out of your hand, etc. I can't stand it. What I want from a hotel is a clean, quiet place to sleep and a staff who's responsive to questions but otherwise leaves me alone. The Holiday Inn Express is nearly perfect. There are restaurants in the building if I'm feeling too lazy to go get food; free breakfast; free high-speed internet in the rooms; clean and quiet. If they could only get hot water to my shower this would be my standard destination in HK. Oh well, all the testicle-shrinking showers I take here will make me appreciate what I have in the States that much more. And the view from my room is phenomenal! Let me see if I can embed a pic....

That worked quite nicely! I think I'm gonna like this Blogger thing.

Ok, that's enough for now. It's 4:16am here and I need to try to grab a couple more hours before I hit the gym and get my day started.

Cheers!