A Break in the Silence

I am currently at a Starbucks and am writing this as a short break in the current radio silence.

The International Commerce Center

I stayed at a hotel last night, and am currently waiting for 2:00 to roll around so that I may check into my hostel. However, in the mean time, I am spending a little time at a mall attached to the International Commerce Center (or ICC). Brandon would absolutely love this mall. I'll explain later in a second.

The ICC is actually the fourth tallest building in the world. They haven't fully completed it yet, but the highest floors will be reserved for the Ritz Carlton in Hong Kong. The uppermost floor will have a pool that will stretch all the way to the end of the floor (creepy since it's just you and glass between the fourth tallest suicide in the world).

Anyway, the mall. The mall is actually divided into different zones, which are called by different elements. I'm wandering around trying to find a place to kill some time, but I'm passing through "Fire" zone and then onto "Water" zone. It's like being right out of Avatar (The Last Airbender, not the blue monkeys). The elements don't all align completely though. There's Fire, Water, Earth, Wood, and Metal, so the Chinese haven't entirely learned their proper Empedoclean cosmology, but it's close enough.

The Plan

Right now, I have four goals for some of the days that I have left in Hong Kong. One, there is a light show EVERY night at 8pm here in Hong Kong. You only have to jump on the Star Ferry, which then takes you out on the water with all kinds of water restaurants (read: tourist trap, haha, you might be on a boat, but we're the only way you eat), and the city has an entirely automated light show. Second, the Hong Kong history museum also comes highly recommended, and will let me learn more about HK history. Third, I need a tan and I know a good beach around here. Finally, a friend told me about a traditional Chinese tea shop that teaches you all about how to properly prepare and drink Chinese tea. It may be the same as I learned in Singapore, or it may be different, but who am I to pass up such a low-cost learning opportunity.

Anyway, I still don't know when I'll have regular internet access, but hopefully I'll be able to update you all as things come and go.