You're not missing anything, believe me. I've looked into it. There's a gas shortage and A Flock of Seagulls.

So yeah. Birthday...weekend....work for two solid weeks...FLY TO HONG KONG!!!

So I totally disappeared Friday at noon for Hong Kong! It is fricking AWESOME! I mean, the airport is pretty damned ghetto for being almost new!!! The train to Hong Kong island, only like 40 minutes, that beats Narita to Tokyo, or Incheon to Seoul, so total bonus there. It is more expensive than I expected, but looking at receipts, not as expensive as I thought. About the same as Seoul and Tokyo. Go straight from terminal to train, train to subway, subway outside....OH SHIT!!! IT IS F-ING HOT, HUMID, AND JUST UGH!!!

One more thing that surprised me...tall and dense like I expected of Tokyo. But better than Tokyo, because the mountains and "outdoors" are literally just a few minutes walk away. The subways were even more crowded than the Seoul #2 line. And yes, after being in certain parts of Tokyo, Seoul is busier, but Hong Kong has them both beat.

So, stayed in Kowloon (Tsim Tsa Shui) and hung out nearby on friday night. Dinner at an awesome Szechuan restaurant that no whiteys were in. Perfect. It was fantabulous! Good Tsing Tao, and hot & sour soup. Well good everything. My stamp of approval.

Saturday, wake up...is that rain? OH YEAH! Not just any rain, but back end of typhoon/monsoonal moisture. Great. Well, nut it up and head out anyway. There is a break in it, and I just kinda wander Kowloon, check the market, take in the vertical. Pretty cool, CRAP, rain again! Screw this, hot, humid, rainy...why not go somewhere where it is better, the bellows of the subway? Crap!!! Well at least the cars are air-conditioned.

Head to Central (big, tall, symbols of Hong Kong). Lots of shopping and tall buildings. I mean they are tall, but man, I thought they'd be taller. Lots of photos, and I need some Dim Sum. So wander to the tram, and see where it takes me. It takes me far. When I stop marveling at the fun double decker trolley, I realize I am WELL off my map. Simple solution, get off and head back. Back on the map, I ask a couple of Police Officers the best Dim Sum around. They write two Chinese characters on my map, and give me directions. I SUCK!!! Walk by it twice, ask directions 3 more times from others...turns out they wrote the characters from left to right...apparently Chinese read from right to left. Does that sound right? I have never heard that before? TYSEN? Anyway, the place is totally packed, and totally won't seat me. So I wander up the street and go in the next promising looking place. Good Dim Sum, Monsoon in Seattle is still the BEST!!! One interesting note, there are two kinds of Guinness in Hong Kong, the kind we all know and love, and the kind I had with Dim Sum. AWFUL!!!

Wow, there is an escalator, cool! Ride it, and ride it, and ride it. Umm...got to the top, come on down...CRAP!!! The rains start, and in EARNEST! Well, luckily I scored a cheap umbrella, but I swear the rain is coming UP!!! So I hide for about 20 minutes under a building. Catch a cab to the Victoria Peak Tram. So caught a bus I thought was the bus to the tram, but instead, back down to the harbor. CRAP!!! So rode it back up to where I caught it, where the tram was. Went up the tram, and DAMN it is steep! Like 50 degrees! Whew. And amazingly, after hanging at the top, the weather cleared up! Awesome pictures!

Head down to the harbor and catch the ferry back to Kowloon, and the light show that is the buildings of Hong Kong. Pretty cool from on the water! Then wander to the ChungKing Mansions, and get harassed by 1000 Indian dudes to eat at their restaurant. Pick one from the book and go in. Awesome food, mostly Indians eating, score! Try some Indian beer, typical Indian food. Was good! RADICAL!

Totally knocked out and just crash, get up late the next day and fly home. I am SO GOING BACK!!! I really liked Hong Kong. Who's coming with me next time?