How many people does it take to hang a picture?

Today I had a couple of mirrors and a few pictures put up on our very bare apartment walls.  At our home in Atlanta, this would have a been simple task.  I would have made my husband do it.
Hammer, nails, hooks, items on walls...done.

Like many home repair tasks in Hong Kong, it's just not that straightforward.

Most of the buildings here have concrete walls, so in order to hang anything, a drill and special hardware is required.  I asked our building manager if someone from the maintenance staff could help me.  A very polite and dignified, "Yes, Madam," was the response.  Little did I know the process ahead of me.

There were not one, but two "Pre-drilling visits" during which the building manager surveyed what needed to be hung and where it was to be placed.  My initial impression was that these extra steps would ensure a speedy resolution to the job. Wrong again.

The "Final drilling" took place today, a month after my original request.  A total of 5 people were sent to perform specific duties assigned to each of them.  Yes, FIVE.  If you include me in the mix, the answer to the question "How many people does it take" is apparently 6.

Here's how it goes:

One guy marks the spot to be drilled.
One guy drills.
One guy (or gal in this case) vacuums up the dust created by the drilling.
One guy bosses everyone, including me, around.
One guy just stands there.

My role, or so I was told, was to look at the wall hanging once it was up and not a moment before then.

Just when we reached the last item to be hung, and faster than you can say Labor Union Utopia, the group of 5 broke for lunch.  In total, including the lunch break, the time it took to hang 3 mirrors and 6 pictures was 6 hours.


Now, all joking aside, these folks were extremely polite and genuinely cared about getting this work done properly.  They touched up paint, were meticulous about cleaning up after themselves and took great care in handling items in the apartment.  That level of service is standard here in Hong Kong and I am getting spoiled by it.

One thing I can guarantee:  my live-in handyman in Atlanta would not have performed these tasks with the same attention to detail, nor similar pleasant demeanor.  I'd better enjoy this, and the giggles that come with it, while I can.

Bird and Goldfish Markets

While out visiting the Flower Market, just a couple of blocks away are the Yuen Long Street Bird Market and the Goldfish Market.  Given that space is so limited here, the appeal of birds and goldfish as pets is easily understood.


Many of the older gentlemen enjoy walking around their neighborhoods carrying their birds in their cages, sort of showing them off to friends. They hold the cages by a handle on the bottom so as not to disturb the birds too much.  You'll sometimes see them gather for a cup of tea, birds in tow, and they seem to be comparing their avian trophies.




Everything you need for your birds or goldfish can be found at these markets.  The gentleman below is collecting live crickets to sell as food for the birds.  They make nests out of egg cartons and sell them after they hatch.

     Prefer goldfish?  No problem.  Just head over a couple of blocks
     to Tung Choi Street or "Goldfish Street" as the Westerners call it.
     Perhaps a new feather or fin-covered friend awaits.

 

Flower Market

The Flower Market area of Mong Kok is filled with amazing blooms!

Just a 15 minute ride on the MTR from Hong Kong island, can take you to a beautiful selection of shops with amazing flowers.

The prices are so inexpensive and the shopkeepers like to bargain, especially if you are buying in a large quantity.

Another bonus: they deliver to just about anywhere in Hong Kong. Or do what I like to do and take home as many as you can possibly carry.  The folks on the trains won't mind.

But don't tell Madonna that starting in October, the Hydrangeas will be spectacular.  There are Hydrangea farms in the New Territories that are beautiful to tour, so look for those photos soon.


If you have the chance to visit Hong Kong, and want an early morning activity, visit the flower markets even if you are just taking them back to your hotel.  It's worth it and the hotel staff will completely understand.

Cheung Chau Island

One of the great things about Hong Kong is that there are plenty of neighboring islands to visit on weekends when you feel like getting away from the intense hustle-bustle.  A new favorite of mine is Cheung Chau.

This quaint fishing village is a 30 minute ferry ride from Hong Kong Island.  Once you arrive, you can walk along the colorful boardwalk filled with vendors and food stands, rent bikes or hike to a hilltop that offers stunning views with the teal green sea below.

Charming alleyways, with private entrances to apartments and beautiful flower pots, surprise you at various spots along the pathways.

When you are hungry, the choices are numerous.  Dumplings, noodles, seafood, baked goods, and yes, even the token McDonald's and Subway are discreetly placed for those needing a fast food hit.  Many of the restaurants have their seafood menu items swimming in tanks at the entrances.

For the kids, the snow cones at Cheung Chau rival any I've ever seen.  The sizes are enormous and the flavors are intense with real fruit pieces in the syrup:  lychee, green apple, pineapple and strawberry seemed to be the most popular.

The cost of this day's excursion is very reasonable.  Ferry tickets are only about $10 US and lunch can easily be found for around $12/ per person.  That is a fantastic bargain for a day of exploring!

Cheung Chau island:  just another thing to love about Hong Kong.

We've arrived!

Apartment?
Check.

Bank Accounts?
Check.

Daughter adjusting to new international school?
Check.

We've arrived and we now have the basics covered.  But learning to live in Hong Kong again, is so much more involved than that.

Psychologists say that it takes expatriates about 6 months to get into the groove of their surroundings.
We are at month 3.

The sights are amazing here:  bright colors by day and even brighter lights by night.

The sounds are loud and cacophonous:  trolley bells, car horns, people speaking Cantonese and just about any other language on the planet, and then there is the construction.  So much construction.

The smells are crazy:  fuel exhaust, pungent odors from local food stalls, distinctive aromas from garbage bins and mildew in alleyways, expensive colognes on the most elegant ladies and gentlemen, as well as the unmistakeable lack of colognes on some of the world's hardest working folks.

And it is very expensive.

Many have asked me, "Now WHY do you want to live there again?"

The answer comes easily.  Living here is really LIVING.  There is such an intensity about Hong Kong, that it is like someone took New York City and boiled it down to it's super-concentrated state.  And then changed the language and culture.

I plan to post photos and short anecdotes about life here, and I hope that you'll join me on this journey.

Please give me your thoughts on what you see or would like to see.

Sharing this city makes it even better.

Perhaps you too will fall in love with Hong Kong.