The Trip, January 28, 2008

It’s about 12:25 am.

I just had a very good day (for a change).

I got up at 11:30 am, took a long leisurely shower, moisturized generously, applied a lot of products to my hair that made it look half-way presentable, slipped into jeans and my favorite blue and red windbreaker that I had bought from a prior trip to Bar Harbour Maine, swiped on some eyeliner and lip-gloss and was out of the room by 1 pm. Not bad.

I popped in my iPod and proceeded to wander through the airport wondering if I was just lazy enough to not do what I intended to do when I woke up. Chastising myself for being a useless git, I settled on getting a table for one at ‘The Spaghetti House’ where I proceeded to enjoy a quiet lunch while watching all sorts of people walk by heading off to do whatever they were heading off to do. I realize I love to sit and watch humanity. This also gave me the opportunity to decide on a course of action for the rest of the day.

With the firm resolution in mind to stop being lazy since this was definitely (Inshallah) going to be my last weekend in HK, I boldly strode to the ticket kiosk, purchased a roundtrip ticket (90 HK Dollars, 11.25 US Dollars) for Kowloon, slunked onto the train sporting my new Jimmy Choo bag and found a quiet spot for myself. I probably managed to stay awake for approximately 5 minutes. Thank the Lord for internal clocks because my eyes popped open as the train was approaching the Kowloon station. Scrambling I got out and (as if I had done it 100,000 times before like some local Honkonian (FYI: this is what I call them, they do NOT call themselves this)), I made my way to the taxi stand, hailed a red taxi and rang out with voice full of authority, “Ladies Market Please”. I sat back with a sigh.

This Crickets, marked my first independent foray into HK sans anyone else with me. I have to admit, it was liberating to walk amongst the stalls, haggling, bargaining, gazing around, stopping to take pictures, gawk at things I hadn’t the time to see before because I was always with a whole host of people who also had their own agenda in mind. I took a deep breath once leaving the confines of the cab. I felt good.

I meandered around all the shops, now recognizing some of the stall owners, haggling like a fishwife, sporting my new LV shades and lightening up the one off ciggie. The smells were now familiar to me. BTW, I can say with complete confidence that I considered HK one of the most safest countries for a woman to travel around alone in. No doubt. I could never even concieve to wander around in Bangladesh alone without a male escort.

At one point, disgruntled by a lady who absolutely refused to bring down the price of a baseball cap I was eyeing with serious lust, I stomped away only to turn the corner and spy…[insert crescendo-ing music here] a Starbucks! OMG, I saw them around but hadn’t had much of a chance to actually enter one. I practically got myself killed by a car while crossing the street in my eagerness to taste good coffee (yes a lot of you coffee lovers out there are probably grimacing and/or rolling your eyes but unless you’ve been to a foreign country where coffee isn’t the rage and instead tea is, you wouldn’t understand). So I run in, eagerly ask if they have ‘peppermint syrup’ and much to my joy, they say ‘yes, we do’. Oh happy day! I order my favorite peppermint mocha and when I clutch the cup in my hand and take the first sip (which I wait to take until I was outside on the sidewalk) I feel as if I’m transported back to the streets of DC. It’s the first complete sense of happiness I’ve had in days.

This also makes my mood lighten considerably after the altercation with the Cap Woman. I decide to try my hand at her one more time but she is not to be budged. “No, is good price” she assures me without even a trace of a smile to break her wrinkled split lip continence. I felt myself instantly bristle but the Starbucks in my hand reminded me that I’m but days away from leaving HK and heading home. I have just one shot at this, one more chance to soak in and experience the country and that’s what I did. I shrugged, looked at her and said, ‘okay’. I stuffed the cap onto my head, tucked the stray whisps of hairs behind my ears and preened into the handheld green mirror she offered. When I glanced at her, she half smiled at me and said ‘you look beautiful’. I was glad I went back.

After an appropriate amount of gawking, I headed off to score myself a taxi and then back to the Airport Express which brought me back to Lantau Island and what is now my temporary home.

Not a bad day huh?

Tomorrow and onto the end of the week we will be working a lot of late hours. FT and I are not looking forward to it however we realize that if we kick our own asses, we could be boarding a flight home by Thursday or Friday. Imagine! Home. The word has never sounded more lovely.

DLC has tried to hurry the way back for us. Believe me, we appreciate it. Poor FT was going to make a pit stop to another exotic destination, however now with the impending load of work that glares back at us with disdain (yes, boxes can indeed look at you with disdain when they overwhelm you by 1000 percent), he told me today that he would not be able to make it since he is being sworn into the DC Bar on the 4th of February. I was jarred out of my mental stagnation when I realized that we’ve pretty much been here for 1 whole month. Wow. When did that happen? Anyhow, FT admitted that he was all about going home and hanging out in his apartment for a couple of days. Boy do I know how he feels.

I think, no, I know I will be happy when I get back though. I look forward to chilling out in my office, gossiping with DLC and ESS, going for smoke breaks with my fabu assistant, hissing at MB over my office wall and meeting up with My Gurl at the local Starbucks (which actually may not happen at all anymore since she just got hooked up with a job at the State Department and now will be apart of the working class zombie’s like the rest of us). This time of course I also have V, TB and FT to bug. I can’t wait to have a reunion.

Wow, it’s almost 1 am. Shit, I have to sleep. I have a lot of back tracking to do as far as gossip goes but I’m still not in the mood. Someone remind me to write more about Chia Pet, there's a lot there to tell let me assure you.

*Smooches*

Later all.