Cacophony of the Senses

This is one of those times where I could absolutely kick myself for not having a camera. I left my camera-phone with Courtney since she's running around managing the NNHS Varsity Baseball team. So I came over to Asia sans camera.

I wish I could have gotten a shot of the view from the 41st floor gym of the Langham Place Hotel here in the Mong Kok area of Hong Kong. The treadmills are right along the floor-to-ceiling windows. The view is spectacular.

My meetings don't start until later this morning so I had time to take a walk around the neighborhood here in Mong Kok. The hotel is a couple blocks off Nathan Road but it was still pretty quiet this morning. However, when I went around to Reclamation Street, I fell upon the open-air market on Nelson Road. That's when the cacophony of sights, sounds, and smells hit me. What an amazing place! And this is so where I wish I had my camera! I'll try and do it a little justice...

I was the only Westerner there but that hardly caused an eye to blink. The first few stalls were nothing but fruits and vegetables. Carrots the size of a steroid-enhanced body builder's forearms were the first thing I saw. Then the fruits! Talk about exotic. The majority I couldn't even begin to identify. The colors were amazing. Rich, rich reds and incredibly vivid orange colors. Most of them were covered natural spikes and other protective coverings. Then came the durian....maybe you've heard of them. Or their smell. These fruit look like big spiked hand-grenades. When they are opened, the smell is utterly undescribable. I got a whiff this morning. Imagine the contents of a fetid sewer mixed with meat that has sat in an unplugged refriferator for a few weeks. Let's just say it was bad. And it was a hot seller. Who knew?! Then I came upon the meat, fish, and poultry section. It's a fresh market, remember? So in other words, lots of freshly slaughtered birds and pigs hanging out. You can walk right up to one of the chicken stalls, pick your live chicken, and get it slaughtered to your liking. I'll not describe that. All this is going on under the din of the crowds. Old ladies doing their shopping; Filipina domestics buying the day's food for their Chinese employers, and one Western guy who couldn't get enough of it.

I head out shortly for meetings on both the Kowloon side and Island side. It is so easy to get around on the MTR - I bought a day card so I can ride all I want without issues. I love this city - I just can't get enough of Hong Kong!