New Country. Same Old Mess.

I may be living in a different country, but I'm still the same old mess I was back in the US. Why, just last week I managed to show half of the East Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station my arse. How did this happen? Well, I'm still not completely sure, but somehow my dress rode up and got stuck between my waist and my purse. The only thing that alerted me to the problem were the snickers of little Hong Kong girls... who were probably 35 year old Hong Kong women (deciphering age here is next to impossible). Oh well... I pulled my dress down and carried on walking home.


By now I think everyone is beginning to grasp my hatred for the stupid squatty potties, but I may have found something even more bizarre. I visited a factory in Dongguan last week, and they insisted on taking me out for "the spicy food" for lunch. I made it through the meal without crying this time, but I still consumed mass quantities of tea... and maybe a couple glasses of beer (hey, it's the ONLY thing that will cool your mouth down). Upon my arrival back at the factory, I had to "go." I said a small prayer that when I opened up the stall door there would be a beautiful real toilet waiting there for me. Nope. Squatty. I opened the next stall to find something even more annoying... a real toilet WITH THE SEAT REMOVED. What? WHY?? Thinking this would be the better option, I gave it a go. Well, I'll just say that it wasn't easier and leave it at that... also, I'll probably be carrying a change of clothes with me into mainland from now on.


Aside from a few "Bass Blunders" here and there, everything is going great. I'm learning a lot about sourcing, production and doing business with the Chinese. Of course, I'm also having some fun along the way.


Thursday night is ladies night at many bars around Hong Kong. So, Thursdays are now spent with some nice gals from geoexpat. It's something I really look forward to each week, and not just because of the free drinks. 


This past weekend I went to the Hong Kong International Art Fair with my new amigo Tim. There were some really great pieces, but I think we agreed that this was one of our favorites...

Sunday night I went to a BBQ on Lamma Island, one of Hong Kong's outlying Islands. It was really nice to be away from the hustle and bustle for a few hours. The island is beautiful, and it was great to see an abundance of plants and trees again.

Beach on Lamma Island

Sunset. Pay no attention to that power station in the distance...

No grills or propane tanks here. Lighting the BBQ Boy Scout style.

The feast, including roasted marshmallows :)

While the BBQ was great, I'm really starting to miss a few of my Atlanta staples. I'm desperately craving some Mexican food. Apparently there are a few places with tacos around here, so I'm going in search of those this week, but if anyone wants to mail me some La Parilla that would be fantastic. Chick-fil-a sweet tea is another one on the list. I broke down and made a pitcher of sweet tea last night, but it just wasn't the same. Finally, I could really go for some Williamson Bros. BBQ... mmmmm...

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! I managed to squeeze a few hot dog-esque sausages on that grill and slathered them with good 'ole American yellow mustard in celebration.