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Round the World Travel Guide

Getting My Bearings

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Hostel bathroom in Mirador Mansion

I awoke the next morning to the comings and goings of those in the hostel room.  The bathroom was very tiny, a square with a toilet, small sink, and hand-held shower head.    You wash yourself standing right next to the toilet.  The setup didn't bother me to my surprise, maybe because I had gotten use to similar bathrooms in Indonesia and at Ian's apartment in Singapore.   At least the hot water was truly hot!

4-bed dorm

After getting cleaned up, I moved to my proper 4-bed room where I set up camp in one of the top bunks.  Two Canadian guys were in the lower bunks, and Adam from England was on the other upper one.  There was a working TV in the room, though I didn't bother with it during my stay.

To get my bearings in a new city, I tend to walk in concentric circles extending out from my accommodation.  My first concentric circle brought me to McDonald's for a pancake breakfast.  Feeling completely out of my element, I had a newfound sense of comfort in seeing American fast food joints abroad.

One of my missions in Hong Kong would be to obtain my Visa for India, so I spent some time online getting the consulate's address, and filling out the paperwork.  Since it'd take 3-4 days, I made it a priority to drop everything off Monday morning.

Bruce and Dave Lee

Back at the hostel, I ran into an Austrian man of Chinese descent who seemed to want some company.  He lead tours for Chinese government officials abroad, though was traveling on his own in Hong Kong (thus the cheap accommodation).  We walked down to the Avenue of Stars at the southern tip of Kowloon.  It's akin to Hollywood's Walk of Fame (or whatever it is called).  From the walkway, you can see across Victoria Harbor to the impressive and immense skyline of Hong Kong Island.  The weather was cloudy and chilly, and a haze of pollution enveloped the buildings.

Duck, duck, goose

We walked a bit outside of the touristy area of Nathan Road (think Broadway in New York City), stopping for lunch at a Chinese barbecue joint where I ordered duck with rice.  We also got some noodle soup with prawn balls from a nearby restaurant.  Feeling tired, I opted out of continuing the walk and headed back to my room for some rest and recovery.

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  1. Do you shower INTO the toilet then? Or is the drain and shower just right next to it?

    How oh How can those yellow chickens look so yummy to me? I swear I was born on the wrong continent.
    -Suz

    • There are drains in the floor, and the water usually goes down them quickly. It wasn’t too bad actually.

  2. Seeing the food in the window made me salivate. mmmmmm I grew up in a vietnamese neighborhood. lots of chinese too. mmm good real authentic chinese food :) kowloon style.. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

  3. Seeing the food in the window made me salivate. mmmmmm I grew up in a vietnamese neighborhood. lots of chinese too. mmm good real authentic chinese food :) kowloon style.. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

  4. Do you shower INTO the toilet then? Or is the drain and shower just right next to it?

    How oh How can those yellow chickens look so yummy to me? I swear I was born on the wrong continent.
    -Suz

    • There are drains in the floor, and the water usually goes down them quickly. It wasn’t too bad actually.

  5. I just love all your updates from the road. I have read all of your posts and can’t wait until I do an around the world trip I am planning in a couple of years.

    • Thanks Mike! Stick with it, as I saw others advise, it is totally worth the effort!!!

      • I am going to Spain in May for 4 weeks to study abroad and a week in Pais, plus 2 days in London and can’t wait! This will be the first time outside of the US. I am already looking to see how long I can be away with the amount of money that I have. I hope 1 year minimum.

  6. I just love all your updates from the road. I have read all of your posts and can’t wait until I do an around the world trip I am planning in a couple of years.

    • Thanks Mike! Stick with it, as I saw others advise, it is totally worth the effort!!!

      • I am going to Spain in May for 4 weeks to study abroad and a week in Pais, plus 2 days in London and can’t wait! This will be the first time outside of the US. I am already looking to see how long I can be away with the amount of money that I have. I hope 1 year minimum.

  7. Did you stay in any places with a squat toilet that was flush with the floor and in fact WAS the drain? I was in more than enough Chinese hotels that required that one stradle the squat toilet to take a shower…always fun living in fear of stepping into it!