Hong Kong Chapter I - January 19, 2007

All –

Randi and I arrived on the 17th in Hong Kong, China. One day later than planned thanks to an “engine issue” on our airplane coming out of Los Angeles. Our flight was delayed over three hours and by the time we made it to Japan, all the flights out had already departed. Luckily, Northwest Airlines stepped up to the plate and had flights for the next day booked, rooms for the night, dinner coupons and buses for transportation. As far as delays go, this was probably the best delay that I have ever experienced. We flew out on the morning of the 17th and finally arrived in Hong Kong on the afternoon of the 17th. I think Randi thoroughly enjoyed the travel experience, as this was her first long flight flying Business Class and I am pretty sure she enjoyed it more than flying coach.

The Sheraton in Kowloon, where we are staying, is great. The hotel apparently was renovated a few years ago and they did an excellent job. The service has been great, the room is small but very nice and the food has been great. The morning buffet is phenomenal; we are both enjoying the cooked-to-order omelets.

We had our first house hunting/orientation day on Thursday the 18th. We spent the morning getting a great tour of Hong Kong, all the areas and some important local information. Hong Kong is a great city, busy, large and full of energy. It is definitely a vertical city and if you try to see the tops of all the buildings you might end up hurting your neck. We’ve visited almost all the areas of Hong Kong and the New Territories. From Repulse Bay to The Mid-Levels we have been all over the island. It is amazing how different and distinct the areas of Hong Kong are. There are slammed urban areas and then you can head to Victoria Peak and feel like you are in a mountain resort area. It is great.



The afternoon of the 18th we began checking out apartments. You definitely have to approach the apartment living concept a bit differently here. The apartments are a lot smaller and the builders firmly believe that the number of bedrooms in an apartment is much more important than the size of the bedrooms. Additionally, don’t plan on walk-in closets as some of the bedrooms are smaller than an average walk-in closet. It is very different…but in a good way…just one that may take a little time to adjust to. IKEA is probably a life saver here as you need to maximize the utilization of your space to the nth degree. I think Randi was a little discouraged (maybe even terrified) but after day two, it helped it all sink in a little – and it was helpful to see a furnished flat to see that it really is possible to live in small spaces like these. It will just be a more minimalist style of living.

We are traveling around with Rosalie and Donald. Rosalie is our relocation expert; she is a wonderful lady that handles just about everything. She is originally Australian but has lived all over the world and is calling Hong Kong home right now. She designs jewelry in her spare time and knows Hong Kong. Donald is our real estate man, a native young man from Hong Kong, and he is quiet but very good. He is quick to pick up on what you like and what you don’t like and he will through out his commitments with little abandon.

So, on Friday the 19th we hit the ground again looking at over a dozen apartments all over the city. We found several wonderful places and currently narrowed our list down to three, three apartments that we have to go back and review on Monday to ensure that we pick the right one. You really have to sacrifice a few things here and there to get the right place. Having Henry we have had to eliminate 80% of the properties that were shown to us as there are certainly some places that are not Henry friendly. Having said that, we have still found a few properties that are great and we will hopefully find one that works out well. There are some really great places and our short list is spread all over Hong Kong Island from the South to the North. I have to say there are some real gems on this island you just have to have patience and an open mind. You really have to throw out about 90% of your US views and re-center yourself into thinking differently.

Food, you want to talk about food, there is some amazing food on this island. You can basically have anything you want from Italian to Mexican. We have had some delicious Thai, Chinese, Mexican and American food since arriving in Hong Kong. The food is relatively affordable and absolutely delicious. Yesterday we saw our first Krispy Kreme in Hong Kong. It’s a very recent and new addition to Hong Kong – our relocation agent has never tried a Krispy Kreme donut. Randi is pretty psyched about having a Krispy Kreme in town…did it smell the same…you bet. Talk about an interesting site…a busy Hong Kong street with the sweet smell of Krispy Kreme…yummy!

The weekend is upon us and we are going to relax and enjoy Hong Kong. We are planning on meeting up with my friend Scott, whom I worked with in Iraq and his family today. Who knows what else we will do…the weekend is open. Monday we will start heavy again, looking at more apartments, checking out banks, furniture and all the other things one must do as you move across the world. I hope all of you are well, wherever you are.

- MWF

Time for Randi’s thoughts…

The city is HUGE – the apartments are TINY. It’s going to be an interesting adjustment to life in Hong Kong. I will probably cry when I have to part with lots of friends, clothes, shoes, and leave other misc. things behind….but it’s a great opportunity to live in another part of the world and appreciate all the unacknowledged luxuries you have at home. But the people we have met here are great and will be a big help in adjusting to life in Asia. There is so much to see and do – we hope to have lots of visitors from the States – that is, if the size of the bedrooms doesn’t scare you off! And with all the walking to get around here, maybe I’ll finally whip my butt into shape! J (or just walk straight to the Krispy Kreme…)

LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE SOON!

-RKF