Lame-o on Lamma

So today I went back to Lamma Island, after doing a load of laundry in my "free" washer & dryer. Took a taxi (down a road with a 45 degree incline!) in order to catch the 2pm ferry (there's one every 1/2 hr on Sundays) and as soon as I got to the pier I realized that I had left my cellphone plugged into its charger at the apartment. Now this would not be such a big deal...except for the fact that I was supposed to text Christine (that's her above) once I was on the ferry, so that she could meet me. Since I had never met her before (she is a friend of a friend of a friend) this was kind of key.


After some stress, confusion, and embarrassment (apparently my permanent state of being here in HK), we did finally meet up, and along with another friend of Christine's, we went off for some yummy Thai food in a hole in the wall establishment that Sally (the other person) frequented. While I would not be bold enough to wander in there on my own, I was perfectly content to follow along meekly after the 2 British expats.


Post-pork pad si yew & chicken massaman curry, we went off for what Christine called "a little bit of a hike"...silly me: I forgot the classic sense of British understatement. We scrambled up the rocky path to the peak near the island's windmill with no problem. However, the DOWNhill path left me angst-ridden (I suck at scrambling DOWN rocky, sandy paths). This would be an example of one of the reasons why I would never audition for The Amazing Race, as my teammate would want to strangle me at the amount of time I took to climb down. (And wandering around frequently lost, in a country where I don't speak the language, while trying to get somewhere before a certain time, well, that would sum up the other.)


But back to more positive thoughts: Lamma is beautiful once you get away from the built-up areas. (Please note: buildings are limited to 3 stories, but no one mandated that they are actually aesthetically pleasing.) And the hiking -- this includes the walk back to your own home -- would definitely keep you in shape. (Yes indeed, I will be sleeping soundly tonight.)


Lamma is also a great antidote to the frenetic pace of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, which is kind of exemplified by the night skyline.

Can't believe that my trip is halfway over. The pace has been so nuts that I can only post here on the weekends. Hopefully I will know more about my future life here (i.e., transfer details, like, oh, say, salary) after Tuesday, since I will be speaking with NY HR on Tuesday night (finally) -- wish me luck.