On Monday (19.08.) I finally moved into my apartment in Central on Hong Kong Island. The hotel was very good, but not very practical for everyday use. I missed having a small kitchen and a larger refrigerator than the minibar.
So in the morning I checked out of the hotel and went to work. At 2:45 p.m. I made my way back to the hotel, where I had left my suitcases. From here I wanted to order an UBER to take me to my apartment. With the two large and heavy suitcases plus my carry-on luggage, I wanted to roll around as little as possible.
Normally there is only one person at the reception desk, but at the time I was there, there was another gentleman behind the counter who immediately asked what he could do for me. He immediately brought me my suitcases and took them downstairs, as the reception was on the 1st floor. I had told him that I had ordered an UBER, which should be arriving soon. Kindly, he waited with me. On the app, we saw that the car was one street away. So we made our way there. He took one suitcase from me, which made me very happy. We had to call the driver once to find us. The gentleman from the hotel took care of this, as it might be easier to speak in Cantonese with him. In the end, we found each other and fortunately my suitcases fit in the trunk.
The UBER driver This I couldn't quite confirm until now :D Since the apartment was supposed to be on the 4th floor, the landlady had offered me a service to carry the suitcases up, as there is no elevator. Then I received the information that she is currently not in Hong Kong. She had tried to find someone else, but they were either super expensive or would arrive much too late. So I wanted to try it myself first, bringing the suitcases up. The driver could only drop me off a short distance from the apartment, as there is no parking right in front of the apartment. He took the suitcases out of the trunk for me and then left. So there I stood with two suitcases and two bags and had to somehow make my way along the uneven road. It was of course the end of the workday and thus there were many people on the streets. In addition, there was a construction site on this section where I had to walk, which required crossing laid cables. I don't think I had the best performance on this section of the way, but I was glad when I stood in front of the entrance of my house. I had received a code by email which I had to enter at the front door and luckily the door opened. The staircases here are all very narrow and small, but I already saw that there was a kind of intermediate level between the floors. So first I carried the bags to the first level and then one suitcase at a time. This way I always had everything in view and worked my way up one floor at a time. Before I saw a sign on the wall with the name of the apartment on the 1st floor, I had already walked up two floors. So there were 6 floors to my apartment... When I reached the top, I knew what I had done - I didn't need to exercise today :DStaircase to the apartment After I had discovered a supermarket one street away, I bought some things and cooked my first meal. It was very delicious :-) Near my apartment, I discovered a small market on a street, where I will probably also buy my fruit. The next day, I took the metro to work for the first time. Everyone always said that it is very crowded in the evenings and mornings. However, I'm lucky because the other side is usually full and my train is pleasantly 'empty'. There are two different ways to get there. I can walk for about 7 minutes and then go directly from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui, or I can walk for about 3 minutes and go from Sheung Wan via Central to Tsim Sha Tsui. So far, I always went directly, as the weather was also good and it didn't rain cats and dogs. On the island, there is an old tram called 'Ding Ding'. This is the sound that can be heard at every stop. The tram stops about every 300 meters. A ride costs 2.60 HKD = 30 cents, no matter how long you ride.There are two levels and you have a great view from above. Ideal for exploring the city. The lower deck The upper deck At the bus stops there are different marked areas indicating where to line up for which bus. Last night, I witnessed my first demonstration here. I had heard people shouting through my window and became aware of it. I had expected a busy street with masked people, but I couldn't see anything. Since I was naturally curious about what was happening down there, I went out and took a look at where the shouts were coming from. Along the whole street, many people stood side by side, holding up signs and flashlights. Every time a train/bus passed by, everyone shouted something. Unfortunately, I can't understand it... Today I read that there were about 180,000 people on the street and formed a human chain through the city.
