I’m sitting at a hostel here in Hong Kong trying to figure out the keyboard. All the Chineses characters are on the keys as well as the English letters. It looks so crowded and cool. Last night, 7:00 PM Thursday here and like 4:00 AM or something California time, we arrived at the Hong Kong airport. It was very different from my first entry into Asia. The airport was very nice and English was everywhere, but you still could tell things were about to be really different.
Our contact had given us the address and name of a hostel to try and find because most of Hong Kong is very expensive. We got some complimentary maps at the airport and started to piece our route together. We hopped on a nice bus that ferried us from the island to the mainland of Hong Kong. At somepoint we passed by the new Disneyland here, but we couldn’t stop and ride anything. Oh well. We made it to our bus stop with much discussion, and got out on the bustling street. Huge buildings, tons of people from every corner of the world, and bright lights decorated the streets. We found the building our hostel was in and it was similar to a mall. We had to go in, find a elevator, and reach the floor with our hostel on it.
That may sound easy, but it wasn’t. We all had our huge packs on our backs, and unlike LA, it was quite warm. Apparantly the building we were trying to navigate had been picked up and moved from India. It was like being back in Kochi India with all the people, the food, and the very very distinct smell. It all made me laugh. At the same time there were tons of African people, Chinese people, and outher random tourists running around. All the hotels and hostels in the building were named the same, or so it appeared to us, and the elevators were confusing.
After being ushered around by elevator guards, we got in the right line to ascend the building we would be staying in. That’s right, there was a line for the elevator….actually two lines for one elevator. We crammed in with our packs and friends and took up every inch of space. My face was actually pressed against the side of the wall and Sarah, Casey, and I couldn’t manage to turn around and get out of the elevator.
The elevator doesn’t stop on every floor so we got out and found out we had to climb up a few flights of stairs to our floor…carrying all of our stuff still. When we reached the hostel on the 16th floor, we collasped in the floor. I was actually sweating from standing with my bag on my back for so long. I didn’t pack well enough to be carrying that beast around all through Hong Kong.
Because it was late at night when we arrived, there was no way to put us all into the same dorm style room. We were so tired from the 15/16 hr plane ride and the trek through Hong Kong that we split up into differnt rooms. We kept guys with each group for saftey. I was in a room with Sarah, Casey, Sarah Cruz, Paul, and two African refugees from the Congo. They seemed really nice after we met them the next morning.
I couldn’t help but lay in my bed and ponder my situation. I’m fresh from Guatemala and Mexico via LA, sleeping in a cheap hostel in Hong Kong, in a room with two African refugees, and smelling the smells of India with every breath. My new favorite quote popped in my head at that moment, right before I drifted into a long night’s sleep, “WHO DOES THIS!!!!!”
Pray for us, we are getting visas today and we are running our scavenger hunt in Hong Kong tomorrow. It won’t be long until we are in China, doing exactly what God has called us to do. Pray hard.
– Ashley
