My Commute

So here is more about my commute to work. Since I don't have a car I walk and use public transport. And my commute is a unique one. Not many people can say that escalators make up a significant portion of their commute.

The Central–Mid-Levels escalator and walkway system in Hong Kong is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world. The entire system covers over 800 meters (2,600 ft) in distance and elevates over 135 meters (443 ft) from bottom to top^. It was constructed in 1993 to provide a better commute by linking areas within the Central and Western Districts on Hong Kong Island.

From my apartment, I walk one block to the escalators which in the morning take commuters down the hill. I take 5 escalators and 3 travelators. Travelators are basically moving walkways and these ones are at quite a steep angle.

Then I take one more escalator to the street level where I walk two blocks to the Central MTR station (subway). I take MTR two stops under the harbor to Kowloon side of Hong Kong. Here is what Central station looks like inside.

Then I can walk underground or on the street to the office which is a short distance from the station. And our office in Harbor City Mall so plenty of window shopping on my walk.

An alternate route which I sometimes take on Fridays to get home is walk from work about 3-5 blocks to the Star Ferry. 

The ferry runs two boats back and forth all day about every 5-10 minutes and has some pretty incredible views during the trip.

When I arrive back on HK Island side, there are footbridges that take you above the streets to miss having to cross streets which are very busy. The walkways can take you to many different places and I can take them right back to the escalators. Travelators and escalators up and then one block of walking to my place.

All in all the commute takes me about 30-35 minutes depending on time of day and how fast I walk!

Where do I live and work?

So on a Skype call with Grandma today she asked how far my office is from my apartment. So I thought I'd share where I live and work.

Hong Kong is 426 square miles. With over 7 million people living here it is a very cramped city.

Here is a map. Above the red line is mainland China. Below the red line is Hong Kong. The focus of where I live and work is in the red circle on the map.

So if I zoomed into the red circle, this is the area that I spend most of my time. See below map. The land at the top of the map is Kowloon side. The land at the bottom is Hong Kong Island.

I work on the Kowloon side and live on Hong Kong Island. I have marked my apartment with a red X and work with a yellow X.

To get to work, I take escalators down the hill and then walk to the train station. I take the train station two stops. Then I walk a short distance to work.

By car my apartment is 4.5 miles away from work.

I will create another post about my commute.

Hair in Hong Kong

This post is for Grandma. She was very concerned with how and where I would get my hair streaked (aka highlighted) in Hong Kong. Well lucky for me with the British heritage and many westerners it isn't hard to find a hair dresser. Now I will say I was a bit nervous in going. You just never know what will happen. But I powered through. 

New hair cut and colour! And done by a Hong Kongese and not a westerner. 

Hk Arts Festival - Barefoot Divas

Last Saturday night, Clare and I went to a show put on during the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

"Five women. Five distinct life stories tied to the complex history of Australia, NewZealand, and Papua New Guinea’s Indigenous people.



Much more than a concert, this mix of poetry, song and storytelling is a celebration of cultures, countries, spiritual connections and languages. Proud and secure in their own heritages, Barefoot Divas’ mission is to empower and educate women and young people across the globe about human rights.

Bold, brash and backed by a powerhouse four-piece band, the Divas perform original, deeply felt compositions that swing between acoustic roots, jazz, R&B, and Latin-infused soul in a fusion of Aboriginal languages, English and Maori."

It was a great show and the music was just beautiful. It was wonderful that these five women sang together in each others' languages and shared their heritage with us.

Lai See

So as I've mentioned before, lai sees are a part of the CNY celebrations. They are envelopes filled with new crisp bills and given to others. Bosses give to employees. Married people give to single people and children.

Here are some of the lai sees that I received from my bosses, my company, and my married friends.

Here are the lai sees that I gave out to my employees and the people that work in my apartment.

My Chinese Name and Business Card

So in Hong Kong, business cards are usually English on one side and Chinese on the other.

Before I had new business cards made, I wanted to have a Chinese name made. A few of the people in the office gave me a Chinese name based on my English name. Below you see my Chinese name with the meaning as well.

Since my team here knows that my grandmother is 94 years old, they believe I have good genes for me to have a long life. Thank you, Grandma - I love you! XOXO

And here are my new business cards (front and back)!!! 

HFE Office Events

So Chinese tradition when you open a new business or move into a new office you should celebrate with roast pig for good luck. So roast pig it is!
 

 And it's tradition to cut the roast pig just like a wedding cake. Best wishes to the Nerf Team!