Hong Kong Day Thirteen

Day thirteen started late, I packed up all my stuff knowing that I wouldn't have time for any of that in the evening or tomorrow. Then I headed out for one more round in Hong Kong.. Danny called me around 1pm and I went over to his offices to pick up the Visa I would need to visit China the following day. I was determined to spend one more day there before i left town.

While I was there his business partner JC showed up. Really nice guy and a ball of energy. I learned that he was Jackie Chan's son (Danny really does know everyone). JC was hungry so we followed him down the block to a tiny hole in the wall serving just want I wanted, truly authentic Chinese food. We're talking a stand up resturant where they mixed the sauces and hot water and added fish balls and squid with noodles. It was scrumptious... totally hit the spot and it was like 2 bucks. JC was still hungry so we headed a few blocks over to another spot for some more authentic chinese, some garlic covered pork over vegies which we all split.

Then we parted ways and I headed back to the hotel to get ready for the evening. I was very glad that I had thought to bring a few nice outfits with me because this was a dress up event. The Hong Kong Races. More money is made in one race than in all of the racing on every track in the US all year. Danny is a voting member at the track, and had a box on the top level. When I arrived we were ushered up to the top lounge (very exclusive), and I started betting..... damn a loss. We stayed upstairs for a few races, talking drinking and betting. I was only wagering hte minimum but I was loosing every race, no worries, gambling definitely made watching it more fun. For the final race we went down to the owners level (Danny's friends have their own horses in the races of course) and watched from the finish line, right on the track.. I bet once more and this time did quite well.. winning all my money for all the other races back and just a little bit more... BRILLIANT!

After that we headed over to Beruit for a few drinks before once again going up to Dragon-I to meet up with the boys from Maroon 5. There were a ton of people there that I knew and after almost 2 weeks there I had plenty of friends to chat with as I got my drink on. The USC kids even showed up for a bit. I really dig Mitch, super cool and a lot of fun, we drank till around 3am before reluctantly parting ways, I was bummed that he was with his friends and couldn't stay longer or come back with me. Amazing day.

Posted by Josh Gray-Emmer on Saturday, March 22, 2008

Posted by Josh Gray-Emmer on Saturday, March 22, 2008

Posted 22nd March 2008 by Josh Gray-Emmer

Hong Kong Day Fourteen

So I woke up late again this morning, but it was Sunday so I suppose that's ok. I ventured over to my favorite bookstore and picked up the next book by Dave Berry, "The Templar Legacy," I've really been enjoying his action packed historical based novels on my trip. I also grabbed a quick lunch at a local noodle house and sat for a cup of coffee and some blogging at my home base Starbucks. A lazy relaxing day. Totally what I needed.

Late in the afternoon I heard from Adam (the Microsoft exec that I met at Happy Foot a week earlier) called me (we'd been texting all week) and suggested that we meet for another Happy Foot massage around 6. Of course, how could I refuse, I'm quickly becoming addicted to that place and it's $20 massages. :) We enjoyed a perfect one hour massage and chatted about my stay in HK. Then we ventured downstairs for some more coffee and decided we should grab a bite to eat together before calling it a night. Collin (his friend who I had met last week) even joined us for a delicious seshwan meal.

As we were walking over we discussed how convenient living in HK really is. From the compact nature of the city, to the easy and cheap transportation.. but the thing that really made me thing twice about moving here is this - The Amahs. They are maids from Singapore or The Philippines. His comes 3 times a week. Cleans the whole house. Does any cooking or errands he might need including all laundry and dishes. She even does all his shopping. All this.. for $300US a month!!! CRAZY! and for the price he pays, maybe a little bit more, she could be a living-in Amah and basically do everything, everyday. NUTS. I'm moving here. :P

Dinner was great and the conversation even better. I really like Adam, he's a great guy who's accomplished a lot and traveled all over the world for being so young. Very inspiring. After dinner we said goodbye and I headed back to the hotel to read my book and watch stupid movies on my hotel TV with another friend who came over to the hotel and kept me company till around 3 when we finally passed out.

Posted by Josh Gray-Emmer on Saturday, March 22, 2008

Hong Kong Day Twelve

So my last day in Hong Kong would prove to be my worst. I've been having a really great time here, experiencing so many new things, I suppose it was time for a fuck-up. The morning started early, around 7:30am the lights in my room turned on, as did the TV singing me a song and playing the news. I love hi-tech rooms. I got up and ready and started the 3 train, 1 hour+ trip to the Chinese border. I was very excited. Before I had been overwhelmed by the sheer size of the shopping plaza and I didn't have a plan. Today I came armed with an empty backpack to fill and a list of all my friends sizes and styles to get gifts for. When I got there I passed through

immigration and headed to customs.... there I was stopped. They looked at my passport for what seemed like forever and told me that my visa was only good for one entry into the country. I was promptly sent back through a maze of officers taking another hour just to make it back to the train to head home. Finally 4 hours after I had left, I arrived back at my hotel, tired, frustrated, hungry and empty handed.

Danny offered to get me a new visa for tomorrow on a rush, but I was supposed to leave the next day in the afternoon. I made a series of phone calls, checked the London hotel prices, and decided to move my trip back. I would now leave Thursday at midnight. This would allow me to attend the famous Hong Kong Races Wednesday night and go shopping in Shin Zhen during the day on Thursday.

I quickly rushed to Danny's office to drop off my visa application. It was 3pm and I hadn't eaten anything yet, my blood sugar was low and I was in a foul mood. I sat out front, got a very small bite and went up to Danny's office for a chat. While I was there his business partner and friend JC joined us and we decided to run out for some super authentic local chinese food. I had fish balls and squid soup, YUM, at a small stand-up establishment and then we moved to another place for some garlic thin sliced pork, also delicious. We parted ways (Danny had to take Maroon 5 out to dinner, lol), and I headed back to the hotel, feeling much better about my day.... definitely nap time.

After I got up I headed out to meet up with Danny at Azure where he was entertaining some of the members of Maroon 5. We had a few drinks and headed over to Dragon-i. There Krys (the model from the LV night) and the USC kids (from last night) met up with us for drinks. The place was dead but we stilll\ spent a good hour or so there. Afterwards we walked over to Ice Bar. A very cool (literally) meat locker turned bar. There we did shots of a Russian concoction with the whole gang, it was really fun. We said good bye to the Maroon 5 crew (they were headed to Wan Chai) and we walked down to Lan Kwai Fong.We must have stopped in at least 6 other places before finally settling at Insomnia for another few drinks. It was a really great time. Finally we said good bye and I headed home.... bad start, but great finish to my day.

Posted by Josh Gray-Emmer on Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Posted 19th March 2008 by Josh Gray-Emmer

Hong Kong Day Eleven // Macao Day One

I got up later than I had planned, fully expecting to be going to Shin Zen with Danny's step-mom. Unfortunately she was unable to go, so I decided to take a day-trip to Macao. Danny had been bugging me to switch my ticket from Wednesday at 1:30pm to the same flight on Thursday so I could see the races at the Hong Kong Race Track on Wednesday night. It turned out that the change fee was less than $100US so I though why not. However, when I went to look into it. It turned out that they had no flights on Thursday except for the midnight flight, which would get me in Friday morning instead of Wednesday evening. Now I've had an amazing time here in HK but I think it's more than time for me to move on. Especially since I don't know how my flight home is looking.

I decided to wait on changing my ticket until I could reach the amazing Jim to see about extending my trip. If I'm locked into April 2nd (and I pray I'm not) I'm certainly not extending my HK stay. I've still got Helsinki and Prague at the very least. I walked over to the Macau ferry station and booked my trip on the Jetboat that gets you there in less than an hour... and here I am typing about my trip.. more to follow!

So I'm now on the Ferry home to Hong Kong. The sun has set over the Macao harbor and it's approaching 8pm. My feet are tired from a long day of walking around. I started by catching the bus over to Senate Square. Macao is striking because it's both distinctly Chinese and European at the same time (because of the fact that it was a Portuguese colony for 440 years). I made my way from Senate Square to The Church or St. Dominic and the Church of Macao Cathedral. Then I walked to the Lou Kau Mansion up a monstrous set of steps to the Monte Forte and then back down to Ruins of the Church of St. Paul. That unfortunately is where my camera ran out of batteries. I followed the streets down lower and discovered all sorts of bakery's and shops selling what I can only describe as scrumptious Chinese and Portuguese version of beef jerky. Not as dried as the American version.. in fact quite flavorful and jucy, but still flat strips of flavored meats of EVERY kind. I tasted a bunch and finally bought some for later.

At the bottom of the strip I made my way over to the casino area and checked out the Grand Lisboa just to see what all the fuss is about. Now I can appreciate good architecture, and since I dont gamble this is usually what I like most about casinos. These however were boring rooms devoted to baccarat above all else. No one seemed to be drinking. Or even really having fun. Level after level offered Chinese people obsessed with gambling and nothing else. There were no impressive bars or clubs. Overall.. I think I'll stick to vegas.

Posted by Josh Gray-Emmer on Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Posted 17th March 2008 by Josh Gray-Emmer

Hong Kong Day Seven

THERE WILL BE NO OFFICIAL RECORD OF THIS DAY HAVING EXISTED IT HAS BEEN OMITTED, CLASSIFIED, COVERED UP, BLACK-LINED... THATS HOW GOOD IT WAS

Posted 13th March 2008 by Josh Gray-Emmer

Hong Kong Day Four

Once reserved for the British aristocracy, this peak overlooks all of HK and is accessible via a VERY steep tram that carries passengers to the viewing platform on the top. I spent several hours just relaxing enjoying myself overlooking the city. Around sunset I decended the steep slope and headed back to the hotel to change for the evening.

I took the world famous Star Ferry across the Hong Kong Harbor at 8pm just in time for the light show (all the buildings explode with lasers and neon lights). It was stunning. Quite a site to see. Once on the other side I walked over to one of Jay's families hotels The Marco Polo for a delicious dinner over looking the harbor. Afterwards we went to the top of a nearby hotel for a drink. The views really can not be beat anywhere in the world. After a few drinks I said good bye and headed back to the island.

A quick walk through Lan Kwai Fong (the party district) and I ended up back at my hotel to get to bed by 1am. I've got a big day ahead of me exploring main land China tomorrow!

Posted by Josh Gray-Emmer on Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Posted 10th March 2008 by Josh Gray-Emmer

Hong Kong Day One

Like all good trips, mine started with a panic the night before my departure... quite simply, my passport never arrived. Normally something I would have caught right away, however, when I called the office in the afternoon to make sure a package was waiting for me, they told me they had gotten one today and I could pick it up anytime. Later that night around 1am after I had finished my packing I went down to fetch it.. and sure enough a package was waiting, a beautiful framed photograph of myself and my buddy Greg who joined me this year at the Sundance Film Fest. The big smile on my face at seeing the photo was coupled with a sinking feeling in my stomach and a racing heartbeat. I would have to track the missing passport down in the morning before I was picked up at 10am.

My head was filled with thoughts of staying home, missing my flight and never finding my passport as I waited for the local Fed-Ex office to open an hour before my airport pick-up. Lucky, my package was there waiting for me. Back to the loft, and Jim picked me up to take me to the airport. We hung out for a bit before I walked the red-carpet and boarded the monstrous double decker 747-B. I was seated in the upper bubble business class section. It was an amazing and smooth 14 hours to Hong Kong. An attentive staff, delicious meals, personal video and humongous seats that extended out and laid almost flat made the trip literally fly by. As I watched the map of us arriving over China I could feel the tethers of my life in the US slowly snap away, finally absolving me as we touched down in Hong Kong.

My local buddy Jay had arranged for a car to pick me up and bring me across the channel to Hong Kong Island and my hotel The Island Pacific in Central. Looking out the window on my trip I was amazed at the number of towers rising into the sky. It seems all of Hong Kong is built on top of itself. My room is comfortable though small and on the 18th floor with stunning views of the harbor. It's 5am LA time, 9pm KH time, I'm gonna try and stay awake till 10pm so I can get a fresh start on my day tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who sent me good wishes, don't forget to comment on my blog, and stay in-touch to keep me from getting homesick!

Posted by Josh Gray-Emmer on Monday, March 10, 2008

Posted 

6th March 2008

 by Josh Gray-Emmer

Hong Kong Day Three

Once again the hard bed got me up early. I've been reviewing hotels and it seems that rock hard beds are common in Hong Kong, so be ware to anyone thinkn of traveling here. I watched some news and waited for the boys to wake up since we were supposed to go out on Danny's boat today. When no one answered my texts, I decided to stuff my bag with the essentials and head out for the day anyway.

I've been hemorrhaging cash (everything in HK is freekn expensive!) so I ate at a local chinese fast food place. It was much more the traditional joint I had been looking for over the last several days. All sorts of noodle dishes and meats with sauces over rice. The place was PACKED. So I grabbed something off the menu and clamored for a seat at a table with a bunch of Thai women. The meal was hot, delicious, fresh and only a few bucks. Perfect.

Then I headed over to my favorite Starbucks in Lan Kwai Fong for a little afternoon coffee and internet. There I learned that the boys were all just getting up and WAAY to hung over for boating today. No problem, I wanted to explore the Wan Chai district anyway. So I booked my hotel for the next 9 days (after walking over and checking out the rooms of course), and hopped on the Hong Kong MTR (subway). WOW, I wish LA had something like this. It's like a small underground city. Complete with shops, and bustling crowds making their way all over town. Cheap, (my round trip cost me $1.50) clean and efficient it was amazing.

Now to my destination. Electronics heaven. 289 Hennessy St. WOW. If it has buttons and circuits, it's here. I wandered the maze of small shops each peddling a slew of cameras, flash drives, phones and ipods. I had to keep getting out my phone to convert the prices and was sadly disappointed that once again, though things looked amazingly cool, they were certainly NOT cheap. Maybe I'll have better luck on Mainland China.

Afterwards I consulted my trusty Lonley Planet Guidebook (thanks Rosenthal) and headed a few blocks away to the Chinese Arts and Crafts store. There I found everything one could ever want at prices starting at $500 and going up from there. My favorite had to be the pair of hard carved 7 foot long solid Mammoth tusks priced at very reasonable 1.5M. Back to the guidebook for a spa. I was definitely massage time.

Danny had suggested this place called Happy Feet, but it wasn't listed in the book. So I got out my map, got back on the MTR and worked my way towards the address of Ellis Day Spa. It just happened to be above my favorite Starbucks and looked very very nice, and of course.. $120 for a one hour massage.. damn it. I thanked the woman and hopped back in the elevator. Then I noticed, Happy Feet... floor 19.. why not? It was perfect.. just what i was looking for. 50 minute foot massage.. $20 bucks.. jackpot. :)

While I was there I met Adam, Collin and Jay, all locals. We had a wonderful conversation and they invited me to join them at Lux after for a drink. We spent hours talking before we finally said goodbye and I headed over to Rat Alley (it's a term of endearment, there are NO rats lol) for some Thai food. The curry was perfect. I sat and read for a bit before heading back to my hotel. The earliest night yet... 10:30pm... but who knows.. maybe I'll go out later! :P

Posted by Josh Gray-Emmer on Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Posted 9th March 2008 by Josh Gray-Emmer

Hong Kong Day Two

Hong Kong Day Two

Mar 8, 2008 by Josh Gray-Emmer

Limited

I woke up late after a long night of partying, and headed over to City Hall for what is widely regarded as the best Dim Sum in Hong Kong. The place was packed. After a 45 minute wait I took my seat in the monstrous dining hall. Chinese women screamed out the names of dishes as they pushed steaming carts between the tables. The view over HK Harbor was fantastic and the food was amazing.. the perfect cure for a hang over.

After lunch I wandered around Hong Kong, exploring the Central District some more till I got a call from Jay, it was time to go to The Country Club! The place was really nice. We relaxed and had snacks, I read my guidebook while Jason played tennis. A few hours later we headed out to get ready for another night on the town.

Tonight's festivities started at Zuma, a high end sushi bar atop the Landmark Mandarin Hotel. Then off to Beirut for some hookah and then back to Dragon-I for drinks. Yet another fantastic Hong Kong night!!

Posted by Josh Gray-Emmer on Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Posted 

8th March 2008

 by Josh Gray-Emmer

Hong Kong Night One

Jay picked me up in the lobby of my hotel (chauffeured car of course) and we headed over to Danny's pad (the only 2 story flat in his building overlooking Hong Kong Harbor). After hanging out for a bit and downing some TUBE VODKA, we took the car over to Lan Kwai Fong, the party district of Hong Kong.

This once rat infested, seedy series of streets is now closed off to cars and overflowing with a newly upper-class Cantonese crowd, tourists and expats alike. There we were greeted at the door of a posh Italian joint by the GM who know the boys well (this will become a regular occurrence all night). He quickly bought us a round of beers and showed us to our table. I ordered the black ink and truffle risotto and we sat for 2 hours sipping drinks over amazing conversation, before heading over to Beruit, a nearby hookah bar. Once again the boys were greeted with hugs by the owners. The place wasn't hoppn enough for them so we headed down a tiny back alley over a group of restaurants to arrive in a crowded bar for a few more G&Ts.

From there it was a whirl wind of 4 more bars including one on the 28th floor of a HK hotel and the famous Dragon-i where the line parted to let us in. There's no question that Jay and Danny rule the town here. Inside I even ran into Dino, one of my partners at Goa (small freekn world to run into someone I know my first night in Hong Kong).

Sometime around 3am Jay and his new girlfriend skipped out to head home (she's super cool and very hot - check the pics), and Danny was in full prowler mode, so I headed down the block to Propaganda, one of the HK gay clubs. The music was poppn and I danced for another 45 before hopping in a cab to go home and pass out.. I don't know how the rest of the trip is gonna stack up... but today was one hell of a great way to start it.

Posted by Josh Gray-Emmer on Monday, March 10, 2008

Posted 

7th March 2008

 by Josh Gray-Emmer