China and Taiwan

So it turns out I'm a giant in China. I mean I could see the top of
everyone's head.  I don't think they were used to seeing fair-skinned redheads
either. Either that or I had a "kick me" sign on my back that no one told me
about. They have no problem staring at you. I was having some delicious wonton soup in Hong Kong and I felt like I was the new exhibit in a zoo at feeding time. 

Another thing that was hard to get used to was the toilet situation. Actually
I never got used to it because I didn't bother trying it. I opened the stall to
see a hole in the ground. I managed to never use a bathroom off the ship in all of China. 

Hong Kong was really cool though. It was very modern in an American way but also very strong in it's own culture. There was a giant Mac store and then down the street there was a market of fresh meat and fish, some of which were being sold still alive. I guess that's how you know it's fresh. 

I'm sure the shopping would have been amazing but unfortunately I couldn't
afford anything! The prices were outrageous. But the people from Hong Kong didn't seem to notice. There was a huge line outside the Louis Vitton in the mall. Like an entire LINE of people can afford Louis Vitton. I don't think you'd see that at the Rockingham Mall in NH. Actually there wouldn't be a LV there because people can buy the fake ones for $20. 

The first night in Hong Kong I went to a show at City Hall. Margaret knew one of the musicians so we were to see him, but the show was a really cool
experience. There were English subtitles written above the stage on a screen.  It was kind of like a popera (pop-opera) and the orchestra was on stage the whole time. However it was very strange when the end of the first song came and NO ONE clapped. I started to and then got really uncomfortable because the whole theater was silent. They ended up applauding a couple of times throughout but it wasn't consistent and it just felt so wrong to not show the appreciation. Also, nobody laughed at the funny parts. I mean, it wasn't even my language and I knew where the jokes were but no one showed any sign that they were awake. I really don't think I would like to perform in Hong Kong. 

I didn't get to see very much of Taiwan but it seemed similar to China. They
speak the same language but they have their own currency. It's kind of fun to
look in my wallet now because I have money from all over the world. I wonder what the exchange counter will think when I try to trade it all back for USD. Hopefully Logan Airport will accept Seychelles Rupees.

Hong Kong