My flatmate's father comes to visit for a few days. A very nice man. Also, I go to Mong Kok, an area across the bay on the Kowloon side (north side). I find the Mong Kok Computer Center. It is an older building with small computer related shops on three floors. My flatmate needs to get a router for her home broadband internet connection. I find several good buys which I tell her about later. The prices on hardware accessories are pretty good, but computer and laptop prices are higher than in the USA. As for software, both genuine and counterfeit is available. I see that the counterfeit is only $10HK per disk, regardless of what the program is. Great price if it works properly!
Friday:
I help L and E go to the airport. They are from Indonesia, and E is moving back home after having been working here as a live-in domestic worker for about 5 years. Last week she had a toothache. Her employer didn’t care and didn't allow her to take care of it, so E got frustrated and quit. And, since her visa only allows her to stay while she is working under contract, she now must leave. Her story is an example of the human drama of the domestic workers here in Hong Kong. I am told that there are over 250,000 such workers here, mostly from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand. They come here for the obvious reason that they can earn more money here doing domestic work than they can make doing regular work, including nursing or teaching, back home. Each job is a risk. They must sign a two year contract, and the basic pay is $3670HK a month (just under $500US). The normal work schedule is Sunday evening to Sunday morning, with only about 12 hours off every Sunday. If they have a kind and considerate employer then it works out pretty good. But other times they are somewhat abused, treated as servants or slaves, and it is not so good. But they have little bargaining power. There are lots of women that want to come and do the work, and if they lose their job they must find another one very quickly or go back home. E is happy to go home--she has missed her family and her fiance. But L is sad to see her go. It is a heartfelt goodbye at the airport.
Sat:
Nothing to write home about.
Today I start getting out of the central city and into the smaller towns and countryside of Hong Kong. I take the MTR to Shau Kei Wan (just a couple stops east), and then take bus number 9 to Shek O, a small oceanside village on the east end of Hong Kong Island. It only takes about 35 or 40 minutes total to get there. The bus ride cuts south over the ridge of mountains/hills that are the backbone of HK Island. Going up the ride is a bit slow and steep, but once we reach the top it is easier going down the other side. And the views are very nice. To the right there is a bay and the town of Stanley is the far distance. To the left is the ocean and soon I can see the village of Shek O. What a quaint little town. No highrises here! Not even any McDonalds or Starbucks! I have lunch at a small outdoor café (prawn pizza, very good!) and then walk over to the beach area, which is at a small protected bay, the sides of which are steep rocks and hills. Very nice, reminds me of some parts of California. The air is cool, perhaps 65F, but the sun is bright and warm. I sit on the rocks on the north side of the bay for a while. Occasionally families, couples, and domestic workers enjoying their day off also climb up onto the rocks and walk by. Later I walk down the beach to the south side and sit on some different rocks. I look up and I can see several hang gliders high up in the air. I guess the jump-off point must be up in the hills that are high above us, and with the ocean breeze this is a good day for it. Geez, it sure looks like it would be fun! The afternoon goes quickly, and it is time to take the bus back to Shau Kei Wan. From there I catch the MTR back home. A very nice afternoon in a wonderfully different environment!
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Go to Hong Kong, part 4, p5, Lantau