brappy!

Because Typhoon Pabuk decided to hit Hong Kong, I was stuck laying low in Tsim Sha Tsui over the weekend. Most things were closed, and it was really rainy. I was there mostly to get a new visa for the mainland, which I'd heard was easy to do in HK. Wrong. Previously, I had obtained my visa in New York at the PRC consulate there. I had asked for a multiple-entry visa, but they said that because I was studying in the mainland, I couldn't get one. Annoying, for sure. Cost of my same-day student visa? $80 USD.

So, after going to HK and Taiwan, I had to get a new 30-day tourist visa in HK. Usually these are around $800 HKD ($102 USD) for a one-day processing time. That's what it was in November, when I checked. Imagine my shock and horror when I found that a same-day tourist visa is now $1430 HKD (182 USD)! What a ripoff! I could have gotten the same document for $80 in the US. What a hassle!

That big chunk of money ate up most of my budget for my weekend in HK. While it is an expensive city to live in, eating local food and riding public transit to go take photographs (which is what I like doing there anyway) is super-cheap. But, because of the typhoon, this was largely scrapped, as many restaurants and most public transportation was severely disrupted. I did get to watch some fun tv, though.

After the typhoon, the buildings were postively luminescent. It was crazy light, but I loved it

Looking across the harbour

Entertainingly (and with great timing), the cheeziest competition in town, Mr. Hong Kong 2007, was on tv during the typhoon. I love the expression on the judges here.