Hong Kong Trip

   About three weeks ago now I went to Hong Kong to change my visa, so that my stay here wouldn't require leaving the country every ninety days. So my school set me up with a think wad of dough and a ticket, and booted me out the door along with an Australian co-worker from my school. I had no idea I was unknowingly skipping down the plank into a sea of disasters. The entire mission was straightforward it seemed too easy to mess up. But I was wrong. Luckily I was in an especially good mood. It started right when we got off the train. We (the Australian and I) somehow wandered through customs without any problems, and by dumb luck wound up right in front of the subway ticket stations (either we were being helped or the layout of the Shenzhen station is impeccable) but it only took Hong Kong dollars. But I had changed exactly the amount we needed by chance two days earlier when my co-worker asked me if I wanted to take them off his hands at a great rate. We boarded the subway and seemed to get an early start on our mission, so that the rest of the trip could be spent, sight-seeing. But again and again fortune and misfortune struck us. We got on a bus to go to the Visa office. It took us to a deserted area on the edge of Hong Kong. An old man who somehow spoke English showed us where to get a map. We followed the map in a taxi to the Visa office. Wrong One. Our hopes were still high on getting to the Visa office before it closed not to open again until the afternoon. We took minutes too long and it closed. We got lunch and came back. Massive line. I got mine processed, my co-worker didn't, paperwork error. We left the office to find a hotel quickly so we could maybe still get some sight seeing-in. 4 hours later with no luck (all hotels full) and legs tired from carrying all our luggage around the entirety of  Hong Kong and Kowloon, a man asks me in passing, if I wanted to buy a watch. "No, actually I need to find a place to sleep tonight," I cheekily quipped not expecting him to understand me. He turned around and said, "It's the China Electronic Expo, the only place you are going to find a room tonight is over there." And he went on to accurately direct me to the place where I spent the night, a very shady, probably illicit guest house whose window opened into an alley in the building, like an entry point for the guy who will abduct you as soon as you fall asleep.
     The night went on. We were determined to do just one touristy thing while here, so we tried to make our way to the peak tram to get a good view of the city before it was too late. Again on our way semi-lost, a helpful British man appeared out of nowhere and seeing us holding a map asked us for what we were looking. We told him and he proceeded to guide us to the fastest route through a building and on a sky walk. I thanked him for his random generosity and caught his name. We shook hands and I never saw James again.
    After the exciting ride up the peak tram, which has been in service since some amazingly old date, we walked up countless stair past dozens of sellers, finally to reach the top, ready to take masterful photos of city at night. Clouded. Nothing was going to be perfect on this trip so we hung around on the top waiting for a break in the cloud cover to take the perfect picture. It never really came but as I was waiting fiddling around with my camera settings I managed to get a setting which doesn't take in as much light so the clouds would be less visible in the picture, creating the above picture, a glowing hearth of embery logs all standing on their ends.
    The Hong Kong mess didn't end there though. The trail of apparent dead ends and secret shortcuts only got more exciting once I split up with my co-worker. We decided to split up, I would pick up my Visa and she would get me a ticket back (our phones didn't get service in Hong Kong, so we had to make *gasp* old fashioned plans). We would meet at the Visa office, I would give her the rest of my spending money so she could survive here and I would get my ticket outta this mess. I got my Visa, but I wouldn't see her again for another five days, and that was back in Wuhan. I waited for her at the Visa Office for two hours and then had to make a choice, stay here and waste money trying to find her, or try to return to Wuhan and leave her. I left her figuring she was better off than I was (she speaks mandarin amazingly) and made my way to Shenzhen.
I woke up to hear the automated Chinese voice tell me that the subway had reached its stop, and seeing everyone getting off I followed suit. I made my way through customs and back into China. Finally I was in-what, Luohu? This wasn't right I was supposed to be in the Shenzhen station, that I was vaguely familiar with because I had at least been there once. I wandered around into what looked like the right place, only to find out (or at least I think so, I couldn't understand) that I was in the wrong area/line/place enough time to be at the point of giving up. I think it must have been my training that kicked in after that. It told me not to give up but to laugh it off and keep trying.
So trapped in a foreign city not speaking the language, I went on a massive goose chase to find out where to get the ticket to take me back home to Wuhan. After going back and forth in the station until finally I was directed to a hall downstairs which would take me to the ticketing. I raced down only to find a completely deserted hall and a large mall gate cutting off the rest. Of course, I thought. But as I turned around, the gate opened up and a man ducked under it only to start to close it again. I ran over and made some hand motions and scrambled under it. I stood up straight and looked at my destination: ticketing. Yes, I sighed. Now I just need to buy a ticket in another language before they close for the night. I waited painstakingly at a line until I was next up. I got my phone ready with the characters for my city, to press against the glass to signal my destination. And the lady behind the counter closes a curtain and the line is closed. My head drops. This is all true by the way, seriously. I just laugh to myself probably looking like a crazy man, greasy-hair, tired lookin'. The line pushes into a newly opened window and as I make my way to the end of the line a worker guides me to the next to be served spot. Thanks I say, not only to her, and I step up to the window. I say in baby mandarin, "I want Wuhan." The words were magic. The worker types it in and turns the screen to me. 500 something quai. Considering I came over on a 250ish ticket and I was on my school's dime, I hesitated momentarily. But then I realized I was in no position nor had any ability to argue or express what I wanted. Hao, I said and I slid the money under the glass. I looked at it. So beautiful, and boarding right now. Right now! I left the ticketing area at a stupid looking sprint and clambered up the escalator only to approach the waiting area as the tail of the crowd was creeping into the gate for entrance on the silver snake.
   I ran past a store and did a double take at the merchandise. I was hungry and thirsty like never before. I ran into the store and grabbed to water and a coke. When I grabbed the coke another ten fell down at the same time, and I was unable to catch them all. None burst open and I sheepishly paid for my three as they beckoned me away from my mess.
    I had to be one of the last ones through the gate but I wasn't the last on the train. My thrill of success carried my all the way up to my high bunk where I would watch some Fringe, before finally turning in thus ending my messy messy trip to Hong Kong.

"In his heart a man plans his course, but He determines his steps." And I thank him for that.