Hong Kong - 1 week in
Typical Chinese food - Click above to see 'Peppery Stomach of Pig'I've been here a week now and the job market is lean and mean to say the least. I met with a headhunter who I had been dealing with over the phone before I arrived and she painted a gloomy picture compared to our initial chat a few months back. The news continues to be filled with job cuts and paper billionaires being exposed. I've met up with several people working in banking and they are not happy campers. Some have been given notice and many are just waiting for the tap on the shoulder. Good Jaezuz, it's like the End of the world is Nigh! - I'm starting to wonder if things will ever bounce back.
On a more positive note, I've had a chance to do some exploring and continue to be well impressed by the beautiful setting of the city. I LOVE the food out here and wander into the back alleys to eat with locals for a fraction of what other expat hang outs charge albeit with a few funny looks as if to say "what you doing eating in our hood?"
Communication has been a bit of a problem. I went to pay for my groceries at the supermarket the other day and the girl said "Yu ha ca" - huh? and thus began a comic sketch of her saying "Yu ha ca" and me saying "huh?" She eventually produced a frequent shoppers card and I realised she was saying "You have card?"
I headed to the races in Happy Valley on Wednesday night but unfortunately backed no winners :-( I spent the day exploring the markets of Kowloon yesterday and met up with some friends for a wee tipple which turned into a big tipple and almost a topple. I hiked the thousand steps trail to Stanley Market today to expunge some toxins from my system and tonight I'm off to a BBQ to top up on some more toxins so I guess things could be worse ;-)
Tags: .Paddy in Hong Kong, Happy Valley horserace racing, Stanley Market..
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14 comments:
Enda, great post. How long are you staying in HK?
Fuk Wa Street. *Giggles*
Good to read some of your news - sorry to hear the job market looks so bleak - hope you can sort something out. In any case, keep us posted, I'd love to visit some day. Take care, un beso!
My cousin lives in HK, just in case you need some "friendly" people around...
Sounds like you're enjoying yourself anyway, hope the job situation looks up for you soon!
Apologies in advance but I'm definitely stealing your tipple/topple line.
Not a great time to be looking for a career in the banking sector when there are huge layoffs and the prospect of pretty tough salary caps to boot! One think I do hate is that employment agencies give you hope and optimism before you leave then when you get there, it's quite another story! Clare found that out the hard way in London! Good luck. At best you'll find something, at worst, you'll have had a wonderful holiday! *turns green and sulks*
We all know the current outlook but keep the hopes up mate! At least you're not marching with the postmen and nurses in Dublin today.
I'm still getting confused looks from argies when they see my confused looks. Even more fun in the bushes last week where no one spoke anything else other than Castellano. The only thing a park ranger and I could agree on (or understand) was "las chicas."
Isn't that always the case, venture a few yards from the tourist hotspots and prices suddenly plummet. I found that particularly in Venice. And as you say, you meet up with some of the locals and get the genuine flavour of the place.
Hope something comes up job-wise before you get too disheartened.
@ Trina: Thanks for visiting the ol' blog - I'll be here for at least a month
@ Primal: There'll be a few more of those photos coming
@ Marie Demanet: Thanks - appreciate it
@ Maripuchi : thanks - I've been lucky and have met a lot of cool people
@ Caro : Thanks and steal away
@ TCL: lol - 'las chicas' break down all cultural barriers
@ Baino : Thanks - I'm enjoying it a lot
@ Nick: Thanks - it's a great place to explore and I'll be speaking like a local soon ;-)
BA to HK via the Outer Hebrides (almost) and I'm still chuckling at your posts. Keep 'em coming. And good luck with the job search.
Ah, Panglish.
Want me to have a word with my mate, his bro runs a pcb manufacturing plant out there? Probably not your bag, not very bank-y.
Are you going to be Paddy in China?
i hear the food over there is about as satisfying as getting pubic crabs?
its all dodgy animals covered in other animal related goods or something...like my tin of silkworms covered in 'the stuff spiders wrap their pray in before they eat them'
@ Wandermom: Thanks - sometimes the long route is more fun
@ Thrifty: Thanks - I may take you up on that if it continues like this
@ Broke: That's in the hands of the Gods
@ BOTG: Birdnest soup, shark fin soup, no place for fussy eaters here
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