Looking round and meeting up

I had a wander around the nearby area. The hotel is in the middle of things in the Sheung Wan area and you don't have to go far before you see both the modern Hong Kong with its steel and glass towers and the tiny back streets with the street stalls and small businesses.

After walking down the main road and then up a steep alleyway I had lunch at a small restaurant picked at random. Just some stir fried beef and rice for $5.



It was about 3-30 when I got back to the hotel and read the email from Ruby, the Hon Sec from Mensa with details for dinner. I called Thomas, the Vice chair who was going to meet me to confirm arrangements. About 4-30 I headed out again and saw the Western Market, which is an old granite warehouse that has been converted to shops and then headed towards the central station, popping into shops at random along the way. I found the rendezvous point and with 40 minutes still to go wandered further to a book shop and chemist before returning and having a soft drink and reading until they arrived.



I met up with the Mensa people at an MTR station. They had travelled there from the office but I had walked from the hotel, which was about 1 station away. Thomas and Jackie, the treasurer met me and we walked to the restaurant. It turns out this was closer to my hotel than the station and I had a short walk home afterwards. It was some time before the Ruby joined us as she'd been in a meeting at work. We had a traditional Chinese meal with several dishes shared. When we arrived they bought us tea and the others rinsed off the plates, bowls, spoons and chopsticks in the tea. Not sure if this is a health thing or a tradition or possibly both. We had fried squid, a beef stew, chicken pieces and a scallop stir fry. Apparently this particular restaurant is one of the oldest still operating in Hong Kong.

Part way through we we joined for a while by another member who was at the restaurant with a different group. There was also some excitement when an elderly man turned up. He is a famous food critic and was treated like some minor pop star or sportsman, with lots of people trying to take photos, before the minders asked them to stop. Later on he posed for some and this is him with the member, Elain. Thomas explained it by saying everyone in Hong Kong worked too hard to have time to play or be interested in sport and so forth but everyone ate, so a critic was as well known as sports stars elsewhere.

I got back to the hotel around 8-30 and 9 and watched 3 movies before finally getting to sleep about 1 am. I slept soundly till 8 this morning so maybe jet lag won't be so bad.