Covid protocols here in Hong Kong are in one word: Strict. Yesterday, it was 75f with 80% humidity. We were walking outside on the way to the subway to meet my cousin Tim and his husband John for lunch and noticed that everyone kept their masks on even after leaving a building. The fear of standing out got the better of us and we reluctantly put our masks back on even though it was humid and hot in the sun. Tim later explained that it’s still a requirement by law to wear a mask both inside and outside in public places otherwise the police will remind you to put it on if they see you.
So far the testing has gone smoothly. The PCR test we did at the airport upon arrival came back negative a few hours later and it hasn’t been much of an issue submitting our daily rapid tests via the app, except it’s confusing and tedious the first time as you learn to navigate their form.
I basically have to check that I have no fever or symptoms in the last 24 hours and upload this picture.
One of my priorities on this trip was to get a custom suit. I had a few people provide recommendations on tailors to check out in Tsim Tsa Tsui (TST) so we went around asking about pricing and timing since we’re only here for a week. I learned that the tailors here send measurements and requirements into China and unfortunately due to covid tightening the border, a 5-7 day job takes between 2-3 weeks to complete. I’d have to do several sizing checks before getting the final product which they assured they can ship to Minnesota but I felt the risk was too high of the final product not fitting correctly or not getting it at home at all. I was kind of disappointed but my mom suggested finding a store that already has premade suits and just getting alterations done.
We randomly happened on one called G2000 that’s kind of like an Express at home. The person working there was really helpful in providing recommendations and the first suit I put on was like an almost perfect fit which doesn’t happen back home. Usually it’s way too baggy or ill fitting, but here things fit great and I had a lot of options to choose from.
I ended up getting 2 suits, 5 dress shirts, a belt, and a bomber jacket for about the same as what I would have paid at home but everything fit well which was the differentiator. One time, Joanna and I went to Duluth Trading Co. to check out what they had and their small size fit like a Large on me. Joanna asked them if they had “boys sizes” 😅.
The afternoon was just more shopping and eating random things. We found a shop that sold red envelopes for every occasion. I asked if they had any custom envelopes with our family surname 勞 “Lo” on it and they had a few options to pick from. Joanna even bought some with her family name 陳 “Chan” on it too. While we were in the area, we stopped by the building that my mom grew up in. About 4 years ago, my grandpa decided to sell it to spread the inheritance around to his kids before he passed away. Really wish the family decided to keep it because it was a 3 bedroom 1 bath flat that we’d be able to stay in if we ever came to visit :/
After an afternoon of shopping, the jetlag started catching up and we crashed for about 2 hours back at the hotel. I woke up thinking it was 4am but nope, it was just 10pm. Thankfully people are out eating dinner super late so we went to an area with outdoor seating restaurants to get a very late dinner at midnight. I thought it was kind of weird that they served our chopsticks, cups, and bowls in a large bowl of hot water but it’s just the thing restaurants do here to provide extra sanitation. The table was pretty sticky and greasy though. Halfway through our meal, I asked for an extra bowl to put our chicken bones in and the lady said it’s fine to spit the bones right on the table…we quickly figured out why the table was sticky
