We took Hong Kong by storm! And by that I mean Hbf got food poisoning and puked in the train sink (the bathrooms were locked), the train station and our room in Hong Kong. He rallied the next day though and we were able to make it to Hong Kong Island for some spectacular views and a little shopping. We even went to a movie, Looking for Eric. Pretty entertaining, and it was in English! Hallelujah!
El Dub had asked us to shop around for an awesome Rolex (by awesome I mean fake), so we started to do our research. We walked into a real Rolex store and instantly I felt out of place. The worker bees were wearing suits and I was wearing my Utah State basketball shorts and a camouflage hat that has a skull on it. But, we had a mission. We browsed around, asking questions like, "how many carats are these diamonds?" and "does this watch come in rose gold?". I even got them to take 2 out of the glass case so I could examine them up close. It turns out they were each worth $25,000. Whoa. I actually held $50,000 in my hand. Anyways, we tried to memorize the markings and engravings so we could get the best for El Dub. Our research paid off and we got him a really nice one with diamonds. It looks real! I swear!
After Hong Kong, we took a turbo jet to Macau, the Las Vegas of the East. Pfffft. No. Macau has casinos, yes. But the spirit of Las Vegas is missing. Where are all the people in the streets, drinking? Where are all the flashing lights so bright they give you a seizure? The casinos are all spread out, and separated on different floors. They were also very subdued and the slot machines were so quiet that I could hardly hear when I won money. A little disappointing. We had a hard time finding a craps table and when we did, I lost all my money in about 10 minutes. Boo. Ok maybe my impression of Macau was tainted by my gambling experience, but there is definitely something lacking in Macau and I don't think it can be compared to Las Vegas at all. 'Nough said.
We've left China now and we are in Bangkok. My first impression is.. um.. holy crap. This place is crazy. But, everything is cheap and we are loading up on supplies before heading to the coast so I can start my SCUBA certification. I even tried PadThai off the street and I haven't died yet. It was actually pretty good. I am also finding english is pretty well known around here, at least in Bangkok. It's definitely a nice change from no one understanding what you are trying to say. So far, so good.
Sounds like you folks are good fortune hunters. I remember buying fake Nike T-Shirts. They looked okay, though the fabric was cheap, but when the lettering peeled off after a few washings, we were less than impressed.
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