Beige granny pants and orange skimpy bikinis

After 16  straight hours of being cramped into a narrow airplane seat, what I really needed was a huge yoga-esque strech and a shower.

But when I got to the hotel at 6.45AM, the hot Hong Kong sun seemingly already at its peak, the staff informed me that it was too early to check-in, and that I had to wait till after 12noon to get a room.

Noodle Shop in the middle of an outdoor market

What was the next best thing to do? Use the hotel swimming pool in the meantime of course! The only swimwear I had with me were these skimpy bright orange pair of bikinis that I'd brought along for the 'laying on the beach the whole day in Bali' portion of the trip....so I put it on, mustered up as much confidence as I could to nonchalantly walk to the hotel's semi-outdoor pool, and jumped right in:)

Since they didn't have my room ready yet, I had to leave my luggage at the concierge. I needed to grab the bikinis and some clothing change to advance my swimming idea, so I had to rummage through my luggage in the middle of the hotel lobby! The only clean underwear within my anxious view were these big beige granny pants that I'd included when I was doing some serious last-minute packing...what a stark contrast they were to my bright orange skimpy bikinis:)

It was the best decision I made for the day:) I got to use the pool shower...and free body lotion! I came out smelling like lilacs:)

With my long-lost friend Maria

I met up with my long-lost friend Maria, whom I haven't seen for more than a decade. We took a good couple of hours catching up over dim sum. Then we proceeded to fulfill my shopping mission of: 1) Finding the DVD "A Chinese Ghost Story", a movie that I've been hyping up to everyone who cares to listen for the past oh....4 or 5 months maybe? the one Pasha so lovingly dubbed "a spiritual Rom(antic) Com(edy)" and 2) Getting a Chinese translation of a Thich Nhat Than book on Buddhist teachings for my mom...because I want her to enjoy the simplicity of his wisdom and writing as I've had for the past few months.

We completed those 'highly urgent' purchases in less than an hour. The rest we spent roaming around the hot and steamy city.

Before we parted, I asked her to accompany me to the Chinese University of HK, where I'll be presenting a paper on Chinese Indonesian Evangelicals tomorrow. The serene mountain view was taken from the university...another stark contrast to the busy streets we were immersed in a few hours before dropping by the University.

Serene view from Chinese Uni HK

I'm glad that I only get to play tourist for a day. I'll be spending the next few days like the good, nerdy, academic conference rat I aspire to be:) Hong Kong is a gorgeous thriving place...but it sure is expensive!

HK Skyline