Finally, got my butt to the gym! Our apartment building has a tiny gym and at 6:30 this morning I dragged myself downstairs for a little sweat time. Unfortunately I couldn't figure out how to change the channel on the tv so I had to listen to the news in Cantonese with subtitles in Mandarin, or maybe it was the other way around, who knows! The gym (and my studio) overlook a busy street that is right across from the Fortress Hill MTR stop (pictured below). I noticed most of the people in buses were watching me as the bus stopped to pick more people up.
The MTR (Mass Transit Railway) is the subway system in Hong Kong. It is super easy to use, fast and clean. They can really pack the people in these trains, especially in a culture that doesn't know the concept of personal space! Also, it's pretty cheap, about $.50 USD. Oh, good time to tell you about an Octopus card. It's a card to use the MTR (like a Charlie Card in Boston), however it's also used to buy things like lunch and anything at 7-11. All you have to do is keep putting money on it at any 7-11 (they are everywhere!). The card is so easy to use, I paid for my lunch the other day with it and all it requires is just a tap on the Octopus card scanner. Easy! Another thing it's used for, and I don't get this at all, is access to our office building. I think it's generally used for anything that requires a turnstyle. Random, but convenient.
Finally, got my butt to the gym! Our apartment building has a tiny gym and at 6:30 this morning I dragged myself downstairs for a little sweat time. Unfortunately I couldn't figure out how to change the channel on the tv so I had to listen to the news in Cantonese with subtitles in Mandarin, or maybe it was the other way around, who knows! The gym (and my studio) overlook a busy street that is right across from the Fortress Hill MTR stop (pictured below). I noticed most of the people in buses were watching me as the bus stopped to pick more people up.
The MTR (Mass Transit Railway) is the subway system in Hong Kong. It is super easy to use, fast and clean. They can really pack the people in these trains, especially in a culture that doesn't know the concept of personal space! Also, it's pretty cheap, about $.50 USD. Oh, good time to tell you about an Octopus card. It's a card to use the MTR (like a Charlie Card in Boston), however it's also used to buy things like lunch and anything at 7-11. All you have to do is keep putting money on it at any 7-11 (they are everywhere!). The card is so easy to use, I paid for my lunch the other day with it and all it requires is just a tap on the Octopus card scanner. Easy! Another thing it's used for, and I don't get this at all, is access to our office building. I think it's generally used for anything that requires a turnstyle. Random, but convenient.
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