JUL 14, 17 .. JUST ANOTHER, DAY-IN-MY-LIFE, IN HONG KONG

One of the committee’s inside of my mind is speaking to me : Captain don’t even begin this Post. No one is interested in what you are going to write. Therefore no one is going to read it. So do us all a favor. Don’t even begin it.

Another committee replies : So much for you and your negativity. We will just make a dotted line and let you commiserate by yourself. Here we go.

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For some long time now, I have been stressing the three key ingredients necessary to do what I do.

I. Health. One must have the health that is necessary to be able to do what you want to do.

II. Money. It takes money to do what I do.

III. Guts. One must have not only health and money, one needs to have the guts to get up, to pull the trigger, and fly away to the other side of the world.

I am going to add number IV further below.

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Since I am staying at the YMCA here in Kowloon (Tsim Sha Tsui) and since it is such a very special place to me because I have been staying here for over 20-years, I decided to provide you with two links to two Posts I published on blogspot.com about ‘my’ YMCA on the chance one of you would like to have another look at it.

http://bobbacaps.blogspot.hk/2014/12/dec-18-14-kowloon-ymca-part-i-exterior.html

http://bobbacaps.blogspot.hk/2014/12/dec-18-14-kowloon-ymca-part-ii-interior.html

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Because their rules / regulations so stipulate that a guest in the dormitory rooms can only stay for a maximum of 7-days per calendar month, I knew when I checked in last Friday the 7th of July that I would have to move from the YMCA to another location.

At my stage-of-the-game, each and every single move from one location to another location is really an effort.

All over the world you check out of a hotel room at 10am / 11am / 12 noon / 1pm.

You then check into a room at various times ranging from noon to 3pm.

If your rooms are local, close to one another, the issue here is the ‘dead time’ between checking out of one room with all of your belongings and then checking into another room. What to do. Where to go. How to manage you and your luggage for the several hour wait for your new room to be available.

Trust me I know how  to do this. I sit and write Post Cards because I do not want to be moving my luggage around with me on the street.

Last Tuesday I devised my plan.

I would get a room at my new location one full day early. I would then be able to move some things into my new room one afternoon and the rest the next morning.

The CHUNGKING MANSIONS on Nathan Road in Kowloon (Tsim Sha Tsui) are famous to all savvy world travelers.

Looking back out from the entrance lobby.

“Captain! You didn’t tell us there are a lot of people in Asia.” signed ‘Zilla

Inside are (perhaps) at least fifty individual hostels. Each floor is subdivided into individual hostels.

Note above A7 on the lower right.

Those you see listed below are but a few of many because the building is enormous.

On the left side of the above photo, at the bottom, notice the CHUNGKING HOUSE DELUXE HOTEL. Three up is the New Asia Guesthouse.

So the NEW ASIA GUEST HOUSE is on the 8th floor in block A7.

Last Wednesday I went over to the CHUNGKING MANSIONS and went up to the 14th floor to a hostel I know well. I booked and made a deposit (one night full payment) for a 7-night stay beginning on Thursday night. My agreement was for a single room at HKG $170 (US $21.94).

All was well. All was swell. I had a room available to me Thursday afternoon and I had to leave the YMCA Friday morning (today).

Yesterday (Thursday) afternoon I went over to leave my large suitcase in my new room and I was told .. “We are overbooked. We don’t have a single. We have a double for HKG $250 (US $32.25).”

We then got into a small discussion and I told him (because I would NOT be staying in the room for so much as one minute just leaving my suitcase) I wanted a single NOT a double.

I got what I wanted. A single room NOT in his hostel on the 14th floor (where I wanted to be) but on the 8th floor in the NEW ASIA GUEST HOUSE (a new-to-me location).

“Captain?” .. “Yes ‘Zilla?” .. “What is the green stuff on the toilet seat below?” ..

“Dad. I’m doing the best I can.” Signed little toilet.

Last night I had one restless (very restless) night. I did NOT want to leave the YMCA. I like being all alone in a spotless immaculate 4-man dorm-room.

Poor little NEW ASIA GUEST HOUSE toilet (above) and YMCA toilet (below).

Above I listed three categories necessary to do what I do.

I – Health .. II – Money .. III – Guts.

CATEGORY NUMBER IV.

It sure helps to HAVE FRIENDS.

This morning I decided :

“It won’t hurt to at least ask the question. I can take NO for an answer.”

In 20-years of staying here, I have established more than a casual acquaintance with some members of (call it) management here at the YMCA.

Here goes :

“Is there any way humanly possible to get an override on the 7-day limit to stay in the dorms?”

“What do you want. How many days?”

“Six. I will be flying to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, next Thursday the 20th.”

“Done deal. No problem.”

This ..

And this ..

As opposed to this ..

I have the money. Yes the YMCA costs quite a bit more money. But I have the money.

I am not talking while the flavor lasts.

Smiling ear-to-ear.

Cap

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