View of a Hong Kong Apartment

I was invited to dinner at a friend’s place last night.  I’ve known my friend for over a year in Hong Kong.  We have mutual friends in the US, through his mother. As his mother was in town I was invited to dinner.

 

Professor, as I shall call him, has never invited me over to his place. We have always extended our hospitality to our home mostly so he would have a good home cooked meal and learn mahjong.  We have spent many hours eating, drinking and ponging.  So it was with great delight I was able to accept his kind offer for dinner at his place.

 

Professor has often spoken about his place and joked about it’s size, and in our ‘year’ friendship I have helped him by finding a dining room table for him, one that folds in half, some art work and other bits and pieces.  So I was looking forward to seeing his small but humble abode in Mid Levels with the supposedly wonderful view.

 

I arrived a little late; it was raining hard and as I was organizing my umbrella the door opened.  I hardly stepped in when I was not only in the hall but also the living room and nearly in the kitchen.  As professor’s guest said it is a ’step saving’ apartment.  One step to the right from the entrance hall and you are in the kitchen two steps from the kitchen and you are in the master bedroom.  Five steps from the front door and you have reached the window to observe the most fabulous view of the Harbor.  One step from the couch (I must ask him how they got that to the 12^th floor it’s bigger than the elevator) and you are in the second bedroom which to some is really a built in robe.

 

Ahh but that’s Hong Kong for you, probably Asia actually.  You don’t need a lot of room, you don’t spend a lot of time at home, but you need a view.  That’s why we live in a big apartment in Happy Valley because we have no view.

 

I could imagine a weekend at the Professor’s reading “A room with a View”.  Not moving off that couch all weekend, if only he moved that fridge into the main living area.  Perhaps he could put that on rollers like the TV stand so you could just have easier access to the beer.

 

I’m so glad I got a real glimpse of a local apartment, you see us expats who supposedly come out here on big business budgets get shown ‘expat’ housing. Our accommodation all has it’s own set of price tags!

 

Thanks for a great dinner Professor, it was lovely meeting your mother, drinking wine, eating noodles and playing mahjong not all at the same time BUT we did do it all in the same spot!