Hong Kong Hair (1/ 2-3/08)

We're slowing down. Being "on tour" is tiring. Yesterday (1/2) we simply spent the morning switching hotels to one closer to the action downtown Kowloon, right on famous Nathan Road. We decided to bag the beach hotel as it isn't all that warm and there are still things we want to do & see in town. With that done we chose an easy afternoon activity: a ferry tour of Victoria Harbor. We had wanted to do the Harbor tour on an authentic Chinese Junk, but we could only get a place on the waiting list and it didn't work out, so we took the Star Ferry Harbor tour instead. It was fine - all Rex really wanted was to be out on the water with the Big Boys. It was the last tour of the day. As we rounded and made our way back across the harbor, we watched as the sun went down and the lights of the night slowly came on across the skyline of downtown Hong Kong and Kowloon.

Today (1/3) we headed out for more street shopping, can't remember what we were hunting for this time, maybe shoes for Rex. Anyway, we didn't get too far because I finally succumbed to getting a haircut. I've been wanting a haircut for a long time and had plans to go with one of the female teachers Rex works with back in Japan, but the girl got sick. It's a little scary having your hair cut by someone you can't communicate with, so I've been chicken. But today we found a salon that seemed to have English speaking hairdressers and I went in. It ended up being about a 50% communication, but I got the idea across that my hair was too long - and the hair dresser made it clear he thought I had too much hair - period. So I agreed to let him shorten & lighten it up & the scissors & hair began to fly! It was an interesting technique of cutting. He never cut across my hair. He just pulled up a section and began cutting my hair with the tip end of the scissors pointed directly at the ends of my hair. I ended up with very layered, shag style cut about the same length I came in with but only about 1/2 as much hair! It's interesting - I like it. Not sure if I'll ever have anyone who could re-create this cut in the states though. I forgot to say that the cut was only $12.50 USD including tax & tip! Not bad.

Afterward, we continued up Nathan Road headed for the Ladies Street market, but ended up having dinner at a California Pizza Kitchen instead. That's ok. We still have a few more days to pack in our final shopping trips and tourist traps.