Capsule toys are really popular in Hong Kong, and all over the region you’ll see Japanese capsule machines outside of convenience stores selling various little toys, usually for dangling on your mobile phone.

These little trinkets are usually based on popular anime series, Gundams, video game characters, and food, etc. but one in particular came across as a little bizarre: “Cute & sexy” Minney Mouse Disney panty ornaments. WTF?

If this were Mainland, I would just say “whatever, copyright infringement, nothing to see here” but this is Hong Kong where that sort of thing doesn’t fly as easily. So, either this big distributor is selling knock-off bizarre toys, or Disney has some pretty different rules for its IP in Asia.

A few years back in Hong Kong, somebody filmed an older guy (referred to as ‘uncle’ in Cantonese) going ballistic when a young man on a bus told him to tone down his loud mobile phone conversation. This video was put on YouTube, and the Hong Kong “Bus Uncle” became famous overnight.

His catch phrase from the video, “You’ve got pressure, I’ve got pressure” become an instant meme. There were Bus Uncle t-shirts and coffee mugs. The Sony Ericsson phone that the other passenger used to film the video became a top seller in Hong Kong overnight.

The media had a field day. Bus Uncle’s face was plastered all over HK tabloids. Psychologists and professors were interviewed and said Bus Uncle’s outburst was a symptom of the stress of life in HK, and that the city was full of these “ticking timebomb bus uncles.”

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So I finally accepted a job offer and now it’s time to go through the fun-filled work visa process. The whole visa situation in China is arguably a bit of a grey area. The restrictions have been getting tighter every year and the process more confusing.

Long gone are the days when foreigners could easily get 1-year, multiple entry “business invitation” F-visas in Hong Kong for $80. These days you’re lucky to get an F/business visa at all, and most L/travel visas are single entry with a maximum stay of 90 days per entry. This results in costly visa runs out of the country every few months, not to mention the whole illegal alien status thing.

Here are the steps I took to get my Z-visa. As with many things in China, not everything is set in stone. Depending on your hiring company, your miles may vary.

Also see ShanghaiExpat’s guide to getting the Z visa.

Step 0: Initial Health Check

This initial medical check-up is not actually necessary for the visa, but some companies require it before they waste their time and money on having you complete the rest of the process.

The medical exam took place at Shanghai Ren Ai hospital on Caoxi Road, across the street from IKEA. As instructed, I didn’t eat anything and arrived at the hospital for my 9 AM appointment. After paying the 100 RMB fee, patients are given a book of receipts. You then go to each test station and give the doctor/nurse the receipt for that station that they fill out and keep. When you are out of receipts, you’re finished. The hospital will courier the results to you in a day or so.

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Hong Kong’s A21 Airport Bus or Cityflyer is a very convenient way to get downtown once you arrive in HK, or back to the airport from the city.

The coach itself is a swanky double-decker bus complete with A/C and roomy, comfy seats. Heading into town this way gives you some great views of the city. It’s also pretty reasonably priced at only 33 HKD to get to Kowloon from the airport.

Here are some videos I took:

Nothing beats a sweet pineapple bun as a quick bite or snack on the go. I eat these all the time in Shanghai, but usually only find them prepackaged. In Hong Kong, there are a lot of little bakeries that serve them fresh out of the oven, like this one, for 3.50 HKD.

The Lo Wu border checkpoint on the Hong Kong side has a whole series of anti-drug posters on display. In addition to the Cannabis one (excuse the awful glare), there were similar posters for Ecstasy, Ketamine, and “Ice”.

The full text reads:

Cannabis is NO FUN at all!

There is no such thing as a ‘safe’ or ‘mild’ drug. It can affect you for life.

Maybe it’s just me, but I would think that posters at the border explaining the risk of getting busted in Shenzhen would be a better way to scare HK kids from going to SZ for cheap drugs than cheesy anti-drug propaganda.

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For some reason, Peking Duck gets all the attention and acclaim as the quintessential Chinese method of serving duck. It is good, but too often the wonder that is Cantonese Roast Duck goes completely unnoticed. Why this dish doesn’t get more attention is a mystery to me. Perhaps non-Chinese are afraid of all the dead ducks hanging in the window?

Roast duck or shao ya (simp. 烧鸭, trad. 燒鴨) usually comes served on a bed of rice with some greens, and a side dish of plum sauce for dipping. When prepared correctly, it’s incredible; the juicy duck, crispy skin, and added sweetness of the plum sauce is fantastic, and it’s a dish you can find in just about every (authentic) Cantonese restaurant in China and abroad.

I’ve been a fan of Cantonese duck for a long time now, but I just recently had the most delicious serving of it in a tiny restaurant in Mong Kok in Hong Kong. For 36 HKD (served with ice-cold refreshing lemon tea), I was in heaven.

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I went to Hong Kong again for a few days and I have officially come back a fraud.

Despite the URL of this site, I did not stay at the infamous Chungking Mansions in Tsim Sha Tsui because – despite renovations and attempts at cleaning up its image – it is a complete shithole that is not very good value at all. Instead I opted to stay at the slightly pricier (but infinitely cleaner and with free drinking water and wifi) Dragon Inn on Argyle Street in Mong Kok.

Other than the novelty of the sketchy atmosphere, Chungking Mansions doesn’t offer anything other than the thrill that you may be murdered in your sleep or eaten alive by vermin. There are so many other budget options not too far from the area that are only slightly higher, and you don’t have to put up with the filth, annoying touts, cockroaches, bedbugs, drug dealers, pimps and hookers that hang out around Chungking Mansions.

I wonder if Beijing will ever try to exert its influence to harmonize the Golden Mile?

I went to beautiful Hong Kong again for a few days. Here are some videos I took walking around Mong Kok.

Hong Kong’s skyline never fails to wow me. I came across this picture that won some #5 Wikicommons award for best photograph. Compared to the competition, it’s a crime it didn’t receive #1.

The full res image is a pretty beefy 8 MB file, but well worth the download. Now all I need is a 4,670 × 2,000 resolution monitor…