Absolutely Rental

When it comes to the priorities of settling down in a new country I would say occupation or a steady income is probably the most important. Coming in at a close second would be accommodation. This is where I still feel very dishevelled or very uncomfortable.

Waking each morning from a couch and living from a suitcase is no means a settled lifestyle. In fact, I feel about as comfortable as I imagine the UBS Rogue Trader felt the moment he found out about the Swiss Franc ceiling. Not to say that the accommodation hasn't been anything short of first class. I've had a huge living room, a cushy leather couch, broadband internet, a custom-made sheep rug and a massive 55" TV at my disposal. It's just I feel I've over welcomed my stay. Overstayed by six months. I have been here since the beginning of April! April, that was almost 2 seasons ago! That has got to be some record of dossing. I can already see all the chiropractors salivating at the thought of my mangled spine. It's not just my spine, think about the actual people who I'm staying with, I've become apart of the furniture.

Which probably makes you wonder, why haven't I moved out yet? Well, that's a very good question. Which is probably summed up best by describing the current Hong Kong Property Market. Shit. Succinct and deliberate. The market is so inflated it has forced buyers back into the rental market, which of course is saturated with tenants and a huge deficiency of properties. Basic supply and demand suggest that the prices can only do one thing, that is go up. Properties will appear and disappear in the market within a matter of hours. I might receive a call in the morning "I have a place which I think is perfect for you, do you want to view it this evening?" only to receive a follow up call a couple of hours later "Sorry, it was just leased, I'll keep looking for you". I originally had had an idea of what budget and what I could expect in return based on friend's experiences in the last year. However, speaking with property agents it appears prices on rental market have increased in the last 12 months - in some cases more than 25 percent!

With a budget and a will I have engaged the rental scene, viewing apartments in the Central, Mid-Levels and Sheung Wan area. This region of Hong Kong is extremely popular with foreigners, with a huge proportion of expat tenants occupying the high density area. Three weeks in and I've seen a lot of places but nothing that I can comfortably call home. I didn't really experience this in London as I was always flat-sharing, but Hong Kong is a different beast. Price per square foot, space efficiency rating, club facilities and city views are all factors in determining how much you will pay. I've seen Studios, 1 bedders, 2 bedders, walk-ups, tiny kitchens with a 1 stove elements, Hong Kong style wet-kitchens and bedrooms that barely fit a double bed. It makes London look spacious, it makes Australia look wasteful.

It's hard not to feel discouraged after seeing so many incompatible places yet I continue to arrange viewings each night after work. According to agents an average person will see anywhere between 5-10 places before they decide to sign the contract. I have seen at least 40 different places and don't feel like I'm getting close. The agents always try the hard sell saying that my budget and requirements aren't aligned. I give a non-committed answer and tell them that I'll think about it knowing that a decision has already been made. I figured if I'm going to be there for a year I might as well wait.

Am I too picky? Am I looking for something that doesn't exist? Does the thought of commitment cloud my judgement? These are questions I often ask myself, usually directed at relationships as opposed to property - uh, at least I'm consistent. Until then, I continue with the viewings and get comfortable with the idea of sleeping on the couch for a little bit longer ...

Care Package

Couple of familiar faces and familiar snacks passing through Hong Kong.

August: Week in review

It has been a very interesting last couple of days. My 6 months of unemployment sadly comes to an end with my first week at work. It's nice to have a little routine back in my life and the difficulties of waking up each day slowly returns. Starting a new job is always the most tedious period. Learning about the different functions that each person contributes and the interaction they will eventually have with your role. Making first impressions and gauging personality types and of course just remembering people's names. I'm terrible with people's names and the problem with starting a new job is that you meet so many people in a short period of time. Thankfully I've been given a seating chart with all the names. Then there's the hassle of setting up email/access accounts and just getting used to the system. At the end of the first week I still don't have a computer. An IT professional without a PC, I'm good, but I'm not that good.

Work aside, I have finally opened a Hong Kong bank account and applied for my HKID. Still, there's so many outstanding things that I need to sign up for. This week also marks my very first live performance in Hong Kong, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Surprisingly entertaining gig and almost every single expat in Hong Kong made the journey out to Asia World Expo to see them live.

In other parts of the world, the UK has been hit by a ravaging gang of morons wrecking havoc through London 'burbs. Quite a surreal feeling hearing about areas in London and seeing images on the news. Meanwhile in the United States, America has had its Credit Rating downgraded to AA+, first time since 1941. This has rocked economic confidence which has reflected in the global markets. Quite an interesting start to the new role with a broker.

"Where I go I just don't know, I got to got to gotta take it slow" - Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Sponsored!

One way to validate a Hong Kong Visa. Exit and re-enter the country via Macau.

"Next!" I step up to the counter and carefully slide my navy blue passport book under the Perspex window. The silver emboss of the Australian Coat of Arms catches the fluorescent light in the hall. Taking the passport the immigration officer flips to the front page and stares at my photo. She looks up and scans my face. She flicks to my Employment Visa. Again, she looks up at me, this time comparing the photo to what stands before her. I flash a smile. She smiles. Stamp. Stamp. Stamp. My passport is returned and chime "Mh goi".

And that folks, will be the last time I'll line up in the "Other Passports" line when entering Hong Kong. I'm officially a Hong Kong Sponsored resident. First day of work tomorrow, can't wait!

Cambodian Consumption

We would ultimately get sick of eating Cambodian food. This was probably due to not having local intel of where and what to eat. That being said we indulged in our fair share of Cambodian delicacies.

Khmer Dipping sauces

Forgot the name of this lamb dish?

Amok Curry

Fresh Food Markets

Street Side Roast Beef with suspect fresh Vegetables

Khmer Curry

Beef Lok Lak with Fries

Banana Pancakes

Cambodian Baguette

Rice Noodle Soup

Complimentary Casino Congee

Local Brew

Last stop: Phnom Penh

We were all slightly dubious about the estimated travel time between Siem Reap and Phnom. 'Around 6 hours' we were told. Around? Was this determined by the traffic? Dependent on the weather? None of the above, it was invariably down to the number of people climbing on and off along the way.

To our surprise the bus we had boarded was rammed with Cambodians and not the expected clientele of backpackers and tourists. Every now and then the bus would pull to the side and grind to a halt. Somebody might get on, somebody might get off. This explains why we were only given an "approximate" trip time. The drive itself was very enjoyable - the scenery was exceptional and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride through the countryside. Our bus finally arrived in Phnom Penh at 9 pm on Friday 5th.

Earlier that morning I had learnt that my Hong Kong Visa had finally been approved! As expected, this news disappointed me as I was secretly hoping that I could spend more time travelling abroad. I needed to be back in Hong Kong on the Monday to start work on the Tuesday. With a definite end point to this trip I braced myself for my final weekend on the road. Also after 2 weeks of glorious weather ominous clouds rolled into Phnom Penh and the heavens opened. Symbolic perhaps?

Phnom Penh Itinerary

Spent one evening around Sisowath Quay aka 'The riverside'. Plenty of pubs and restaurants although it didn't strike me as anything terribly exciting, again definitely geared towards tourists. While wandering the streets we saw a pretty brutal fight involving a couple of Antipodeans. For our only full day in Phnom Penh we hired Cheng a Taxi Driver for 40 USD who would drive us around to the various sites in town.

Tuol Sleng, the Genocide museum.

Choeung Ek, the Killing Fields.

Psah Thmay, Central Markets.

The National Museum of Cambodia and the Royal Palace as well as a sneaky meal of KFC

(The food is starting to get repetitive).

For an additional 20 USD Cheng was kind enough to entertain us in the evening. We were treated to a nice local restaurant, as well as a live Variety Show, complete with Cambodian Boy Bands and on stage dramas with transvestite lead actors and Platinum the local club scene. The end of the night we gave him an extra 10 USD so that he could find a place to stay the night instead of heading back to his village.

We left Cambodia the following morning with majority of the party heading back to Kuala Lumpur. It was at KL where I left them and headed back to Hong Kong. What an extremely fast two weeks. Hong Kong. Go!

1USD is all you need

We arrived in Cambodia with low expectations and a tight budget. Poipet had been a pleasant surprise and we were still charged with enthusiasm when we eventually arrived in Siem Reap later that afternoon.

Here we met up with one of my friend's Brothers who would join us for the remainder of our trip. The three days were spent at the Frangipani Villa Hotel in Siem Reap, a very comfortable hotel for those on a budget. My only complaint was the angle of the shower head fixture and the lack of an elevator (In any case I probably needed the steps given the amount of food consumed since leaving Hong Kong). For the remainder of the first day we hired the services of Ken, a Tuk Tuk driver who brought us to the various markets and was responsible for one of the entertaining Karaoke sessions in my life.

Day 2 was spent exploring the Angkor National Park (20USD) the main attractions being Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. It was a long day spent wiping the sweat from our brows and constantly searching for shade from the sun. Consequently we retired early after a quick beer on Pub Street and a well deserved Cambodian massage.

We arose relatively early on Day 3 and headed to the Cambodian Land Mine Museum. Two days was more than enough in Siem Reap. I especially enjoyed the Tuk Tuk rides along the picturesque banks of the Siem Reap River and the lush gardens surrounding the city. Still, it feels like the city of Siem Reap is driven by tourism, everything here costs one USD dollar. I wonder if it will develop into an Egypt-esque setup where tourists reign supreme and the locals struggle - forced to the harass and swindle the tourists just to get by.

To get to our next destination our budget afforded us only one option. A public bus. For 8USD we climbed into the coach that promised to have us at the Cambodian Capital in 'around six hours'.