Hong Kong is warm.

Sleeping in a room with no windows can be very disorienting. But when I opened the door to the inner courtyard walkway and was greeted by the bright sunlight bouncing off the white walls across the way, and the sounds of people and animals and cars down below, I immediately felt grounded. This is the first really sunny day--and the first day when it's been warm enough to wear only a jacket and a shirt--that I've seen in a while.

I walked up Nathan Road, away from the harbor. A short way up, big, snaking banyan trees line the road, the concrete sidewalk turns to brick, and the seedy tailors, money changers, and gift shops are replaced by expensive yuppie fashion stores, jewelers, and cafes. For a minute I actually imagined I was on State Street in Santa Barbara.

For breakfast I wandered onto a narrow street lined with little Chinese restaurants and got a table at a place that was so jammed I ended up sharing a tiny, two-seat table with a middle-aged civil engineer. In addition to Cantonese he spoke some English and Mandarin, so he helped me order a bowl of hot soy milk and a big green onion pancake, which I will henceforth refer to as a "Chinese Latke". A bowl of dòu jiāng in Chengdu costs exactly one yuan (15 cents). At this place it was more like a dollar. The Chinese Latke was also a dollar. After breakfast (and some hassle having to do with adaptors not working, etc.) I went to a big chain cafe (where I am now) to use the internet, and a cup of regular black coffee cost me three dollars. That is approximately twenty-two bowls of soy milk.