The internet already has enough postcard pictures of places like Hong Kong on it. That's my excuse for not posting any good photos. 

It was a two-hour flight from drizzling, cool Taipei to sunny, humid Hong Kong. Then a 45-minute bus ride from the airport to a bus stop right in front of the hostel near the south tip of Kowloon. The hostel is in the Comfort Building, a thin wedge between two bigger commercial units in one of the big buildings that take up whole blocks and almost feel like cities unto themselves. 

To get to the hostel, I walked down the narrow hallway and crammed into a small elevator that was just big enough for two other people plus me and my backpack, and went to the sixth floor. The sixth floor of this sliver of building was in turn partitioned into six units. Opening the door of the hostel partition, I was greeted by an empty desk with a long, narrow hallway behind it.

I walked down the hallway and found a TV, a refrigerator, and an empty bottle of Macallan 12 year, but no people. I had the contact info for the host, a mysterious entity known by the moniker Tabi88. I texted them that I'd arrived. The reply came almost immediately.

I can see you're in the common room.

I looked around and saw a camera on the ceiling down the hall, pointed at me. 

Your room is to your left, bed #0. 

Thanks, I texted back, realizing I was never going to meet or find out anything about this Tabi88 entity. 

The view west out the window of Tiger Curry, a cafe that specializes in Japanese style curry pasta and cheesecake. It's in one of the numerous expensive-looking shopping malls that line the west side of Kowloon.

Fish balls ("fish eggs") and fish slices in egg noodle soup.

Near the hostel