Itchy

Today is the first day of physical discomfort of any kind since I arrived. Last night, I visited Lamma Island, one of Hong Kong's many surrounding islands. Hong Kong can falsely give one the impression that the region is super developed and urban. In fact, less than 25% of Hong Kong is developed, and the wild, untamed nature I observed a few days ago is more accurate of the square footage.

I found this out first-hand when I went to Lamma Island for a nice seafood dinner. The main drag is dotted with Carribbean-themed bars and seafood restaurants. You peer into the large tanks of live groupers, sea snails, razor and bamboo clams, Australian lobsters, crabs, and you choose your own adventure. The servers will take your picks to the back where chefs will cook it up for you on the spot. The rest of the island is dotted with homes and apartment buildings of locals or 3-storied hotels in various states. Some structures look like they're about to crumble, others look like new developments, and some look like concrete huts with recently added plumbing evidenced by shiny white pipes against old gray walls. The island is navigable by well-marked concrete paths where tourists or locals on bicycles whiz or wheeze by you on the hilly terrain.

Before dinner, we decided to take a walk to a beach on the other side of the tiny island, about 20-25 minutes from the pier where the ferry dropped us off. The slightly humid air and the lush green really hit me: I was definitely in the sub-tropics. I was enjoying the fragrant air and the 'lovely' view of the power plant when I felt something nip my shoulder. Then another and another. By the time we got to the beach, I was being eaten alive by swarms of invisible insects.

The itching was gradual with the first few bites, but as soon as I sat down to have a refreshing peach and aloe soda drink at a beachside bar, the itchiness took a dramatic turn and began to burn insistently.

I have dealt with some horrid bugbites in Peru and New Zealand, but this was a new level of itch. We decided to skip drinks and go straight to dinner, but I was in no mood so we caught the next ferry back to civilization. As soon as we boarded the ferry, the itching disappeared as suddenly as it had started. It was like a Michael Crichton novel.

On a related note, I saw a native cockroach on the street for the first time yesterday as well. They're pretty big, about an inch and change. And they are not afraid to crawl out into the street in the middle of the day. Ugh.

I hate bugs. I really do.