Firsts

I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world. – Mary Anne Radmacher Hershey

I happened to see it from the 118th floor of the Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong.

Four friends and I made our way to the eighth floor of the International Commerce Center, through the lobby and up a hill, through the Ritz lobby and into an elevator to the 103rd floor, across a landing to a final elevator, and up to Ozone Bar on Floor 118.  My ears popped four times between Floor 8 and Floor 103, a swift movement that happens faster than you can say "vodka on the rocks."  We arrived on the 118th floor, walked down a sleek, gorgeously-designed hallway, and entered the highest bar in the world.

Awed by the ever-changing neon glow and sexy, sleek interior design, we floated past glamazons and their accompanying gentlemen to a host in a suit that cost more than my entire wardrobe.  "Drinks for five?  Right this way."

The inside bar at Ozone, on Floor 118 of the Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong.

He showed us to the outside bar, which we didn't realize was literally outside until we looked up, wondering why it was so windy, and saw the moon shining down through the ever-present Hong Kong fog.  Chic thirty- and forty-somethings lined the glass wall looking out onto Victoria Harbor and the legendary Hong Kong skyline, shooting us icy glances as they sipped overpriced champagne.

The view: northern Hong Kong Island, Victoria Harbor, and southern Kowloon.

We ordered fruity cocktails and blackberry mojitos, marveled at the breathtaking view, and soon moved to the inside bar, where a hostess led us to a circular couch and provided coasters and perfectly-salted walnuts.  Absorbing the atmosphere created by robust, organic sculptural forms, dramatic lighting, and tasteful techno accompaniment, we savored every drop of vodka and rum and enjoyed each other's presence for an experience we treasured as a truly remarkable privilege.

One of Ozone Bar's Seuss-chic columns.

Before leaving, we stopped by the restrooms, just because we knew they'd be fabulous.  No disappointment: marble surfaces, disguised stall doors, and rows of clean washcloths for each woman to have her own towel.  We soared back down to the 103rd, then the eighth floor, and walked past an army of taxis waiting in anticipation of intoxicated Ozone patrons.  One last view of the skyline, and we returned to civilization.

A final glance at the Hong Kong skyline from the entrance to the Ritz.

• • •

Today, for the first time, I was able to take advantage of connections made through friends back home.  Maik and Katie Friedrich are the college ministry leaders at Watermark, an English-speaking church in Hong Kong that originated with the help of a man named Charles Thomas, who grew up with the pastor of my parents' church in north Atlanta.  It sounds complicated because it is, but one: we're talking about connections in Hong Kong, and two: the Body of Christ functions as a single family, and this is not the least bit unusual.

I met Maik, Katie, and some of their students from International Christian Fellowship at Hong Kong University for hot pot at Mou Mou Club in Mong Kok.  The hot pot experience is similar to fondue, but with soup.  Servers bring you the raw meat of your choice, you select rice, noodles, vegetables, fish balls, and tofu from a buffet, and everyone cooks their food in a communal hot pot of broth.  Delicious, but definitely not appropriate for those with food allergies or germophobia.

A hot pot lunch at Mou Mou Club in Mong Kok

Afterward, we went to Langham Place, a mall in Mong Kok, the grandiosity of which fits right in with most Hong Kong malls: at least ten stories, dozens of escalators, an ice rink ... the whole package.  It was in this mall where I ordered my first Starbucks beverage in Hong Kong: a tall Hazelnut Latte, which was amazing, even though I usually prefer black coffee.

Riding one of the many escalators in Langham Place in Mong Kok

The store I found most intriguing sold a variety of his-and-hers home goods, like coffee mugs and pillowcases, with hand-drawn cartoons:

 

I later tackled the Ladies' Market, where I bartered for the first time!  Assuming a direct correlation between how angry I made the vendors and how good a bargain I got, my best deal was a leather wristlet for $100 HKD, which is about $12.80 US.

Here's to unforgettable firsts.

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