Day 2
Asleep.
I am vaguely aware of some knocking at my door.
It's dark. I ignore it, and smile knowing that it will go away soon. My bed is soft and warm.
It continues and gets louder, but I’m not worried.
But it’s not to last. The door unlocks and a bright bright light is switched on, and someone is in my room
“Good Morning Sir! I am the hotel’s “Experience Manager" – someone is waiting to have a meeting with yoooou”
“ARGGGHHHHH! TURN IT OFF! I’m NOT having a good experience! LEAVE ME ALONE!”
“Sorry sir, sorry sorry sorry...”
He leaves.
Now I’m awake though. I search for something to tell me the time. 10.40.
My “not good experience” continued well into the day. Both my bags were missing in action and no-one knew where they were. Elaina finally got the message I could not perform without my bags, and they bought in a juggler to cover my first shows.
Then I hear that my bags had been located in London and were on their way to HK, but wouldn’t be here till at least 3. Stress. Elaina more so. We stress back and forth at eachother like a game of barbed wire table tennis.
The 1pm show came and went. Ben, the juggler did his stuff. Then a call from BA – only 1 bag had been found. Which one? One is square and flat, and the other is a big tube…. The big tube.
We wait and wait. No bag! I eventually decided to replace a couple of things from my kit (a baby bottle and a measuring jug!) and took them back to my room, only to find the big square bag sitting there! They’d got it wrong and now I have to plan a whole OTHER show with all the other equipment.
Can it be done? I guess… if we miss out this, and that, I can add some smoke bubble tricks to my set and do a couple of other things… we’d missed the second show by now, but I could put it together for the 3rd show at 7pm….
I prepped my kit.
7pm arrives, and my music began. I step out onto stage. But once i'm on stage, i have to put everything behind me. It doesn’t matter how tired I am, once I'm there, it’s like a motorbike starts inside of me.
The intro is just a bit of fun with me making a few melon sized bubbles and doing some hand bubble tricks. All good. Moved into the 2nd section, and did a display of some Guinness Record tricks – it’s a GWR show, so I figured that would be a good space filler. I had to miss out my favourite section and the Bubble Party, but I had enough kit to put people in bubbles, and I left the stage with a sigh of relief. Not my best show ever, but Elaina is happy, the client is happy, audience happy!
Somehow, an hour or so later we had another call – my other bag had turned up in HK and would be delivered immediately.
We took the opportunity to do a rehearsal straight away and though it was 9pm now, there were still plenty of people at the mall. It was actually the nicest thing ‘cos it was like an informal show which I could start and stop whenever I liked!
Watch out BA… you are soooo in for it when I get back!
I’m now sitting in my very swanky hotel bar on the 32nd floor enjoying a well deserved and needed pint! They definitely know how to do swanky in Hong Kong, though no massage available at this hotel regrettably. I’ll have to do with my pint. And maybe a gin and tonic.
So the swanky bar… it’s called Sugar and there’s a dj playing uber cool dance tunes. It’s filled with young professional guys and their pretty super-stylish girlfriends. Fashion here is big on the agenda, and this place oozes style! It overlooks HK harbour and it’s million lights.
I’m a bit out of place in my braces and hat, thankfully. I’m not sure if I can talk to people without them thinking I’m some kind of nutter, or am trying to hit on them, but who cares? I’ve got my beer, my diary, and best all, all my equipment back! [turns out they actually thought i was a writer 'cos i was scribbling all this in my diary!]
It’s stormy tonight and the view from here is pretty spectacular.
There are basically ZERO huses here in HK, but like a million tower blocks, ranging from seriously impressive hotels and LED decorated office blocks, to your plain old blocks of flats, but they they’re all 30+ stories high, and are literally EVERYWHERE! Each one of them is lit up, and I have to admit, it’s an impressive sight.
It just so happens that I bought my new sparkly specs with me. They’re like the 3d glasses you get except these ones put a rainbow heart around every light you see! (soon to be a Bubble Inc product! – watch this space! www.bubbleinc.co.uk)
I put them on and marvel at the skyline, but here in this swanky bar in my braces, I instantly know I’ve gone too far. Self consciousness swallows me up and after a minute or so, I remove them. The only answer to this is to pass them around, and before you know it EVERYONE’s talking about them and I’ve made lots of new friends! Especially with the people who work here – one of whom was literally jumping up and down with laughter at the sight of their city covered in hearts! My G&T was whisked away and zooped up somewhat…
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151811235610295&set=vb.740155294&type=2&theater
I love the HK people. They’re so British,. but cute-er.
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Day 3 coming up!