Asia trip 2002: Wednesday in Hong Kong and Taipei

[Continued from: Asia trip 2002: Tuesday evening in Hong Kong]

In the morning, I can’t decide which tie to wear. There’s the orange and green Italian one with a floral design, which I bought as a present for boyfriend number 1 when we were on holiday in Venice a few years ago, or there’s the blue and red Lacroix one. L doesn’t like the floral one so I take his advice and wear the Lacroix.

L doesn’t have to rush off so we both go down to breakfast in the hotel. Having learned a couple of words of Beijing dialect with T on Sunday afternoon, I get L to teach me a few Chinese words in the Hong-Kong dialect. It turns out that there are two words for ‘thank-you’ depending on the situation. There’s ‘mmm-Goi’ to say thank you for a service, or ‘doh-tzse’ to say thank you for something concrete. And it turns out that since I’m Caucasian I’m a ‘gwei-low’ which means ghost-face!

While I’m being the attentive pupil, I don’t notice that one of my colleagues has come into the restaurant for breakfast too. When I do notice him, we acknowledge each other with a small wave. He clearly noticed me and also noticed that I was having breakfast with someone, otherwise I’m sure he would have joined me. Furthermore, it’s one of the colleagues who I bumped into on Monday night when I was with H in Shanghai. I worry about what my colleague may be starting to think about me. I don’t care if people know I’m gay, but I just don’t want anyone to think that I use rent-boys.

After breakfast I can’t work out how to say thank-you in Chinese to L for meeting me the previous night – has he given me a service or something concrete? He laughs at my confusion, and we part on good terms.

In the afternoon it’s off to Taipei. When we arrive, everyone in the party suggests going out for a beer together, and I figure I should go along too. I’m looking forward to seeing P in Singapore tomorrow night, and having already met T in Beijing, H in Shanghai, and L in Hong Kong, I reckon I can manage to be without a man to share my bed for one night.

[To be continued: Asia trip 2002: Thursday, meeting P in Singapore]