The Tale of the Twenty-Ones

Hey Guys,

This is the home stretch. I will be leaving Hong Kong in nine days to go to work in New York. It is going to be a wild transition... but I'm excited.

Yesterday capped what was a series of some young American lads turning the big two-one. It's one of those milestone birthdays back in the States, when a boy becomes a... well- a legally drunk boy.

Chris Cote, my roommate, celebrated his special day on May 5th. Coincidentally, that is the same birthday as the Buddha. Chris' parents were in town, and we spent the day visiting Daniel, Chris' and my local tailor. We all made some fine purchases and left the tailor-friend of ours quite satisfied.

That night, I joined Chris and his family for an incredible sushi feast at the Shangri-La Hotel. The food was amazing, and we ended up spending a good couple of hours eating and hanging out in the restaurant- which was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed getting to know his family a little better.

After leaving, we headed into Lan Kwai Fong to meet up with three of our others buddies that I invited down. I had arranged to take everyone to an exclusive members bar named Volar, but we decided to grab a drink at The Keg before wandering in. As I was enjoying a delicious Palm beer with the guys, Mr. Cote came back to the table with Cohiba cigars for all. They were a fun way to celebrate.

We finally made it to Volar, and the venue lived up to expectations. We brought out a couple of bottles of Johnnie Walker Black Label, and took Chris into his twenty-first year in grand style. Chris' parents left at around 1AM, but the rest of us didn't wander home until 4:30AM. A famous Frech DJ named Miss Kitty was headlining the event. I think Chris had a really good time, and that is all that matters...

Tom's birthday came next, and his friends came out in full force. On a Wednesday night, a group of thirty exchange students joined Tom at the Brazilian bar ba que spot in TST. They basically come around with huge pieces of meat that they shear onto your plate and they keep filling your glass with beer. It is all you can eat/drink, so we were in heaven.

Afterward, the vast majority of us went to the local Kareoke Bar and rented a room. It was a lot of fun, and we ended up staying until the early hours of the morning. We had some interesting interactions with the management of the place, who successfully obtained a credit card deposit from one of the girls. We later learned that they charged us $680 Hong Kong Dollars (nearly $100 US) for a couple of bags of peanuts that some guys assumed were complimentary. Since they had the credit card, there was nothing we could do. Tom was having a great time, and didn't realize the dispute was going on, so everything was ok...

That brings me to my birthday. When the clock struck midnight on the morning of the 14th, I brought in the special day with a couple of cold Carlsburgs. Chris and I 'dueled' once in the hallway, but the result was less then optimal- my pitching arm failed me. That would be the last duel of the night.

The next morning, Chris and I headed to Macau. Although it's only a couple hours from campus, we had yet to make the trip to the former Portuguese colony known for its casinos. We spent the whole day wandering the island in search of a cheap casino. None of them offered a low enough minimum bet, so we opted not to test our luck in blackjack. I would have loved to have played, but it did not make sense financially. We did find a roulette table to play for six spins. But once I was back down at what I started with, I decided to walk away with what I had. Breaking even there on a minimal bankroll was not a bad way to go out.

We came back to Hong Kong and tried to touch base with a couple of friends from HKUST. A lot of them had work to do and group meetings, so nobody really wanted to come out downtown with us. Chris treated me to one of the best meals I've had in Hong Kong at a nice Mexican place in Soho, called I Carumba. The food was brillient, and we both ate until we nearly had to give some back.

Finally twenty-one, I will return to the States a new... boy who can legally drink. I'm excited to get home, and hope you will join me for a cold one soon. All the best.

Kevin

**- Two days later, I celebrated my birthday the way it should be celebrated with some really "goodfellows" after some "oriental" bar.

I just hope I don't have any "Romanian" sushi from "Fukinawa" on my credit card.