Nina & Alex

I had a wonderful afternoon today and I have Shayne to thank for it. When she was visiting we went up to the Peak. While there she mulled over an item she wanted and decided not to get it. After careful reflection (and flying back to NYC) she changed her mind. So I was commissioned as personal shopper. 


It is a beautiful day in Hong Kong and I never, ever tire of the views from Victoria Peak. I also like the tram ride up - it's like a slow roller coaster. The Peak Tram terminus is about a 15 to 20 minute walk from our apartment. So after lunch I set out to run my errand. 


A short distance from the station a woman came up to me and was speaking in a language I did not know (other than Chinese). She was with her grandson and he could speak a few words of English. I gathered that they were looking for directions but couldn't fathom exactly where they wanted to go. Luckily she had a drawing of the tram being pulled up the hill, so I told them (and motioned a lot) to follow me. Once inside the station I decided to wait for them to buy their tickets because I figured we had already started figuring out how to communicate. 


We boarded the tram and set off for Victoria Peak. On the way I found out her name is Nina and his is Alex. Alex is from Moscow and I am fairly sure Nina is from Vladivostok. 

When we arrived at the Peak I helped Alex choose a souvenir and then showed them my favorite lookout spots. 

It was such an interesting afternoon. Alex would try a bit of English but was very shy about it. Nina would try a bit as well following his lead. The best I could do in Russian was thank you. We each talked to each other in our own language, yet somehow the meaning was perfectly clear.


We admired some of the paintings at the stalls and checked out the route to Macao. Alex was enamored with a display celebrating 100 years of the trolly busses in Hong Kong.

Along with photos Nina was also taking movies and giving commentary. I even heard my name mentioned a time or two. I found out that they are in Hong Kong for two days and then going into China. I can't really tell you how I know this; I just understood what she was trying to tell me.


After we took our last looks at the beautiful views it was time to part ways.

With hugs and thank you's in both English and Russian, we said goodbye. Somewhere in Russia there will be a video with this short American woman in Hong Kong and all over the U.S. there are photos of a lovely Russian grandmother and grandson on vacation in Hong Kong. It truly is a small, small world after all. Oh, and tomorrow they are going to Disneyland.