Brothel bar

The other day in the lobby of my Hong Kong hotel, I ran into PocketMan, a fellow I met several years ago in Sydney and haven't really been in touch with since. We ended up going out for a drink my last night in Hong Kong, a city PocketMan knows well since he travels there for work nearly every month.

We went to Aqua Bar, with a spectacular view of the harbor. After catching up over a few drinks, we headed back toward the hotel and passed an alley where a little old lady stood and implored passers-by to get a drink. Clearly, it was a shady, shady venture, but PocketMan felt up for a little adventure and pulled me into the alley.

We made our way through the alley, past an older man and a little boy eating dinner on some stacked crates, and into a tiny little bar. In the bar sat a blond man with a little Asian lady hanging all over him. Behind the bar were three young Asian girls wearing tank tops with plunging necklines. They had listless expressions on their faces and leaned against the bar so that their breasts looked fuller.

After approximately two seconds in the doorway, I decided I couldn't stand to be in the bar a second longer, especially since I couldn't handle the overwhelming stench of urine. I told PocketMan that I wasn't staying and he tried to convince me to stay for just one drink. I declined and walked out.

At the alley's entrance, a different lady, older than the first, asked, "Why you no stay for drink?"

Huffily, I answered, "Because it stinks like piss in there!" and briskly walked away, with PocketMan following quickly behind.

I'm not the kind of panda who likes to support prostitution, especially where the girls are probably underage, sold into the sex trade by their parents and clearly unhappy to be involved. But I guess it makes for an interesting introduction to Hong Kong's seedier underbelly - and an awkward end to my Asian trip.