Drinking the Wallet Dry

I met a good friend of mine for a drink after he finished work today. He took me to a new bar in Wan Chai which was on the rooftop of an office building. It was a fantastic view, looking down at Wan Chai below, Causeway Bay and beyond to the east, and Central to the West. Peeking between the buildings we could also see Kowloon side. It is pretty much a million-dollar view.

We ordered drinks and had a chat. I finished my non-alcoholic drink quickly and asked for a glass of water. The waiter said they only had bottled water, so would I want still or sparkling?

I didn't want the glass of water anymore and my friend was turned off too, to the point where he threatened he may not patronize this bar again! 

He even told me that at the new Mandarin Oriental in Central, a glass of water there sets you back HK$120 ($15.50). Whatever happened to free regular water?

Last night I had drinks with two friends at the Conrad Hotel. In total we had seven drinks, costing over HK$600! That's worth a meal in itself!

For me coming from Beijing it is mind-boggling spending that much money, but this is the way Hong Kong is. If you want to live here, you gotta be prepared to spend the money. And lots of it.