Okay, so I’m not the Pool Police but….when you walk by the lifeguard, who promptly gags and sticks out his tongue, face twisted with disgust, you know that perhaps you should NOT EVER wear a Speedo.  Poolside at the lovely Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, we were treated to a sight no one should have to see, especially on vacation.  Ah, the pool is a happy place most of the time but there will be times when averting the eyes quickly is the only way not to go blind.  Other than that spectacle, the palm trees were waving with a gentle breeze, the water was warm and the view of Hong Kong Harbor was spectacular.  The guy in the Speedo, not so much.

Enjoying a “Seize the Day, It’s Great To Be Young” moment, a trio, two gals and a guy with a great British accent, walked by the pool and then proceeded to jump into the pool with the gals fully dressed and the guy, quickly stripping down to his undies.  After proclaiming loudly, “I LOVE MY LIFE”, they swam over to us and asked the “kind gent” to forever capture the moment with their cracked, water logged iPhone.  Thom, of course, accommodated.  Hope they synced to the cloud cause that phone is toast… well, soggy toast.  The lifeguard, happy to finally have something to do, growled at them to get out of the pool.  Of course, there was no way the lifeguard was jumping in to get them–hotel lifeguards wear sweater vests and shorts here in Hong Kong–all very proper.

Unable to leave the gorgeous sunny oasis, I drank my water and observed all the comings and goings in pool paradise.  Unable to secure a chaise lounge early on, we camped out in the lounge/smoking area.  Seems that cigars are big here as there were several guys puffing away.  Yuck.  One poolside business meeting was taking place over a crystal decanter of amber liquid in addition to the stogies.  All very power and manly-like.

Guys ogled the girls in their teeny tiny bikinis as usual, though here, the pool attendants couldn’t help themselves with one pair of gorgeous gals.  They asked to pose with them for pictures.  Ah Instagram!  Hard to imagine what sitting poolside would have been like without smart phones, tablets and Kindles to keep us busy sharing the moment instead of just living in it.  What did we do???  Maybe nap and relax or even talk to our friends and family??  That’s just crazy talk!

Now, I usually just lay by the pool and don’t swim all that much.  Really, swimming in a pool is like taking a bath with strangers who probably pee at will and share all kinds of icky stuff among themselves.  However, on this hotel day, I threw caution and hygiene to the wind and dove right into the Petri dish of human filth.  Felt great!  After a crazy week of work, this is just what I needed.   Of course, I can’t wait to shower off.  Let’s be real.

Tonight, we’ll seek out the famous Night Markets and I’ll bargain like a mule.  After all, there is a little space in my suitcase for just a few Hong Kong bargains.