The RatRace Cafe

Or just simply RatRace cafe.

Probably it would be every business man's or cafe owners dream. A cafe with a steady stream of customers coming in, standing in line and picking their coffee, breakfast bun, yoghurt cup or sandwich and then disappear out of the door as fast as they entered.

Plenty of seating but not overcrowded busy because the most costumes is the takeaway type. Mainstream men and women conducting an early morning, on the way to the office RatRace type breakfast. Something fast and small on the go. The line never gets shorter. When one costumer is out the door, the next steps in through the other to line up.

I felt a bit like an intruder. Sitting there at the table enjoying some waiting time and a nice coffee. No rush, just sitting with time on my behind.

The RatRace had started on the bus from one of the suburbs to the central districts in Hong Kong. Normally when I'm on that particular bus, it is later in the afternoon and I am on my way to some leisure time or hairdresser appointment or just some deliberate slam shopping in the fancy part of town. This morning, I was on it to go to get my new permanent residence. The line for the bus was excessive. Never have I seen it like this.

Yes, normally there can be quite a big queue, but never like this RatRace queue. Folks from the suburbs going to work on Hong Kong Island. The heavy trek goes to the island from the suburbs in the new territory early the morning. At peak times between 8:30 and 9:30, the commute can be unbearable because of traffic. This morning we got the bus just before the roads and causeways clogged.

At the first stop in Wan Chai we got of. There is a walk way where pedestrians can cross the main traffic ores from the train station and the residential areas to the big office and commercial buildings along Victoria harbour. From the distance, the walkway was a dark silhouette against the morning sky. And the RatRace was on. Hundreds of humans on the move towards the space or cubicle or office or shop or wherever they spent the most of their time awake during the week.

The walkways were busy too, as the cafe where we were going spend out time waiting for an appointment. Two timeless people in a sea of people in the RatRace. Do not misunderstand this, we do have our own RatRace, it just isn't as RatRacy as this one.

And the cafe is evidence and every business man or woman or bar or cafe owner would love it like this, if they could keep up with the demand. This one can. Normally this brand of coffee shop is occupied by students on laptops with paperwork piled up in front and on chairs next to them and you can never get a seat.

This one of the brand is not. Maybe it is just too early for them. Students do not participate in the common mans RatRace.  They have their own.