Hong Kong

I'm going to talk about my China trip in 4 separate posts, one for each city I visited. On the morning of Saturday, May 8th, I left Salt Lake City and arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday evening. I lost 14 hours and it felt like Saturday and Sunday were just one long day. My friend, Max, picked me up at the airport and we went to his friend, Tyler and his wife, Angie's apartment. Max had been staying there for the past month and they were kind enough to let me stay as well. My first impressions of Hong Kong were that it was very metropolitan, very international, and very humid!


Here's the view while we were waiting for a trolley car. In Hong Kong, they have these cards called Octopus cards. You're able to put money on it and it will pay for any form of public transportation with just a quick scan and you can also use it at places like 7-11 and McDonald's. Very convenient and did I mention they have 7-11 in Hong Kong? There's one on almost every block!


In Hong Kong, there's this place called the Jade Market. It's in a warehouse-type building and includes row after row of vendors selling jade, glass beads, pearls, etc. Max has designed some necklaces while in Hong Kong and has had them made here. I didn't buy anything here because it felt like it was too early in the trip to be spending money.





This was a mural near where I was staying that I thought was kind of interesting. Max told me, and I soon noticed, that businesses in Hong Kong would cluster together. If there was a type of business, like a dried seafood shop or a butcher, in one spot, there would be 20 more of that business right next door. This was actually a trend that we saw all throughout China. Kind of interesting.


One of the days in Hong Kong, Max took me to this gondola out by the airport that takes you up to this giant statue of Buddha. It was a beautiful ride and I was able to see a lot of the landscape. This is a very touristy thing to do, so we saw a lot of foreigners.






After seeing Big Buddha, we took a bus down to this little fishing village called, Tai O. We went out on this little boat through the village and then a little way out to sea so we could see the pink dolphins.



This was the best picture I could get of a dolphin. Enlarge the picture and you might see it better.


We walked through the village after the boat ride. We found this guy on the street making this delicious treat, but I never found out what it was called. I thought the way he cooked this was kind of interesting. He started by pouring a pancake-like batter into this mold.



He'd place the top on and place it over this makeshift coal-burning stove.



While that batch was cooking, He'd take a fan and cool of the previous batch (seen on the bottom left) and then give it to the customer.




Downtown Hong Kong had a lot of beautiful architecture. It's very pedestrian friendly as you are able to get around via raised walkways. As you can see, they keep it very clean and beautiful. I was amazed to see how clean their public transportation was too. They don't let you eat or drink on any of the buses or subway.




Another of the days in Hong Kong, Max and I went on a little hike just outside the city. It was called Dragon's Back because at one point on the hike, you walk along the ridge of the mountain and have the ocean on either side. It was very beautiful and gave me a chance to see more of the landscape of Hong Kong. Did I mention how may stairs there are in Hong Kong? A lot. The topography is very mountainous.











At night, Hong Kong has something called the Night Market. A bunch of vendors set up booths along a road selling anything from knock-off purses, to pirated DVDs, to fortune telling. I think I could say that Hong Kong was my favorite place I visited in China. Well, next up is Shanghai so be sure to visit again soon.