Hong Kong still feels a little bit like home to me, and it was really fun to get to show it to Mary. Of course, it’s a home that has been massively renovated since the last time I visited, but enough of the old remains to feel familiar. The same vibrancy still permeates here. People shout across the room at restaurants, greeting each new friend that enters. Shoppers rush through the markets, anxious to find the best bargains before anyone else steals them away.
We arrived in Hong Kong on the heels of a typhoon. We avoided the rain, much like we’ve done for the rest of our trip. Let’s hope our luck continues! The city was fogged in through much of our visit, which meant that there was no point in going up to the iconic Peak. Instead we just explored the city, going all around both the island and the peninsula. We didn’t make it up to the New Territories this trip, maybe next time. And of course, we took the Star Ferry back and forth a million times, with its great view of both skylines and all the ships passing through the harbor.
Our friend Laura was in Hong Kong when we arrived, finishing up an internship away from the London School of Economics. She was on her way back to London, but managed to squeeze in a dinner with her during the 12 hours between our arrival and her departure. It was the first of many excellent meals in Hong Kong! Even though are stomachs were rather upset for most of the time we were there, we still managed to eat our way through much of the town. And of course, what trip to Hong Kong would be complete without sampling some of the nightlife and bars, so we made sure to explore Lan Kwai Fong, SoHo, Tsim Sha Tsui, and all the other hotspots.
We thought about getting another couple shirts made in Hong Kong, since we liked our ones from Hoi An so much. However, the three time price increase quickly disabused us of that notion! So we went and explored Hong Kong’s nearly infinite number of clothing stores and street markets, taking in both all the local designers and the knock offs of name brands. And when we needed a break from the stores, we went to the museums. The Space Museum wasn’t as nice as we’d hoped, but the Art Museum was better than we could’ve dreamed. Their collection of pottery, calligraphy, and paintings was both beautiful and very well displayed, with great descriptions and layout.
I took Mary to Repulse Bay on the south side of the island to see where my old apartment building formerly stood. It, like most other buildings from twenty years ago, has long since been torn down and replaced with a taller apartment complex. We also visited my old school, which remarkably remains much the same.
We spent some time looking for a replacement for our camera but came away deciding that the prices on lower-end cameras like the ones we’re in the market for are no better here than they are in the US. So we’ll do without for the rest of the trip and get our camera repaired (hopefully under warranty!) back in the US.
Hong Kong remains an interesting mix of East and West. It has the infrastructure, cultural events, and economy of any Western country. It also has the crowds, street markets, smells, and temples of an Eastern metropolis. We’ve decided that the giant squashed cockroaches on the ground clearly make it an Asian city. It remains a wonderful place to visit and explore, with world class food, shopping, and partying. Hong Kong is definitely a place that we’ll be coming back to many times in the future.
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