Hong Kong

When I asked people at home what I should do in Hong Kong, most of them said ‘shopping”. Now I can see why they said that. Hong Kong is like one big BIG shopping mall.

In particular, I can’t get over how many jewelry and watch stores there are. It’s like Hong Kong’s equivalent of Tim Hortons – there’s at least one watch or jewelry store on every corner.

I’ve had 2 days in Hong Kong. Day 1, I took the tram up to the a mountain peak beside the city for a panoramic view. It was a little cloudy out, but the view was still well worth the short trip. From the peak, I could see the entire Hong Kong Island, and part of the Hong Kong mainland (that borders onto mainland China). I also was only mildly shocked when at the top of the peak I found – you guessed it – a shopping mall.

I don’t think that it would be a stretch to guess that there are probably tens of thousands of skyscrapers in Hong Kong. Most of them are tall ones too – maybe 40 or 50 stories. Hong Kong reminds me of what future earth looks like in sci-fi movies: bright lights, tall buildings, a constant current of pedestrians and traffic, and lots and lots of concrete.

While I would never want to live in Hong Kong, it was very interesting to see it and get a sense for what life is like in one of the world’s most important industrial and trading centres.

After visitng the peak I stopped by at Man Mo Temple to get a glimpse of what culture might have been like before the city sprouted up in the 20^th century. I met a Brazilian guy named Igor there who took my picture (which is why I’m repping his country for the photo).

Man Mo Temple is the first Buddhist temple I’ve ever been in, and I don’t think the Buddhist gods are very pleased with me. When I was standing under the coiled incense candles, a really hot piece of wax dripped on my arm and burned me.

It was interesting to talking to Igor because he lives in China and works as a middle man connecting Brazillian purchasers to Chinese manufacturers. He told me that I would like visiting China because it is a ‘wild’ place to visit, and I must be a ‘wild’ guy if I’m traveling for 4 months in Asia alone. I may need to follow up with him and take a quick look around there if I have time at the end of the trip.

Up next is Bangkok.