Hong Kong

We had an early morning departure from Beijing and arrived in Hong Kong just before noon. Despite a minor setback with some visa nonsense, it was clear that we were no longer in Beijing. Things were being run efficiently. It was still impossible to buy subway tickets with large notes, but people were at least willing to assist us with our difficulties. We took the airport express train to Hong Kong Island and continued by subway to Tian Hau near Causeway Bay. Our hotel was just a short walk from the metro.

Our first pressing order of business was to find a place to do laundry. After dropping off our clothes, we went to 7/11 for lunch, where I picked up some onigiri and a pound cake. We ate our lunches at nearby Victoria Park. Having never been to Hong Kong previously, I always described Waikiki to people as being Vegas meets Hong Kong. And it's odd I used that comparison because it is shockingly similar to Waikiki. In spite of being a massively populated city, it had the uncanny ability to make us feel relaxed.

Perhaps it was the warmer climate or the familiar chain stores that made it feel like home, but everything just seemed more calming. We walked for a bit along the causeway before taking the subway back across the water to Kowloon. We went to the garden of the stars which celebrates Hong Kong filmmaking. Statues of people like Bruce Lee lined the courtyard. As evening approached, we relaxed down by the water admiring the buildings across the way. It's a difficult skyline to photograph because the skyline just doesn't stop.

No wonder this is one of the most expensive cities in the world. It has nowhere to go, but up. It is very modern, clean, and organized. The subways, while intensely crowded, are easy to navigate. Looking around, it's as if the entire city has been built since 1980. It really seems counter-intuitive that a city so densely populated could be so comforting to these two lowly travelers.

Or perhaps it is because Hong Kong in all its modernity, doesn't have historical sites or things of that nature. It is a city that is simply there to be experienced.