Hong Kong Summary

Last night I returned from Hong Kong. Except for the rough flights back and the humidity there, I really enjoyed myself. Hong Kong reminded me of a giant Disney World. There were foreigners of all walks of like speaking many languages. It was a nice place to visit, but by no means would I want to live there. And this is nothing against Hong Kong, I just don't want to live anywhere where tourism is one of main economy drivers. The public transport is a breeze to get around, and quite inexpensive. Even though not everyone spoke English, the majority did. And by now, I am used to gesturing and pointing and making strange noises in order to be understood by people who do not understand English. I don't know if it was a good thing or not, but besides seeing the big Buddha and a temple here and there, I hardly felt like I was in Asia; Hong Kong is very western. The positive side of this is that I got my fix of proper western food. I had a Greek salad (with delicious feta cheese), Pizza Hut, endless amounts of Starbucks, and an actual turkey sandwhich. I took as many photos as I thought I should, but I have a feeling I wish I had taken more. I didn't really see the point because all the photos I was taking just did not fully capture the atmosphere of the place. This trip sort of reminded me of going to New York City. If you take a bunch of photos, what you end up getting is a bunch of photos of tall buildings that eventually mean nothing. Know what I mean?

The hostel we stayed at was not quite what I was expecting. Upon first look it looked terrible. The hot water heater didn't really work and internet was scarce. But it was quite fine and only $15US a night! It was very clean, had air conditioning, and the people running it (a younger guy and his parents) were nice. And I was not at all concerned about my safety. I have a feeling that in Hong Kong there are no mid-price places to stay. It is either really expensive or really cheap.

I didn't really do much shopping for myself. I bought a few small purse-type bags to give as gifts for far-away friends, but I did buy some Crest and Colgate toothpaste and a few packs of Skittles. The real shopping stress, though, was finding proper omiyage. I attempted to buy my office folks and the Fujinos some good stuff because I felt a bit guilty that I skimped out on them when I came back from America in January. Omiyage holds this Japanese world together. About every other day (especially on Mondays) I am given a little sweet present from someone in the office. I used to think it was a burden and a bit annoying to be stressing and spending money everytime I go somewhere, but it really is a nice custom and I am starting to appreciate it more and more the longer I live here.

I would like to go back to Hong Kong and spend a few more days seeing more of the nature/scenic things. And I would have to go to Maccau. But if I never make it back, I won't be too terribly sad. There are plenty more places I want to visit first. But if you are in need of a short vacation and a bit of a western fix while still remaining in Asia, I highly recommend you spend some time in Hong Hong.