First day in Hong Kong

So I survived the 14 hour plane ride, a taxi and mini bus ride, and the sweltering humidity…and even went on the MTR today without getting lost!

It is surprisingly easy to get around in Hong Kong, and though I can’t read or write any Chinese, I find myself surprisingly at ease in this fast-paced (the escalators go faster here!), rat race chasing (seems like everything is about money money money…they have so many designer brand shops!) of a city. This is my first time coming to Hong Kong since I immigrated to Canada when I was five years old, but I find myself quite at leisure.

Alvina aunt’s place is in Kowloon Tong and it seems like quite a nice area to live. The view from our bedroom window is gorgeous, typical of all Hong Kong night views. As we rode in the taxi today, the gap between the rich and the poor is starkly evident: from the dirty back alleys to the run down apartment buildings to the extensive use of servants by any one who has money.

It reminded me a bit of New York but with an Asian twist, with the taxi driving and feel that “this-is-your-city-if-you-have-money”. Again, I was home once I hit a shopping mall (Festival City today).

I noticed quite a few efforts to being green here, from full and half flush toilets to the “save the trees” signs in the bathrooms. The MTR runs in three languages Cantonese, English and Mandarin, giving Hong Kong quite the cosmopolitan character. The British influence remains and I can see the positive impacts this benign colonizer had on this once little port city.

Can’t wait to see more of my birthplace that I largely know/remember from watching TVB shows, including hopefully visiting my grandfather’s (dad’s dad) grave (never got to meet the man, died when my dad was 18).

The view of the South China Sea and the mountains (or rather hills) on Lantau Island on the airport express from the airport to Tsing Yi was beautiful. The view of the line of palm trees against the sea, divine. Nice city, but I don't think I would live here.