As a Special Administrative Region of China, you don't need a visa to visit Hong Kong. As a former British Colony it is like a city half-way between London and Shanghai. So it was a great place to start my adventures in China. Kinda ease myself into it.
But I did have my first experience with strict Chinese bureaucracy directly upon arrival in the Hong Kong International Airport. After a very uncomfortable 15 hour flight, I was feeling a little sick when we finally landed. The medical screening agents of course chose me to inspect and, yes, I did indeed have a fever. Great. So they slapped a SARS mask on me and took me to the Nurses' Office. Even better. They asked me a couple of questions about how I was feeling and where I had been. They finally decided that they would allow me to leave the Hong Kong airport because I was from America and hadn't been touching any wild birds lately. Good thing I had quit my hobby of playing with diseased birds a few months ago.
Stepping outside of the huge airport was another shock. Hong Kong is incredibly hot and humid. When walking down the street I would walk close to the buildings to feel the blast of air conditioning from the open storefront doors. The funny thing is that Asians don't sweat, which made me feel even worse walking around looking like a sweaty mess.
Instead of staying in a ridiculously expensive hotel or a very sketchy hostel, I rented an apartment. Hong Kong is a pretty small city in terms of area, but a big city in terms of population. This means that there are high-rise apartment buildings everywhere and apartments are teeny tiny. My apartment was no exception. Just a bed, closet, kitchenette, and bathroom. But it was in a great location! The street it was on was full of
dai pai dong, which are specifically southern Chinese (Cantonese) outdoor kitchens. They were a little dirty, but the food was so good! I got to try my first crazy Chinese food there: goose intestines. They're a little chewy.
Even though Hong Kong is small, it has a lot of personality. Most of the Center, the financial district, is very modern and full of shopping malls. Everywhere you walk, mostly on elevated walkways, you see shopping mall after shopping mall. It's all designer brands marked up 100% and advertised by white models. The Center also has beautiful skyscrapers that house banks and financial institutions. I wouldn't mind working in one of them some day.
I spent a day taking the tram up to Victoria Peak to take in the view of the whole city. It was so beautiful! I saw the ships coming into the piers--Hong Kong is the most active shipping city in the world--and looked out over the ocean.
This post is turning out to be pretty long, so I'll split my trip up into segments.
Next time: Buddhism and sea food!
