HK

            February 1^st, we three dudes from Suwon departed on our journey to the epicenter of where East collides with West, Hong Kong.  In the early afternoon we met at our usual meeting spot at Suwon Station (exit 1) to take a bus to Incheon International, where a bus limousine picked us up.  It’s a great service that I’ve used multiple times now.  For only 12,000 won (little more than 10 dollars) we get an 80-minute bus ride to our terminal at the airport.  With high spirits and a shared excitement for the trip I realized it was really nice to travel with a group of like-minded guys.  Our flights to Shanghai and Hong Kong were smooth and short, however it seemed like every 10 minutes the flight attendants would ask us to buckle up due to turbulence.  By about 9:30 we had arrived in Hong Kong, and by 10:00 PM we were on our way to our first hostel.  The first thing I noticed was the abundance of double-decker buses waiting.  We found our bus and rode about 45 minutes to our area of HK, which seemed to be at max capacity yet normal.  The area, Mong Kok, seems busier than many of the other places we visited.  Street markets in full bloom due to the up coming New Year celebration dominated Mong Kok.  That first night took some time to find our hostel, but eventually we found our way.  At first I was a bit skeptical due to the dirt and grime on the outsides of the building.  Buildings doused in soot surrounded our hostel and clearly the city’s pollution had had its way with the exteriors.  However, even in these dirt-blasted buildings one can find Rolex stores, Citi banks, and numerous jewelry stores. 

The first night was short due to our late arrival, but we still managed to find a great dim sum restaurant.  I was a first time dim sum eater, but luckily I was with two knowledgeable eaters.  Dim sum covers a wide range of options, but I found some version of a dumpling was common.  Filled with items such as chicken, pork, seafood, and veggies, dim sum can please even the pickiest of eaters.  One aspect I liked in particular was the amount per order they gave you.  Each order was only 3-4 pieces, which allows you to test the many options and not be screwed if you get something you don’t like (liked everything but the seafood).  My first meal was exciting and delicious which only heightened my anticipation for the remainder of the trip.  We finished our night with a couple beers at a local bar and called it a night in order to get a full day’s worth of activities in the next day. 

Day two contained a lot of activity.  We wandered the street markets to get a full feel for the magnitude of the New Year celebration that was gripping the entire city.  I was in awe of the produce they had.  It was also unbelievable the disparity between the nicest parts of Hong Kong and the street markets that the average person attended. 

Following the street markets we took the metro down to Tsim Sha Tsui to see the Avenue of the Stars, Hong Kong’s version of Hollywood’s sidewalk of stars.   It consisted of a lot of unheard of names and over zealous Asian people finding their favorite movie stars (probably very similar to Hollywood…).  Also, there were a lot of statues of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.  People lined up to take pictures with the Bruce Lee statue in his famous pose (about to strike while screaming).   We ended our afternoon by walking through Hong Kong and finding Kowloon Park.  It was a nice find in the dense city; a handful of city blocks were transformed into trees and ponds and bird displays.  A breath of fresh air was enjoyed, but we had to hurry back to the hostel because we were expecting our last member of the trip to meet up with us back at the hostel.   

Once the 4 Hong Kongeteers were together we hit the streets in search of some food.  We made a point to only eat good foods, foods that were not available to us outside of Hong Kong (for the most part).  We found a similar dim sum restaurant on one of the side streets we were searching, and it turned out to be amazing.  A lot of dumplings, soup, and ended with a cheese&bacon crepe-like creation that the owner gave to us.  Perhaps the best part of the food scene was its price.  I don’t think we spent more than 7 dollars/person on any of the meals except for our last dim sum experience. 

After our dinner we covered the area around our hostel in search of something to do.  We knew of a flower market from our first night’s expedition.  We decided to grab a handful of beers and do some people watching and provide commentary.  We saw some hilarious sights, and it was amazing how so many people were buying flowers at 1 AM. 

Thursday, the actual New Years Day, was a late start.  Everything was closed for the most part, and it took a great effort to find a decent restaurant to eat at.  Even the restaurant we found was questionable, but it got the job done so we could start looking around the city some more.  We worked our way down to Central Hong Kong to take a gander at all the big buildings that define the skyline.  After exploring on foot for a while we came across the Rickshaw tour.  This was a double-decker bus without a roof so we could sit on the top and have a great view of everything around us.  For about 3 or 4 dollars we got driven around the city to see all the metropolitan sights.  It was an excellent way to see A LOT in less time and have the opportunity to snap a few photos as well.  As we rolled around the town all I could think about was the amount of effort and wealth it would take to grow such a skyline of magnificent buildings.   That night we attended the annual Cathy Pacific Night Parade, only to be disappointed.  For a city as magnificent as Hong Kong I expected a parade on the level of the Macy’s Day Parade.  That’s ok though, we managed just fine.  We got drinks at the Intercontinental Hotel, where we had a beautiful view of the Hong Kong skyline.  After that we taxied it over to Lai Kwai Fong (spelling?).  This is kind of a hip and happening area of HK, where people are drinking on the streets, walking in and out of bars, and a general party vibe echoed through the narrow streets.  It was a great end to a great day.  We managed to cross off many items on the to do list. 

Friday, we woke up and suited up.  After throwing our bags at the next hostel we worked our way to the Ferry terminal where we boated down to Macau.  Macau is the Vegas of Asia, so you can imagine the type of night we had.  I learned how to gamble, and didn’t lose my ass at it, so I’d say it was a successful outing.  The other guys, who know how to gamble, all left with extra cash lining their pockets as well.  Macau was the last city to gain autonomy in the region, and the Portuguese influence is evident.  We strolled around the city square and it honestly felt like we were in Europe.  We didn’t have a place to stay in Macau so we just stayed awake until the first ferry in the morning, and we headed back to Hong Kong.  There we crashed for a few hours to feel better, and we were back out to enjoy our last night in Hong Kong.

I will always remember the last night in Hong Kong.  We got dinner in an area called SoHo, another foreigner friendly area (really all of HK is…).  We ate at an amazing Mexican restaurant, and worked our way back to Lai Kwai Fong… we had a lot of fun there the other night so we figured we’d end it on a positive note.  We found a hookah bar and enjoyed a round there before finding a bar to drink at.  Standard drinking practices ensued, no need to go into detail there…   We ended the night at a rooftop bar that was nestled nicely in the skyline.  It was a great way to take it all in one last time.  I headed back to the hostel and woke up at 5 AM to catch my flight home.  Hong Kong is definitely an advanced city; from the octopus card, to their buses, HK just seemed great.  I got to chat with my dad on the way to the airport because their buses have wi-fi… I can’t imagine that in the U.S….

Sorry for the long delay about Hong Kong.  I’m not much for blogging. 

Me, Nate, Wolfish, Braden

Macau city square.