It’s amazing how a simple trip to another town can rejuvenate you on so many levels. What initially was a trip to refresh my 60 day limit of stay in China, turned into an incredible experience in an unimaginable city.
If you take away the Chinese characters, a street in Hong Kong could easily be mistaken for a street in Las Vegas or even New York City for that matter. Second only to American big cities, it is perhaps the most diverse city I have ever come across. Sure, the majority of the city is packed with native Chinese, but around every corner lies something from another part of the world—mosques, catholic monasteries, French restaurants, Bank of America, British trolleys, etc… It was a truly fascinating experience.
Hong Kong still baffles me when it comes to figuring out where it belongs in the Chinese system. It’s considered part of China, but when traveling there you have to go through customs and Americans don’t need a visa for entry. Chinese customs considers a trip to Hong Kong to be “leaving the country” but at the same time it’s a Special Economic Zone according to China’s government. After experiencing the city, it’s almost as if it doesn’t belong in China’s realm. Perhaps that’s why it’s considered a separate entity in many cases.
Entering Hong Kong is like entering a China that exists 20 or even 50 years from now. The Great Firewall of China, as they call it, doesn’t exist in Hong Kong. The people all speak English. Protests are supposedly quite common and legal. On one stretch of road, I think I saw a place of worship for at least all of the great world religions. Things like this are unthinkable on the “mainland.” Perhaps the most surprising difference was the incredibly progressive/liberal views towards pornography. Let’s just say Hong Kong takes it too far when following the marketing edict of “sex sells.” Comparing Hong Kong to Beijing is like comparing Las Vegas to Salt Lake City—worlds apart.
Through all the commotion in the city which seemed to last 24/7, I was able to find a Catholic church nearby my hotel. Because Hefei has no Catholic churches, it was probably the most attractive part of the whole city. I was able to catch mass both full days I was there and even made time for confession. To show how diverse the place is, there were two priests saying mass: one from India, and one from Hong Kong. The priest who heard my confession was from Spain and had been in China for 18 years, mostly Hong Kong. Needless to say, it was a much needed break.
A few good friends were able to provide me with some clutch suggestions relating to food and must-see sights. The first was the Inter-Continental Hotel. It’s ranked in the top hotels in the world, so of course I couldn’t afford to stay there, but I could afford to have some sushi at their restaurant with a view overlooking Victoria Harbor and downtown Hong Kong. Then there were the shopping areas. If I was a weaker man, I would have bankrupt my father with all the incredible deals they had going in those shopping centers. I held strong, not spending a single dollar on clothes or other merchandise. Finally, I went to see the giant Buddha statue. It was an interesting experience to say the least and I was able to ride a gondola-esque ski lift up to it at extremely high altitudes that frightened me at times.
Overall, Hong Kong was an incredible experience. Although I could probably never live there, I would recommend everyone to see it at least once. It’s beautiful and culturally rich regardless of what the British did to the place. Furthermore, it’s living proof, along with New Zealand and Australia, that outside of Africa colonialism did a lot of good. Next time you doubt that, ask someone from Hong Kong if they’d rather be living in Beijing.
‘Til Next Time Friends,
Michael
Did you think I would forget the pictures?
Had to post this one. Saint Michael slaying a Dragon! Backdrop is Hong Kong.
British spelling is like nails on a chalkboard.
Comedy
Hong Kong in the day.
Hong Kong at night. Give me a break, I had no tripod so I had to set my camera on a gate.
Shopping District in Kowloon
Way too high.
Woman praying to Buddha
Me in front of the big Buddha. I posted this for my mother so she knows I'm still alive.
