36 Hours in Hong Kong

Making Hong Kong our first stop on our brief tour of China was, unbeknownst to us, the best way to begin adjusting to this new culture. Hong Kong is like a hybrid of New York, San Francisco, and, of course, a major Chinese city. There were Starbucks and McDonalds on every corner, along with Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, and Jimmy Choo. Porsches were all over the place. And everything was written in both Chinese and English. Except for the odd moment or two when we ventured to try local Hong Kong fare, I felt almost nothing of culture shock. At first, I was pretty disappointed. I had wanted sensational and exotic, and Hong Kong wasn't really delivering. But as the hours went by and we saw more and more of the island, I realized I was taking in a lot more than I thought.

Personal space is not a concept people subscribe to. They are pushy. Like squeeze-around-you-and-push-themselves-forward-while-pushing-you-back pushy. When we reached the front of the line to buy a tram ticket, a boy literally pushed past us to get to the open ticket window. When I threw my arm out and said, "Excuse me," he turned around, smiled, and gestured for me to go ahead. I guess the appropriate phrase here is, I can't.

Boarding the tram was worse. People literally swarmed into the doors once they opened, fighting to get a seat for a 4-minute ride. I accidentally cut someone off myself, which made me feel bad, but I guess when in Rome. At least the view was worth it.

Later that evening, we boarded a

bus to take us down to the Star Ferry. At first glance, it looked like the bus wouldn't hold the long line of people waiting for it. I was wrong. We fit, but in my opinion, it was pretty crowded. Even though we filled the bus, the driver didn't leave. I was confused until the next wave of people came to board, and he let around fifteen of them on. All of the sudden my previous conception of crowded seemed incredibly spacious, especially when a couple guys started shouldering their way through the aisle, even when there was no room to move. I couldn't believe I was seeing such rudeness. On the other hand though, there were some gentlemen on the bus who were offering their seats to the ladies and children, and one who was standing by me tried to give me at least a little room. He even did a small bow of apology when he bumped into me once. So I suppose both extremes are present.

Hmm... other impressions... Oh, there was an advertisement on one of the billboards that pictured two young Chinese girls in gymnastics leotards, and the only English words on the bulletin board said, "Prepare for the future," with the numbers 2016 in the corner. See you in Rio.

The food so far has been an adventure. My mom and I have basically survived off of Chinese pastries, which, true to Binh's word, have been amazing. Our one effort to order local cuisine out of this seedy restaurant by the market met with failure. It's just that it was the only restaurant on the street that did not have crabs and giant shrimpy things crawling around out front. The noodles were ok but the wontons had the sickest looking shrimp, which lent the whole bowl an icky flavor. Next time we might just have to go to a brighter looking place, even if they do allow crustaceans to crawl all over their food display table.

The last thing that really stunned me about the area was population, which was made clear in two ways. First, the sheer number of hive-like towers that house all the people who live and work in the metropolis. I was overwhelmed as our train sped past one huge complex after another, each boasting three or four matching towers rising ridiculously high. Second, the cemeteries. Located on the inevitable hills, they filled every flat-ish area to capacity.

Even with all the small cultural differences that made themselves known, I still felt very comfortable with every location. I think the city served as a buffer between East and West. Now, as I arrived in Shanghai today, I feel more prepared to handle myself in this very foreign environment. Overall, Hong Kong was a great metropolitan experience that reminded me of New York. Now, I won't say that Hong Kong is better than New York. I will say that it's greener, that the walkways and streets are cleaner and the public transportation is nicer. But I won't say it's better. :)

Also: DragonAir = best airline ever, strictly due to their choice of supplying us with Haagen Dazs on the Hong Kong-Shanghai flight, and the fact that they played "Eenie Meenie" on the radio, at which point I (secretly) followed Ashok and Kaitlyn's choreography to a T.