Tuesday, October 25, 2005

I Love Hong Kong

In planning this trip, I selected Hong Kong simply because it was the best way to get to China and Tibet using frequent flyer miles. Unfortunately I scheduled very little time there - but it was love at first sight. I could live there. The city is actually a grouping of hilly islands and peninsulas surrounded by water. The hills are covered with new skyscrapers that average 50 floors(?) I would guess that Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated (person/ square foot) countries in the world. It is also a combination of the brand new and ancient traditional. Before my 27 hour flight home I wanted to pick up some novels written in English to read during the flights. I was directed through a huge open air market place selling flowers, fish, meats, and anything else you can imagine, but it felt like stepping back in time. The woman selling fish was actually using metal weights attached to a string to weigh the fish for customers. My final destination was the Times building where I was directed to the 9th floor. In between 1 and 9 was every high end store you can imagine; stores that you would find in the very pricey section of any city. Being in the Times building was like being in the US, except that everyone was oriental. In Hong Kong almost everyone speaks English and you are left alone as you browse through the open air shops on the streets. It is such a comfortable yet exciting place. Anything is possible in Hong Kong and it is easy to pick up on the excitement of the place. It is definitely another city where I will return. I regret that I had enough time only to touch the surface of the city, but also, my attention was on the end of my journey and the long trip home. I thought the trip would cure my wonderlust. Unfortunately it is worse now than ever. The trip was a tease to all the wonderful unexplored places out there.....Thanks for travelling with me on my excellent adventure. Hope you enjoyed the ride. Happy Trails to us all....Marion