I made it to Hong Kong safely on Sunday evening. The flight didn't feel as long as it actually was (~13 hrs) even though I didn't sleep. I caught up on movies (watch "Monuments Men" if you haven't already) and TV (Sherlock season 3) in the meantime, so time well spent.
I took the Hong Kong Airport Express into Hong Kong Station where my friend Michelle and her dad picked me up.
My first view of part of HK from the Airport Express train
I tried so hard to stay up really late the first night so I could sleep longer, but I was up at 3am after 4 hrs of sleep. I kept up with World Cup matches, though both the US and Korea games were disappointing :(
My view from my room in Hong Kong
Michelle's family lives in a part of the city called Happy Valley (I know, friends in Utah, I know). so we spent the first day exploring nearby Causeway Bay. It rained super hard in the morning and we got really wet, but we spent most of it inside at the Hong Kong History Museum. It was beautiful and well-organized, which I appreciated after seeing some not-so-organized Smithsonian Museums in DC a couple of months ago (sorry, America). Plus, I'll be the first to admit that my education did not provide me with much information about Hong Kong, or Asian history in general.
This is a giant tower covered in steamed buns. On the island where Michelle's dad grew up, they would do this once a year and have a competition of who could climb to the top the fastest. I say that's a lot of buns that get touched by feet and I feel sad about that.
Display of a traditional house and rickshaw
Perhaps one reason why Michelle and I get along is our mutual love for good food. She's been so nice to think about not only what things I'd want to see in Hong Kong, but also factoring in what restaurants/food are nearby. We went to a place that's famous for their soup dumplings - there's literally some thin liquid sauce/soup inside the dumpling skin with the filling and I have no idea how they do it, but I want more. More, I say!
Dumplings on the right, a tofu dish and green beans with pork on the left. We also had a noodle and beef dish. We had already started eating it, because you can't not eat it as soon as it comes :)
After lunch, we walked around while Michelle tried to orient me to the area. Then she had to go to her private lessons nearby, so I explored by myself for a couple of hours while trying not to be sleepy.
One area is called Times Square, and they usually have a special exhibition there. This one's for Mack and Rod:
Batmobile from the 1989 movie
A better view of the wings in the back
Look closely by the clock and you'll see him
View from walkway over the street
I'll be honest, it doesn't always feel like I'm in China. I think Hong Kong is different, a thing unto itself, since it's been opened up to foreign influence for a lot longer. I'm definitely surrounded by Chinese people who speak Cantonese, but I saw a lot of foreigners on the streets and in shops, and nobody really paid attention to me or stared on the subway like in Seoul. So not as much culture shock as I've had in other countries at first, but I think it was mostly because I had Michelle with me. But also because I'm with Michelle, I'm getting to experience less-touristy things, such as in her home and food-wise, so I feel like I'm in a weird inbetween-world. Add jetlag on top of that, and my body and mind have no clue what's going on yet. I just know I'm liking it so far.
4 comments:
Love the night picture of Hong Kong! I want to taste the soup dumplings and know how they make them. Very interesting! Hope that you are starting to get over the jet lag so that you can enjoy your visit even more.
How do you get me hungry in a second so late at night? I'm eating out with you girls!
Very jealous of the food and sites and very much of MUJI - sounds very much like my kind of place. I could get lost in there .. or lose the balance in my bank account.
Rod wants to know if that's the real batman or a statue. Elsie had a song for you to the tune of Mary had a little lamb-you can plug in these words she used-Batman Batman Batmobile. Mack says-Are you going to buy the banana milk? That looks so fun, Dorthy! I'm so glad you are having such a great experience. I like the view from your room-it's really pretty!
Rod - that would be so cool if it were real, but I'm pretty sure it was a statue. Or someone who can stay perfectly still for a really, really long time. :)
Els - love the song! It fits perfectly.
Mack - I haven't seen any banana milk in Hong Kong, but it's one of the first things I'm planning on doing when I get to Seoul tomorrow evening! You have a good memory.
Love you guys!
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