We've had a full day in the Kowloon section of Hong Kong and it such a contrast to where we were in Taipei. First is the sticker shock. After getting used to paying only a few bucks for food, we are in the land where $10 is inexpensive. Our hotel is about double the price with comparable amenities (no bidet function on the toilet but it does have a rain shower). It has a very British vibe with driving on the left, double decker buses, and a fleet of red taxi sedans (that bungee the trunk closed to fit in all the luggage).
I know that we didn't spend much time in the ultra modern part of Taipei but Hong Kong is crazy. It is full of people... everywhere you turn..... people. And they are not quite as orderly as the people in Taipei (although the queues for the bus and subway are well-mannered). Our hotel is connected to a mall and the number of stores is insane. Speaking of insane, there is a Japanese discount store called Don Don Donki that recently opened and I have never seen such crowds in a store.
The original reason to go to Hong Kong was to help Luci get her student visa to study in Kunming over Fall semester. When we got to the agency we found out Luci needed to have her visa application sent by the university in Kunming as well as hand deliver a copy. She didn't have any info that the app had been emailed nor could she contact anyone in the US due to the time difference so we spent the day worried that she won't be able to get her visa in time to meet up with her program in Beijing before it heads to Kunming. Luckily she got an email saying the the email had been sent.
Today we tried to go to a Buddhist nunnery but the wifi failed and we got lost. We ended up going to a flower market and bird market. It was hot and sweaty but felt a little "old school". The bird market had many different kinds of birds and I couldn't help but wonder how many had been trapped in the rainforest and brought there. I also couldn't help but think of the opening scene from Hard Boiled (a John Woo film from 1992) I didn't check the cages to see what might be in their false bottoms.
I know that we didn't spend much time in the ultra modern part of Taipei but Hong Kong is crazy. It is full of people... everywhere you turn..... people. And they are not quite as orderly as the people in Taipei (although the queues for the bus and subway are well-mannered). Our hotel is connected to a mall and the number of stores is insane. Speaking of insane, there is a Japanese discount store called Don Don Donki that recently opened and I have never seen such crowds in a store.
The original reason to go to Hong Kong was to help Luci get her student visa to study in Kunming over Fall semester. When we got to the agency we found out Luci needed to have her visa application sent by the university in Kunming as well as hand deliver a copy. She didn't have any info that the app had been emailed nor could she contact anyone in the US due to the time difference so we spent the day worried that she won't be able to get her visa in time to meet up with her program in Beijing before it heads to Kunming. Luckily she got an email saying the the email had been sent.
Today we tried to go to a Buddhist nunnery but the wifi failed and we got lost. We ended up going to a flower market and bird market. It was hot and sweaty but felt a little "old school". The bird market had many different kinds of birds and I couldn't help but wonder how many had been trapped in the rainforest and brought there. I also couldn't help but think of the opening scene from Hard Boiled (a John Woo film from 1992) I didn't check the cages to see what might be in their false bottoms.
We took the MTR to Hong Kong island and had dim sum with friends Danielle and Rob and their baby daughter Nova. The food was excellent, the company charming, and the baby delightful. We then ended the evening with some dessert - mango chewy bowl and took the MTR back to Kowloon. Tomorrow, off to the giant Buddha!
We haven't seen any protests but do know that there are some planned for the weekend. If we see any black shirts, we'll be sure to steer clear.
Thanks for reading....
We haven't seen any protests but do know that there are some planned for the weekend. If we see any black shirts, we'll be sure to steer clear.
Thanks for reading....