Hong Kong: Blade Runner Anyone?

And I thought Shanghai was "in your face!"

Never in my life have I seen such building-on-building, people skittering, consumerist action! Each building is dwarfed by the next, not necessarily because one is taller than the other, but because Hong Kong is layed out upon a hilly frame. Apartment complexes, shopping malls, major financial centers, all are constructed on hill after hill, following one another up and up and up. Not only that, but the buildings seem to be only feet apart at times. More than once I caught myself looking up at the top of an enormous apartment complex to notice that it's rooftop was only a meter or so away from the next building's top.

One could easily pull a Hollywood stunt and hop from building to building with little trouble whatsoever.

Long flights of stairs and outdoor escalators, as in the SoHo area, allow people to traverse such hilly terrain without wearing themselves out entirely. Steep and windy roads send cars flying in every direction, and you never know exactly where they may be coming from.

Speaking of which, it took me a bit of time to get used to looking the opposite direction as I'm used to when crossing the street, which certainly makes things more interesting. More than once a careening double-decker bus nearly ended me as I began walking into the street after wrongfully assuring myself that it was safe to do so.

But what's the fun of travel without a little danger?

More than anything, Hong Kong reminds me of the movie Blade Runner. The nearly-overwhelming neon lights, the smokey alleys, and constant close-quarters looked more like imagery from the Science Fiction flick than a place where people actually live and work fulltime.

No, I did not expect to be shot at by a rogue band of replicants while walking navigating the streets of Hong Kong, but the thought of such a thrill was quite intriguing.

Hong Kong (due to its history) and the Mainland are quite different. People in Hong Kong actually apologize when they bump into you, they stand in lines, wait for stoplights before crossing the street, and generally present an air of consideration for those around them. That is not to say that mainland Chinese do not care about one another, they just do not display such care on the streets.

However, this is not to say that Hong Kong is an easygoing, carefree place. It certainly is not. People bolt down the street as though they are being chased by a pack of enraged chainsaw-wielding monkeys. They dart from place to place as though the monkeys will swoop in and grab them if they become stagnant for even the briefest of moments.

My three traveling companions (the 3 Ds: Daegan, Diadra, and Derek) and I, perhaps inspired by all of the busy-bees swarming around us, spent most of our time in Hong Kong on the move. First we went to the Star Ferry Harbor to catch a ferry to Hong Kong island itself, and then munched on some burgers (Derek would probably want you to know that I ate Chicken, not beef) at a Westernized burger joint outside of the IFC (International Financial Center) Mall. It was raining heavily outside, so we spent some time in a bookstore to kill the time. I ended up purchasing "The World is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman, which I have always meant to read, as well as a new soft-cover moleskine notebook for.... you know.... notes and things.

I have at least twenty of those notebooks now.... I'm such an addict.

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Once the rain died down a bit, we walked inland until we found the amazing uphill escalator-ramps of the SoHo area, which greatly cut down the physical aspect of our journey around Hong Kong Island. I was extremely fascinated by the construction of not only the escalator system, but also the immense buildings, tiny alleys, and overhangs surrounding it. The buildings are built into the hills in such a way that they themselves seem to form enormous steps upward toward the heavens (or at least to the tops of the surrounding mountains). Stone walls aligning the roads have entire tree and root systems sprouting from them which dangle down maginificently from overhead, forming a natural canopy in some areas.

Riding the escalators allowed for a high-rise glimpse into the windows of shops, cafes, restaurants, and homes, all of which were alive and purring with action. Some spots were more modern (Starbucks and Pacific Coffee shops were EVERYWHERE), while others seemed a bit older and more "mom 'n pop" -esque.

We then walked through a market district before stopping into the Mo Man Temple (I think that is what it was called...), which was entirely full of incense coils. When I say entirely full, I mean PACKED: staying in there for more than five minutes would have probably put me under..... I really liked the look of the hundreds of hanging coils though, each of which burned individually and had a red prayer tag hanging below it.

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While in the market, I was almost tempted to buy another Chanchu (also known as a Jinchan), which is essentially a three-legged good luck toad that is represented as sitting on a pile of gold coins. The Chanchu also holds a coin in its mouth, as though to say "go ahead, take my coin and see what happens!" Unlike many good luck charms, the Chanchu is almost entirely devoted to protecting your wealth and the wealth of your family and friends. I have three of the things back home, including a really nice jade one, but I don't have the money to spend on any new ones right now. I really like them, and will be adding to my collection soon I am sure.

Seems like the thing to invest in, given the current state of the world economy.

Anyway, the owner of one of the shops we stopped into was trying hard to sell me one. He made sure to explain to me how it's only real value was in money protection. "The toad, only protect money!" He exclaimed. "Not like other statues...not protect health or anything. But it bring you lots of money!!!" He seemed all too happy about the idea as he stood there smiling and nodding.

I couldn't help but laugh when I caught a glimpse of his business desk, which was entirely covered in Chanchus.

"You must be doing pretty well man". I said to him.

And he just kept on smiling.

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After the market experience, we stopped into a cafe to get a drink, a seat, and a quick breather. I began reading "The World is Flat", which is an amazing book (though it is already a little behind the times in comparison to books like Chris Anderson's "The Long Tail"), and sipped on a cup of coffee. Derek quickly discovered that internet was free on the cafe's desktop computer, so
I made the mistake of checking the news, which only made me worry about the state of the US and world economies. At the time, the Senate had just approved the $700 Bln. bailout, but it was still waiting to go into action, etc. It has since been implemented, but the market is still near to slipping into the 7th ring of hell....

Alright, that's enough for this entry. I will write another soon about the rididulous hostel experience we had! Woohoo hostel yeah!