China Travels: Hong Kong

Writing the last three posts took forever and I'm going back to school on Thursday, so this post is going to be a short one. Hong Kong is probably the most written about and easily accessible place I visited, so I don't feel quite as bad about skimping on my write-up :)

A few thoughts about Hong Kong:

• Flying from Beijing to Hong Kong was funny because Beijing essential copied the design of the Hong Kong airport. When I got off the plane I felt like I was arriving in the place I departed. 
• Chungking Mansions, which has a reputation for being the cheapest place to stay in Hong Kong (and of course where I stayed), was not nearly a sketchy as the reviews online made it out to be. Based on what I read online, I was expecting a decrepit, dirty building with people outside ready to mug me at all hours of the day. In fact, the building was very much intact, wasn't really that dirty, and the people outside were just persistent naggers trying to get you to stay in their hostels. It does seem to suffer from having only two elevators to serve the entire building, but they hired a security guard to manage the elevator lines. Apparently the building has undergone renovations in the past 10 years that have made it considerably better than it was before, but I can't help wondering if the building's bad reputation is in part due to lingering colonial prejudice against the large number of Indian, African, and South-Asian immigrants living in the building. 

The green building is Chungking Mansions.

• Nathan Road is absolutely insane. I visited Las Vegas two weeks after I was in Hong Kong and I'd say that the two are probably on par in terms of neon signage, but Nathan Road is so much more densely populated that it felt much more overwhelming than Las Vegas. 

• The Avenue of the Stars is gorgeous - it was probably my favorite spot in Hong Kong.

• Coming from Beijing, the food prices nearly gave me a heart attack. Although the Hong Kong dollar is worth slightly less than the Yuan, all the prices are much higher in Hong Kong. I paid 30HKD for a bowl of noodles that would have cost 7RMB in China. Also, there was very little street food (at least in the tourist areas). 
• I loved the ferry (and I'm glad they kept it relatively cheap too). 
• I visited during a weekend in the middle of August: probably the worst time of year to visit Hong Kong. Visiting in August meant that it was really hot and really humid. I couldn't go outside without sweating. Visiting on a weekend in the summer meant that it was peak tourist season. I tried to take the tram up to Victoria's peak, but there was a two hour wait. I took the bus instead (which was also very nice). 
• Victoria's Peak was gorgeous, but also sadly commercialized. There were two huge malls at the top. The tram led to one of the malls and taxis and the bus led to the other. Also, there was barely enough room at the overlook for me to set up a tripod. I was kind hoping I would have to hike up a trail to make it to the top...

Victoria's Peak has got to be one of the most photographed spots on the planet, so getting a unique photo is nearly impossible without unusual lighting. I did some funk split toning in hopes that this shot would stand out a little bit from other Peak shots.

• I visited a fishing village called Tai O that was kinda interesting. The entire place was essentially a long street market. I bought some local-made iced tea which was pretty good, and had a delicious but overpriced grilled scallop. Overall it was a nice change of pace from Nathan Road.

A few more shots that didn't fit under any particular thought:

This guy uses a long pole the pull in the ferry. 

So that's my take on Hong Kong. I'd love to go back sometime and explore some of the island in the New Territories - there seemed to be lots of photography potential there. My next post will be photos (and minimal writing) from Zion and Bryce National Parks.