A very different Asia

Just returned from a week in Hong Kong. Same continent, but literally worlds apart. Before we even left the HK airport, we were sold on living in this Asia. Hong Kong offers sophisticated infrastructure and mass public transportation that is even better than Zurich's. It's green, clean, and literally a breath of fresh air. Having said that, we were there during monsoon season, which apparently is the only time of year with good air quality. The winds carry the pollution from the mainland into Hong Kong, but could the air quality really be any worse than our current location?
Sudhir had a workshop for four days so I took that time to explore the city. As I mentioned, it's monsoon season there. The picture above is the view from our hotel room one rainy morning. Needless to say, I bought an umbrella, which was well used. It's not just a quick late afternoon rain like we've experienced here in Hyderabad. This is a proper cats and dogs downpour that turns on and off like a faucet throughout the entire day. We were there 7 days and it rained for 5 of those. In addition to the rain was the 80-90% humidity, which definitely takes some getting used to. So my skin was quite moist but my hair definitely suffered.

First stop, Fish market...
Hong Kong is full of various street markets so I was excited to put my haggling skills to work. We perused the fish market, ladies' market, and the electronic market.
The fish market was a sight to see. Fish are considered to be very auspicious and there's a whole street with shops selling various types of marine life.


Next stop was the ladies market, where they sell knock off watches, purses, clothes, shoes, scarves, and all kinds of knick knacks. Our driver wanted us to buy him a watch so I bought him a Swiss Army watch spelled Swiss Arny for a grand total of 3.84 USD. I didn't even bother haggling. But I did haggle for 2 cashmere scarves which I purchased for 11.53 USD, saving a 1.28 USD.
Next stop was the electronic market, which was a street a few blocks long lined with electronic shops. We bought a pocket size camera, but the price was not necessarily cheaper than a Best Buy store in the U.S.

Here's some pictures of Hong Kong when it wasn't raining

Hong Kong is very accessible by foot even in the rain as there are many covered and underground walkways. We were ecstatic simply to be able to walk everywhere and so we did. As we were walking aimlessly, we stumbled upon the Zoological and Botanical Gardens, which was very impressive.
It's over 125 years old and home to more than 1,000 species of plants, hundreds of birds, mammals, and reptiles. Many of which were rare species and on the endangered list. This place is among the world's leading centers which focuses on animal conservation and captive breeding of endangered species.


But it was these guys who stole the show. Their throat puffs out and they make these screechingly loud calls to exclaim their presence and territorial rights, which can be heard from a kilometer away.





























On another day while Sudhir was working, I went to Lantau Island to see the world's tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha. I took a train and then a 3 1/2 mile long cable car ride (which takes you 1500 feet above see level) to get to this island. On a clear day, the views must be stunning. Here's what I saw...



Thankfully the clouds did dissipate enough to see Hong Kong's beautiful landscape. It's very green and hilly.















After a short walk up a hill, I finally came upon a very cloudy Buddha.














After seeing the Buddha, I walked across to the monastery
where they offered lunch. I thought I'd sample the local cuisine.












It was a preset vegetarian menu that consisted of soup, rice, vegetables, and spring rolls. It was only me, so I must have looked awfully hungry.






















The afternoon cleared up a bit more so I finally got a good view of the Buddha.

















Other than sightseeing and walking, I was busy with what must be Hong Kong's favorite pastime...shopping, shopping, and of course more shopping. Hong Kong is roughly six times the size of Washington D.C. with about 7 million people and nearly one shopping mall for every 100 people (or so it seemed). So I did the best I could and tried to tackle them all! ;)

All in all, it was great trip. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of Hong Kong in the near future.