Corporate America Runaway

For all Hong Kong Photography - click here!

For all snapshots of Hong Kong - click here!

I had 4 days in Hong Kong, I felt that would be plenty to see the sites, after all – it’s just a big city – and I’ve been to big cities before. Cyndi has a large web of expat friends strewn across Asia – so we were able to call upon one of them, Lynn and Lee, in Hong Kong and luckily stay with a ‘local’. Any time I have an opportunity to stay with someone that lives in a country I’m visiting, I snap it up. It has the obvious advantage of saving money – but more importantly than that, it helps you cut through all of the guidebooks and to the chase of what to do and how to get there. We arrived in Hong Kong under the cover of darkness; we hopped on a train to Hong Kong Island and were busy trying to figure out our new currency conversions for the 30 minute ride through tunnels and darkness. Lynn met us at the train terminal and welcomed us to Hong Kong Island. Once we got in a cab, I looked out the window and what greeted me was an utter surprise. Out my cab window, I saw a huge city, one that dwarfed NYC. I was floored by the number of skyscrapers – farther than the eye could see, densely packed into a hilly area. The lights and the bustle of the city reminded me of home.

Photo: Hong Kong skyline - view from the Peak (most of these buildings are over 50 stories)

The taxi started to climb up steep inclines and around tight hairpin turns to Lynn’s apartment located in Midlevels. I was shocked once again about the terrain – it was steeper than San Francisco in many parts, and there were sky scrapers built everywhere onto the hills. I thought to myself…they must not have to worry about earthquakes here…at least I hope they don’t! My first impression of Hong Kong was that it was some strange mixture of my two favorite American cities, NY and San Francisco – it had my interest, I was ready to explore!

The alarm went off early the next morning, I had to be up and out the door by 7:15AM (this is difficult for a non-working slacker). I had places to be, and people to meet. Specifically – it was the morning of February 5th, which really equates to a US date of the early evening of Sunday February 4th….Super Bowl Sunday. I had contacted my friend Marcus (Hong Kong resident/expat), to see if he knew of any places to watch the game on Monday morning. He told me to meet him in Lan Kwai Fong in Central at the Hong Kong Brew Company – they were showing it on the big screen. I hopped in a taxi early and met him down the hill in the bar district. There were a few bars open and you could hear the familiar sounds of football wafting out of the windows…John Madden…I felt like I was home! I love football…I miss football. This was probably one of 3 games I’ve seen all year – I was excited! Marcus and his friend, Rebecca, had saved me a seat at the bar in front of the big screen….perfect. My first bloody mary was at 7:45AM – but I wasn’t the only one drinking…the bar was filled with Americans drinking beer and smoking – it’s noon somewhere…so it must be ok to guzzle alcohol at this hour! We watched the sloppy, wet game and caught up on each other’s lives over a big English breakfast and drinks – a great morning. The only thing missing was the commercials. We were watching a live ESPN feed – but apparently they didn’t have the rights to show the commercials…oh well – that’s what the internet is for. My sister and Lynn came to meet me in the 4th quarter and drag me out of the bar a bit tipsy! I honestly felt like I could have used a nap at that point, but there was no time to waste, we had to see Hong Kong!

We went to many of the tourist sites that day. Hong Kong Island is basically a big hill (about 1100 ft.). Most of the building development has been done at the base of the hill (by filling it in with landfill) and the high-rise development continues about halfway up the hill. There are a few buildings at the top, but they aren’t the huge 50 story skyscrapers that dot the rest of the hill. We took a tram up to the top of the peak to enjoy the view and grab some lunch. I was surprised to find that the cable car that transported us to the top was running at about a 30degree angle at most times – somewhat reminiscent of the San Francisco cable cars rides I’ve taken. We had a nice clear day to enjoy some photo ops at the top – there was a slight haze – but in Hong Kong standards – that’s a really great day! In fact, I feel that the buildings don’t even look real in some of the pictures – it looks as if I am standing in front of a screen with the image of Hong Kong on it. [read on]