Hong Kong

Hong Kong is an interesting blend of Western and Eastern cultures.  The major cities in mainland China are also becoming more blended in terms of the East meeting the West.  Behind the facade of the high end stores, international cuisine and recreations of the United Kingdom, lays a melting pot of cultural influence that has simmered long enough to create the rather unique city of Hong Kong.

The skyline of Hong Kong, arguably one of the most impressive, especially at night, clues you into the fact that you are at the epicenter of Asia's financial district.  Sky-high buildings are home to world banks, electronic companies and major corporations, each with a well-lit neon colored sign that reads things like "Samsung".  Governed by British rule until 1997, Hong Kong was able to flourish like its European counterparts. Governing policies of mainland China were vastly different than policies in Hong Kong.  Since the return of Hong Kong to the mainland, the most popular question I heard during port preparations and during field programs was how has this affected those who live in Hong Kong.  The most simplistic way to describe it is with the slogan, "one country, two systems" which allows Hong Kong to operate economically and politically independent from China. 

Walking the streets of Hong Kong you can easily feel the influence of two ways of life.  Remove the Chinese characters from signs, add a bit of gray skies and you easily can be walking the streets of London.  Pubs line many street corners in Soho.  A stark contrast behind the Soho of London and the Soho of Hong Kong is the massive hillside for which it is built upon in Hong Kong.  Winding streets and stairs take you up steep slopes.  The best way to ascend to the top is with the Travelator, or an escalator that takes you up the hillside.  Admittedly, several of my more memorable moments of my time spent in Soho were the pubs and not one, but two Mexican restaurants.  While we are well feed on the ship, there are often voids that cannot be filled and one such thing is quality Mexican food.  Though not life changing, the Mexican food I ate in Hong Kong certainly helped to fill that void.  As for the pubs, well, there is always a void for one of those, and having a cold pint with friends is never a bad time.

Leaving behind the Western influences of Hong Kong, I took a day trip to Lantau island.  In recent years the island is becoming more developed - it is home to the new Hong Kong International Airport and also Hong Kong Disneyland - but it still retains much of its old world charm.  The trip included a stop a fishing village.  The narrow streets were lined with many sundries from the sea.  Some of them recognizable; some of them not.

Leaving the fishing village, we traveled down the tranquil streets, many with fantastic views of the island's mountains, coastal areas or lush vegetation.  The trip's highlight was the Big Buddha and Buddhist monastery atop the mountain on the island.  The Big Buddha is among some of the largest bronzed Buddhas in the world.  Adjacent to the Big Buddha is the Po Lin Monastery for which we were given free time to explore on our own, following a great vegetarian lunch.

The last day in Hong Kong concluded with a cable car ride down from the monastery and off the summit of the mountain.  Returning to the ship meant preparing for the short crossing to Viet Nam and a great temperature change from the lower 60s to the mid 90s.  It was not complete, however, without Hong Kong given us a proper send off with its nightly laser light show.  As each light flashed and each beam cut across the sky, you are reminded that Hong Kong impresses with not only its sites, but with also its breadth of cultural influence and history.