Lights, Lasers, Largest

Our boat docked right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong and we were actually connected to the largest mall in Asia, which was massive with hundreds of stores. I hate shopping, but walking through some of these malls was slightly mind-baffling.


From the mall, we headed to the island of Hong Kong (we were docked on Kowloon, right across the water from Hong Kong island). Boarded a junk (one of their little boats) and got to see a boat village, where a lot of the fishermen live on the water in their boats. It surprised me to see the water SO clean with the volume of people living there.


The day was quite rainy, so going to the best viewpoint didn't turn out that great as we couldn't see very far. But it was still fun going up there and seeing a bit of a view and taking a really steep cable car down the mountain.


In the evening, we boarded a little harbour boat and took a tour of the lights from the water. Incredible. At 8pm every night they have a massive lights and laser show from all the different buildings on both sides of the water (Hong Kong island and Kowloon). After the show (which is renowned in the Guinness Book of World Records), we traveled up and down the waterways, seeing all the endless rows of buildings with the incredible lights.


The signs at night are pretty crazy too. All the lights everywhere. And the night markets. People everywhere. Stuff everywhere. Advertisements everywhere. A bit overwhelming if you ask me.


I'm not a bit city person, and so it was interesting being in a lot of massive cities, because although there is a lot to see and do, it's a city. In going to Hong Kong, China, and Japan especially, I got the feeling that although their cultures are still present in different ways, technology, globalization and commercialism have changed the dynamic of these places a lot and that made me a bit sad. We were told that many of these expansive areas were farmland a mere 20 years ago. And now these massive cities have suddenly emerged. Then again, technology, globalization and commercialism have radically changed our society as well, especially in the way we communicate with others and spend our time. Lots to think about.



Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed being in downtown Hong Kong, from people watching, the food, the signs, the culture, the daily grind and much more.

Tomorrow's stop: Lantau Island, Hong Kong