Greetings from the #UmbrellaRevolution!!
birthplace of the #umbrellarevolution apparently they'll be back at it in the evenings.
As we were sorting out visas, I was initially disappointed that mine required me to leave mainland China every 30 days. I thought, "who wants to leave...what a hassle". AND THEN I GOT TO HONG KONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I can't wait to get back here again in another 30 days!
you need to purchase a token to ride the ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong. It costs $0.37 us
the view from the ferry
....there's an even taller building behind me!
It's super humid here right now, so I've come to think of it as a tropical NYC. I've barely even scratched the surface when it comes to the touristy things to see and do. In fact, I've spent most of the last 36 hours in shopping malls. And it was fun. I never thought about what a little retail therapy could do for someone!
We did get over to the area where the people have been protesting (the Umbrella Revolution). There were only a few hundred people there when we went by as today most of Hong Kong went back to work. Though it sounds as though they are not giving up and that there'd be more people back there tonight. As we were walking into one of the malls today, there was a gentleman handing out yellow ribbons and asking me "to support democracy in Hong Kong"...while it's certainly none of my business what happens here, I could barely get the words out fast enough..."RIGHT ON, BROTHER!!" I know, I'm white. ;)
Nathan Street.
we decided to walk down this alley...and discovered this....a rats nest of bamboo scaffolding, tarps, and poorly rigged electrical wires. creepy, yes....and kinda cool.
um, anyone know a good electrician?!?!
where's waldo?
later this evening I ventured out...underground. While I didn't ride the subway, these are the tunnels that run under the city and connect the stations. Wish we'd known about them earlier today...as they are air conditioned and would have been a welcome break from the unbearable humidity!
I'm not sure if this was rush hour or not....but it felt like it....though still a little less crowded than the streets.
My only regret about this trip is that I left my good camera back at the office....the iPhone doesn't seem to do this city justice. While these photos seem a bit flat, know that there's a real energy here and it's been great to experience it!
Overall, It's been a welcome break from the drab/grey Beijing and I'm suddenly feeling alive again. The visa will require me to come back again next month...but perhaps I need to look into a few additional trips! ....and if anyone needs a fake Rolex watch, let me know!
Tomorrow...we're off to Hong Kong Disneyland!