If China and England had a baby they would name it Hong Kong

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Whats up world? I don’t really know how to start a blog post so all I could come up with was a cheesy opening line like whats up world. My zags just lost to SDSU tonight so im a little upset about that and figured I would write a blog post to hopefully to distract me.

The last two weeks have flown by cuz I have gotten away with two real short weeks of teaching. I got lucky and had a number of classes cancelled due to sports day and the Asian games. When I was a kid at the end of the year we had a day called field day, where all the students had to participate in track events, hurdles, softball throw, etc. Well that’s what sports day is here but in China like pretty much everything else I have noticed…they do it bigger! Every students family comes out for the event and im not talking just mom and dad but aunts uncles grandmas etc and with Chinese families that’s a lot of people! Anyways, I got a day off school for that and a couple classes cancelled on other days as they prepared for it.

Last week I got Friday off cut of the Asian games, which is pretty much the exact same thing as the Olympics but only for Asia. And unless you’re a fan of badminton and Ping Pong it isn’t really worth watching as Asia does not put out to many amazing athletes

The government gave school off to all students on Friday because of the opening of the Asian games. So as a group we all decided to check out Hong Kong for the day/night. It is only two hours away from Guangzhou but holy shit is it different. You always hear people say Hong Kong is the perfect combination of East meets West and that is the best way I can describe it as well. I mean this place was the most unique city I have ever seen.

The train ticket was 50 bucks round trip and only two hours away. Trains from Guangzhou leave every 30 minutes to Hong Kong so the whole traveling process was a breeze. When we arrived into the train station I immediately noticed the differences because everything (by law, I later found out) was in Chinese as well as English. For those who don’t know, Hong Kong used to be under British rule after they acquired it from China after the Opium Wars in 1887. After England’s 100 year lease was up they gave it back to China but since it had developed so well under the British economic system and it was so diverse from mainland China the Chinese government has not had much influence on the city. So technically Hong Kong is a part of China but really they do their own thing.

Walking along the streets you’ll notice the British influence everywhere like Chinese girls in British school uniforms, big red double Decker buses, and all the cars driving on the opposite side! Also, you’ll notice a ton more white people, mostly rich expatriates doing business in Hong Kong. I gotta admit though, it was a little depressing walking around Hong Kong being just another white person. I mean when I am in mainland China I’m so used to getting stared at everywhere I go it makes me feel good. Gettin a little taste of what celebrities feel like you know? In Hong Kong, not even a glance! I got to say it’ll be hard going back to the US and just being another face in the crowd.

Anyway, after arriving we met a pair of girls from Holland who were on a yearlong world trip who also happened to be staying at the same place we were, the Chungking Mansion. Please don’t let the name fool ya, this thing was anything but a mansion. According to LonelyPlanet travel guide, the chunking mansion in Hong Kong can best be described as, “a place like no other in the world. This huge, ramshackle high-rise dump in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui caters to virtually all needs, but you may be put off by the undercurrent of sleaze and the peculiar odour of cooking fat, incense and sewage. The building's infamy is fuelled by tales both tall and true of conflagrations, crimes and unclaimed bodies; everyone should come here once.” I mean for a baller on a budget it seemed like the perfect place to stay…I mean Hong Kong is pretty expensive in general and I really only needed a place to lay my head and drop my bag off at so it worked out well for the most part.
What was amazing was that the whole complex seemed like it was being run by Indians, im not talking about tee pees and bow and arrow type Indians, im talking about slum dog millionaire and Taj Mahal type Indians. All the owners of the hostels were Indians, all the restaraunts served Indian food and all the convenience stores were run by Indians but then again what convenience store isn’t run by an Indian? I mean seriously most cities have Chinatowns and Little Italys, this was Hong Kongs version of Little India. It felt like I was touring Hong Kong but staying in New Delhi.

We checked out a couple markets and although they had some cool gear and other random items I didn’t get anything cuz I can get all that stuff back in Guangzhou for way cheaper, what I enjoyed most was just walking around the city with my iPod popped in taking in the sites and just how different everything was. After walking around we came to the waterfront and I saw the dopest site I have ever seen, it was the skyline of Hong Kong island (please check the pictures).

After changing at the Chungking Mansion we headed out for the night to see the lightshow and go party at Lan Kwai Fong. The lightshow was epic cuz it was the same view of the skyline that we saw earlier in the day but this time it was at night and all the buildings and advertisements were lit up. At 8’clock music comes on and all the lights on the buildings are choreographed into an unbelievable light show. As I sat there watching the show I realized how cool it was that I was 22 years old drinking beer with my five buddies in Hong Kong watching the coolest lightshow in the world.

After making a quick pit stop for some McDonalds, we headed up to the peak of Hong Kong island to see a complete view of the city. It wasn’t cloudy at all so a lot of the locals said it would be a good time to go check it out. When we got up there it was super windy and real cold but the view was the coolest view I have ever seen. No joke, it seemed like it was just skyscrapers on top of skyscrapers. It looked like New York on steroids, call it Barry Bonds. Somehow we ended up at this bar on top of the peak where Hong Kong’s high class goes to have dinner and where dudes with lots of money go to impress chicks that they normally couldn’t get if they didn’t have money. The restaurant had 360 degree views of the entire city and a beer cost $15. Pretty much a restaurant that 6 bros didn’t belong at. Thanks to nick speaking Chinese fluently we ended up getting a table right against the glass overlooking the entire city, not to mention a couple of puzzled looks from other people at the restaurant asking how we could get that seat. Anyways, while trying to act like it was a normal occurrence we each ordered a beer and took in the view. We told the waiter we woulda stayed for a few more but we have another engagement to get too (really we just didn’t have enough money to pay for another one).

Next we headed to Lan Kwai Fong to do some serious boozing and partying. Lemme tell you, I have never been to New Orleans Bourboun street but from what I have seen on TV and in movies this place is not too far behind. It was two streets full of bars and clubs and a mix of Chinese people, expatriates, and tourists all partying in the streets. We were out there till 4 in the morning and it was well worth the hangover the next morning. After paying an arm and a leg for a taxi back home I headed back to the spot and realized I was locked out of my room. Tim had already gone to bed and he had the key. I tried getting into the other guys rooms too but they were fast asleep as well, that or they just didn’t want to let me in. after some more banging on the door, I didn’t care anymore and passed out in the hallway (god knows what diseases I picked up from that floor) for a couple hours till the hostel owner opened the door for me. Couple more hours of much needed sleep and then some Indian food for lunch we headed back to Guangzhou. Not going to lie, I didn’t want to leave but I was looking forward to the land of cheap prices and getting stared at again. Who wouldn’t right?

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