Hong Kong Layover

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Well, folks. After a really long flight - 21 hours - I made it to Asia. Have a 7 hour stop-over in Hong Kong before flying to Phuket. Last time I went to Asia, I did the same thing - spend a day in Hong Kong. I really like it - wouldn't mind living here. It's an amazingly modern and cosmopolitan city - kind of East meets West. Super modern infrastructure and amazing Asian food. Ate noodles twice already - really cheap and delicious. People dress really well here - designer stuff or really good knock-offs - I can't really tell the difference. As I got off the bullet train from the airport - people were going to work, so everyone was wearing a suit. I swear - I think I was the only one on the streets in jeans and a tea shirt 😊
Unfortunately, the weather was not as nice as last time. Kind of cold, really windy and drizzling rain. But that didn't stop me from walking around a bit in Hong Kong Central before getting a Star Ferry to the Kowloon side. It's a historic ferry that is subsidized by the government. The fair each way is HKD 2.5 on the top deck or HKD 2 on the bottom on weekdays. Considering 1 USD is just over HKD 7, it's a great bargain. The views from the ferry are spectacular.
I am amazed by this city. Last time I was here - I thought it had 5 times as many skyscrapers as NYC. This time, I think it's like 10 times as many. New building are popping up everywhere. Unfortunately, it was kind of foggy, so I couldn't get nice pictures. But I will post what I got in a couple of days. The coolest thing is that all of the skyscrapers downtown are connected by walkways on the second or third floor. So you can walk all of the center of the city without hitting any traffic below. It's a great idea, plus getting around this way is a lot more efficient. The second cool thing, they have a system of interconnected escalators that runs all the way from the hill where people live, to downtown. The escalators run downhill in the morning, so the people can get to work, or uphill in the evening, so that people can get home or to a bar. There is also a spot on the escalator system, where if you waive your card over it, you get $2 off your next subway ride! Like people need an insensitive to use such a cool thing to begin with.
Anyways, love this city. Right now, I am sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to Phuket. Can't wait to hit the bed - I badly need to catch up on sleep. I still can't believe I'll be in Thailand in 4 hours. It's like I am dreaming...

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