So, I’ve always wanted to visit Hong Kong. Just saying the name evokes visions of towering buildings surrounded by lush vegetation and beautiful beaches. For me the mix of British architecture, infrastructure and influence mixed with the Chinese food, culture, and landscape is absolutely fascinating to me and have always wanted to go. When I was studying abroad in China, I wanted to travel to Hong Kong, but my passport got stolen and that used up all my travel money. So, I thought that this would be a fantastic place to start my trip.  There was a video I always was intoxicated with and it is below.

So, I flew into San Francisco and spent an awesome weekend seeing old coworkers and friends then jetted on a fourteen-hour flight straight to Hong Kong. I didn’t sleep on the plane at all, I watched four movies and played Tetris for three hours. Just stepping off the plane, I felt I was in Hong Kong. There was a swift breeze gently pushing around the aroma of highly humid air mixed with intermittent wafts of rotting trash and scents from the sea. It was so foreign and purely intoxicating. Also Hong Kong feels like if New York and San Francisco had an affair in China.

I wandered around Kowloon to find my hostel, I also am not using cellular data during the whole trip (I don’t want to pay for it, and it makes for some pretty interesting situations and stories) so it took me quite a while to find the place. I eventually found the Rainbow Lodge and was quickly ushered into my dorm room filled with twelve other people. It was shocking. Sleeping in a twelve-person dorm room felt like sleeping in a sweat shop. I figured out that ear plugs and an eye mask are absolutely essential for living in the dorms. It felt so surreal falling asleep for the first night. It was a unique feeling to lay my head on a strange pillow and being engulfed by the night half way across the world.

Daily Highlights:

Day 2:

o   Could not sleep so I went and walked around in Kowloon park and made friends with two small kids while I worked out at the playground.

o   I went on a run

o   I MADE FRIENDS

o   Took the real Kowloon Tour

What an incredible day! I woke up in the morning and wandered around throughout Kowloon park then came back to the hostel and made friends! That was the biggest fear of my trip, is that I would not be able to meet people and be alone half way across the world and not be able to share any of the mazing things I’m doing with anyone.

Day 3:

o   Took the Hong Kong Tour

o   ACTUALLY WENT TO HONG KONG (There is a difference between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, the more you know. Also there is a scene in Wayne’s World in Rob Lowe’s apartment where he hits on the hot Asian lead singer and says she’s from Kowloon Bay and she freaks out. See below.)

o   Rode the escalators

o   Hiked to Victoria’s peak for sunset

o   Went to a night market and then to a bar

Day 4:

o   Went to Lantau Island, we saw a big Buddha and rode the tram. (I thought this was extremely overrated).

o   Finally went out in LKF (Lan Kwai Fong) and hit up club 7-11 (if you know, you know).

Day 5:

o   We god breakfast in a restaurant near the hostel and the waiter grew up in SF and lived in the Richmond district. IT was pretty cool to talk about small landmarks like clement street and George Washington High School, halfway across the world with a stranger

o   Went to the Monster Building

o   Worked out on the playground again filled with kids in the rain

o   Got dinner with Kim, a French guy who I met at my hostel

We had a great conversation about France and politics for three hours

This is a little impromptu photo shoot, finally have some pictures of me for once.

Day 6:

o   Worked out in the park again and drew a crowd. The little kids tried to mimic what it was like to do a hanging leg raise, they were terrible because they were six.

o   Mediated in the garden with the Tai Chi people

o   Walked around Tsim Sam Tsui with Jay and Will

o   Went to Victoria’s Peak for sunset again (got a beer at the top of the world)

o   Got hotpot at Hai Di Lao

o   Taught everyone in the hostel how to play Played Kings Cup  

Day 7:

o   Hoped on a short two hour plan ride to Hanoi