Hong Kong: first impressions

View from a window seat, at 35,000 feet

I got into Hong Kong airport at 1015 yesterday, after a 90 minute flight on a Hong Kong Airlines Airbus 320. I'd recommend both the airline and the plane. Staff were courteous and efficient and I had plenty of leg room even in a coach seat.

I could have done without the man loudly snoring two rows behind me for the entire flight, but you can't have everything.

Shortly after clearing customs and getting a quick lunch, I took a taxi to the the main island. I'm staying at a hotel in Wan Chai, a popular shopping and nightlife area in Hong Kong proper. I could have taken the subway for quite a bit cheaper, but I wasn't in the mood to figure out an unfamiliar metro station.

Here's a quick Hong Kong tip: there are three major taxi services: Red (Urban), Green (New Territories) and Blue (Lantau island). Each one only operates in their specific areas, and they only take cash.

I am glad I took the taxi to Hong Kong proper, because it's a beautiful drive. Thickly forested hills, beautiful designed bridges, and the ocean views are all worth it.

The first impression I got from the city is its impressive scale. Nearly every building is a high rise dozens of floors high. 7 million people live here in one of the highest population densities in the world. It's vibrant, busy, and exciting.  I could see myself living here and enjoying myself.

The second thing that stood out to me is the number of foreigners on the streets. I've been in Guiyang for the better part of a year and I'm almost always the only foreigner in sight. I've become used to being stared at and noticed wherever I go. I'm used to hearing nothing but Mandarin as I go about my daily business.

I'm just another person on the street here. No one gives me a second glance. It feels strange, and I feel weird for thinking it's strange. It's fascinating how quickly we adapt to our surroundings.

I've heard Hindi, Japanese, English, Cantonese, and Spanish on the streets in my short time here already. It's a lot like the San Francisco Bay Area that way.

The last thing I've noticed is how many non-Chinese restaurants and shops are here. This shouldn't be that surprising. Hong Kong was a British colony for nearly a century and still maintains strong cultural and business links with the English speaking world. In fact, it's quite easy to get around here speaking just English, especially in Wan Chai. My limited Mandarin isn't useful here, and even if I was fluent it wouldn't be that helpful. Hong Kong is fiercely proud of its dialect and not that sympathetic to Northern dialect speakers.

I was craving some American style food for dinner and came across a Five Guys Hamburgers. I've never had one despite hearing about them for years. I had a hamburger with grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, and Jalapeños; and an order of Cajun style fries.

The verdict? Five guys is legitimately great. It's one of the best fast food burgers I've ever had, miles better than In N Out or Nathan's. Sorry, fellow Californians. We've got a ways to go in the burger wars.

I've taken a ridiculous number of photographs that I have to sort and process for the next post, which will be all about the buildings of Hong Kong. I hope you'll like it!

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