The morning after I had arrived, I was able wake up relatively early and get the day started. Actually, this was probably the earliest I've ever woken up on my own accord while in Asia. It's amazing what can be accomplished when you go to sleep at a decent hour like most people back home in the states.
Before I left the hotel I took a few more shots out the window. This time with daylight.
Next thing I hit the streets and slowly meandered from Kowloon toward Hong Kong Island. In my eyes Kowloon and Hong Kong Island have totally different looks and feels to them. See if you can say the same by looking at the pics.
Apparently it's mostly tight quarters up in Hong Kong, especially in Mong Kok, Kowloon.
Jordan Road. The former British colonization of the island is extremely prevalent. For example, English named streets.
If the McDonald's theory of globalization and U.S. foreign affairs holds true (the U.S. has and never will go to war with a country that has a McDonald's), then we will be sure to never fight with China over Hong Kong. They're everywhere.
On Kowloon, I found a nice little park that helped provide some greenery to the city. Little did I know that this park had nothing on Hong Kong Park which I would soon be visiting.
Hong Kong has some of the most impressive and unique architecture that I've ever encountered (probably the reason why I took so many photographs of buildings). The sky scrapers that define the city's skyline are not the only standouts. This windowless cultural building on the edge of Victoria Harbor in Kowloon was fun to look at.
Here's a couple shots out the ferry building's waiting area windows. My destination, Hong Kong Island can be seen in the distance.
Ferry's innards
Once arriving on Hong Kong Island, I proceeded to then walk around aimlessly for hours and hours and get my tourist on. It was way fun. I took some photos along the way.
Hong Kong Park is right in the middle of the city. The jungle theme is definitely in effect which makes it a great place to chill.
WIthin the park, there is an aviary that is filled with birds and such. It's the the netted looking structure in the pic below.
Inside the aviary.
The narrower looking streets below are in and around Lan Kwai Fong. This place looks pretty peaceful during the daytime but it definitely goes off at night. There are tons of bars and better yet, plenty of convenient stores which works out when you can drink anywhere you please. At a 7/11 store in SoHo (HK neighborhood), I purchased a tall can of Tsingtao beer for 5.80 Hong Kong Dollars, which works out to being around $0.60 U.S. Dollars. Pay 60 cents a beer and you won't step foot in a bar the whole night.
Found some street art/graffiti along the way.
Hong Kong city rests on the side of a steep mountain that is the island. From Victoria Harbor, the city gradually clibs the side of the mountain until it just becomes too steep to build. This notion causes some pretty inclined streets and walkways that couldn't help me not think of beloved SF. To help in my description....they have outdoor public use escalators in some areas.
I was walking down the sidewalk in the SoHo area and totally lucked out by sighting these photos in the front window of oddly enough, not a pet store. Apparently, the store owner was so incredibly proud of his/her cat and it's dressing abilities, that it just couldn't be contained by his/herself. The world had to know. Needless to say, after this point, my day became at least around 78% cuter.
After being blown away by the kitty photos, I felt that it was time for me to head back to Kowloon and find a place to stay for the night. I did just that and took the ferry back.
Ferry.
After finding a hostel to stay in (which is another posting in itself), I came back to Hong Kong Island to do the most tourist thing I've ever done while in Asia....take the Hong Kong sky tram to the viewpoint at the top of the island's ridge. It was 100% worth it.
In the tram.
There's a large tower at the top of the ridge that includes everything from an arcade to an observation deck to a Burger King. I didn't go to the observation deck ontop of the tower because I heard it wasn't worth the extra money to do so but you can make that decision on your own.
Without the observation deck, you can still get a good view.
Rich folk.
The other side of Hong Kong Island.
So, by far the biggest recommendation I can make in regards to any who visit Hong Kong is to be sure and make the walk down from the ridge where the tram takes you. At the base, everyone around you will be buying round trip tickets for the tram either because they are old or they don't know what's up. Buy only a one-way ticket to the peak! The walk down from the peak back into the city is not difficult at all and will be sure to amaze you. The walking trail down can be seen below:
The skyline at night really gets good. I have a set of panoramic photos that capture the entire island, however they are not posting to the blog. If anyone wants them, just message me.
Back on Kowloon, preparations were being made for the Chinese New Year celebration. Unfortunately, I left Hong Kong the day before everything kicked off. I was really bummed. I had missed the "World's Happiest Party."
