A Very Hong Kong Christmas

About a month ago my friend Zinny mentioned she was going to Hong Kong for Christmas. In an effort to avoid sitting around my apartment on the other side of the world from home come Christmas day, I immediately said I'd be going as well. It was the right call. The trip almost didn't happen, because as of Friday, my passport hadn't been mailed back from the Indian Embassy in Beijing, so I thought that I would be missing the trip. In the end it all worked out. On the 23rd I booked a new flight to Hong Kong that evening, and I was off.

For this post I'm just going to put up pictures and videos from the trip, and intersperse bits of commentary, but to begin with: Hong Kong is wild. It is a full-on, 24-hour city that is absolutely buzzing everywhere you go. Out of the few places I've been in China, Hong Kong gets top billing so far. Must see. It is somewhat like Vegas, only if you made Vegas much denser, larger, and more cosmopolitan. Also, exchange the primary vice from gambling to unchecked consumerism. I've never been a shopper in my life, and within 24-hours here I was overwhelmed with by the compulsion to buy, buy, buy. And like Vegas, one can easily lose their shirt here by over-indulging. Thankfully, you can pick up another shirt on the cheap. "Copy watch, copy handbag, tailored suit, boss?"

First night in Hong Kong. I arrived pretty late, and because it is near non-existent in Chongqing, we went to see some live music. These guys were rockers. ACDC, Zeppelin, and loads of other classic rock. Good way to kick off the trip.

The next day started off with some dim sum in the morning, which was fantastic. Lotus rice, steamed BBQ pork buns, shrimp dumplings, and curry chicken egg rolls may not sound like breakfast food to all, but you have to trust me on this, it is delicious. After that we visited Chungking Mansions. Check out this article (http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/11/21/the_mall_of_the_world?page=full) for a more in-depth look in this place, but it is basically an indoor market with lots of south Asian and African merchants selling pretty much anything you can think of. My guess would be that if you were looking for something that you didn't find in one of the stores, it wouldn't take much asking around to find someone who can track down what you desire. Anything.

My friend Zinny and I standing next to Victoria Harbour. We were staying on Kowloon, but here you see Hong Kong Island in the background. Hong Kong Island was cool, but most of the fun stuff was on Kowloon Peninsula.

That's me and some dizzyingly tall buildings.

The video didn't quite do justice to the view up there. It is pretty amazing to look down on a metropolis like Hong Kong.

On Christmas Eve they close off one of the main drags (Nathan Road) to cars, and apparently half the population of Hong Kong, plus all of the tourists, come down to check it out. Again, the pictures and video can't fully convey what it looks and feels like, but hopefully it gives some idea. Full on people mountain, people sea.

In an effort to be able to say we got some religion on Christmas Eve to our respective mothers, we tried to check out the famous Anglican cathedral. They were busy with midnight mass preparations and wouldn't let us pop our heads in a for a peek. So...

I found a place that I knew wouldn't turn me away on Christmas Eve, somewhat reminiscent of the old manger story, but with fewer sheep and wise men. Though I missed being back in MN for the holidays, leave it to a great pub to reduce the homesickness a bit. Just a killer night...

...of which these fine gents were prominently involved. They played traditional Irish tunes and Christmas songs until the wee hours of the morning. The video of the dance session at the end of the night has mysteriously gone missing, to no small relief of the group of English, Americans, and Irish involved. 

Christmas day itself was spent checking out a couple of the markets around town that sell all kinds of stuff of questionable origin and labeling. However, one cannot argue with the prices. I've also figured out an effective bargaining technique: walk away. The precipitous price drop that follows is drastic. And that is how it came to be that I have some nice new scarves for winter in China, and sunglasses for the beach in India. I unfortunately don't have pictures of said markets, the vendors act quickly at the first sign of a camera to let you know exactly how much they appreciate pictures; word to the wise: it is not very much. 

I left the next day to return to Chongqing, but Hong Kong is a place that I look forward to returning to in the future, and a place I would surely recommend to anyone who is wandering around on this side of the globe.

Lastly, I will leave you with some food shots:

None-too-traditional...

...Christmas...

...dinner. 'Twas delicious.

Happy New Year to you all. I'll be posting again come 2012.

Good luck!