Living in Victoria, people always ask what I thought of growing up near Vancouver, “the big city”, usually remarking how big and crazy it seems in comparison to the quaint Victorian lifestyle. Well, big and crazy does not even come remotely close to describing my first response to what has to be one of the busiest cities on earth – Hong Kong. En route to Malaysia, we stopped over in Hong Kong for the day and ventured into the city for a taste of the Big Life. Amazingly, the train takes you directly from the airport to the heart of downtown in less than 30 minutes – super easy! The core is really divided into two, the business district and the more historical, artsy part. After a brief wander amongst the towering (and I mean TOWERING) skyscrapers in the business area, we hopped on a little ferry boat to cross over to the older part of the city (love ferry boats). The noise and smells are unbelievable. Walking down a street you experience a new scent and sound every few feet, going from the blaring music of an electronics kiosk to the searing grill of the dim sum stall next door. The shriek of car horns was
nearly constant from the moment we stepped foot off the train at 8am – cars, busses, mopeds, anything with wheels really, does not halt for a pedestrian or even slow down, rather just honks until you pick up the pace to a sprint in order to evade the oncoming vehicles. Needless to say a few close calls for our gang of wandering newcomers, fresh from Victoria where cars usually travel 10km under the speed limit and will stop at the slightest glimpse of a crosswalk on the horizon! Although there is a coating of grime and smog on everything in Hong Kong, there was much less filth and trash than I expected for such a massive place. Also surprising was the amount of English – most billboards and signs were written in dual languages. Even the dim sum restaurant we ate at for lunch (deliciousness!!) where almost none of the staff spoke English, had a menu with English subtitles. Talk about a global community. Although brief, our visit to Hong Kong was a fantastic experience and eye-opening – never will I complain again about anywhere in “downtown” Victoria being too busy. After a full day of exploring, our jet-lagged bodies welcomed the journey of ferry, train and then plane onto our final destination of Penang, Malaysia. Nearly 30 hours after our initial departure, we arrived in Penang safe and sound yesterday, welcoming a full day of sleep! It has been a whirlwind of a beginning to the summer adventure and I can’t wait to embark on the remainder of our journey!
Living in Victoria, people always ask what I thought of growing up near Vancouver, “the big city”, usually remarking how big and crazy it seems in comparison to the quaint Victorian lifestyle. Well, big and crazy does not even come remotely close to describing my first response to what has to be one of the busiest cities on earth – Hong Kong. En route to Malaysia, we stopped over in Hong Kong for the day and ventured into the city for a taste of the Big Life. Amazingly, the train takes you directly from the airport to the heart of downtown in less than 30 minutes – super easy! The core is really divided into two, the business district and the more historical, artsy part. After a brief wander amongst the towering (and I mean TOWERING) skyscrapers in the business area, we hopped on a little ferry boat to cross over to the older part of the city (love ferry boats). The noise and smells are unbelievable. Walking down a street you experience a new scent and sound every few feet, going from the blaring music of an electronics kiosk to the searing grill of the dim sum stall next door. The shriek of car horns was 
nearly constant from the moment we stepped foot off the train at 8am – cars, busses, mopeds, anything with wheels really, does not halt for a pedestrian or even slow down, rather just honks until you pick up the pace to a sprint in order to evade the oncoming vehicles. Needless to say a few close calls for our gang of wandering newcomers, fresh from Victoria where cars usually travel 10km under the speed limit and will stop at the slightest glimpse of a crosswalk on the horizon! Although there is a coating of grime and smog on everything in Hong Kong, there was much less filth and trash than I expected for such a massive place. Also surprising was the amount of English – most billboards and signs were written in dual languages. Even the dim sum restaurant we ate at for lunch (deliciousness!!) where almost none of the staff spoke English, had a menu with English subtitles. Talk about a global community. Although brief, our visit to Hong Kong was a fantastic experience and eye-opening – never will I complain again about anywhere in “downtown” Victoria being too busy. After a full day of exploring, our jet-lagged bodies welcomed the journey of ferry, train and then plane onto our final destination of Penang, Malaysia. Nearly 30 hours after our initial departure, we arrived in Penang safe and sound yesterday, welcoming a full day of sleep! It has been a whirlwind of a beginning to the summer adventure and I can’t wait to embark on the remainder of our journey!
Great start to your Blog Alexis! I look forward to reading more... remember, I am living vicariously!
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