Hong Kong Street

Hong Kong is an infinite city in which time passes silently. I might be tempted to compare it to New York upon seeing the enormous walls of LEDs defying the darkness, but these cities are as distinct as the hemispheres in which they are situated. While New York is a woman on a mission that is always running and attempting to arrive somewhere important, Hong Kong is a different woman, similar in appearance, but who walks calmly, without hurry. Both are interesting, beautiful, intelligent, and on the same path.

Hong Kong is a benevolent giant that allows you to stop and observe the people who belong to it. Hong Kong is a kind giant that takes you in on your first day. I still remember my first moments on that Pacific Island. I decided to take a bus to the apartment I had rented in the heart of the city center, and when I boarded the bus, I only had large bills. In this modern city, most things are purchased with an Oyster card that makes everything much easier, but I did not know this when I arrived. While I frantically searched my pockets for a few Hong Kong Dollars, a person behind me told me not to worry and paid my fare. I tried to pay them back with US Dollars, but they refused and then disappeared as if this gesture meant nothing, as if kindness was in their genetic makeup.

One of the peculiarities of Hong Kong is the exotic beauty that can be found in places that seem trapped in a time capsule, places like Chungking Mansion or the market on Haiphong Road, both located in the center of the metropolis.

If I have anything negative to say about my time in Hong Kong, it is that the summers are extremely hot and it was at times insufferable for someone like myself who doesn’t do well with extreme temperatures. However, the heat allowed me to discover the tranquility of the night, to walk the city in the early morning hours and explore the calm and sleeping giant.

I cannot count the number of times that people stopped to offer me help. I arrived like any nervous tourist and I left feeling nostalgic, promising myself to return one day and visit my friends…

+There are no comments

Add yours