All over SE Asia! Most recently: Hong Kong

The Peak, Hong Kong

Hello everyone!

Lots to catch up on since my last update — at the time I had just finished about 5 days in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Since then, I have been back to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, back to Thailand (Bangkok), went to Singapore, back to Malaysia (Penang) and right now I am on a plane from Hong Kong to Bangkok!

Hong Kong was... not what I was expecting. Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world (16,444 people per square mile or 6,349 people per square kilometer); as a result, it’s the second most expensive city in the world. People are everywhere! I have no problem with big cities (and will continue traveling to them), but this was my first time in a very densely populated place.

While there, I went to The Peak. The Peak is the top tourist attraction in Hong Kong, and I stood in a line for way too long to take the tram to the top, but when I got there it was clear why everyone does this. Looking down on Hong Kong is really cool! Hong Kong has the most skyscrapers (defined as a building with 14 stories+) in the world; double that of the city with the second most skyscrapers: New York City.

Hong Kong skyline

I also walked around and checked out some of the cool architecture. Lots of the residential buildings here are very colorful and photogenic. Fun fact: lots of buildings are multi-purpose (due to space limitations). For example, where I stayed, there were offices and apartments, all on the same floor!

There is a lot of money in Hong Kong. I saw a ton of Teslas here and lots of Ferraris, Porsches, and Maseratis. I have not seen this anywhere else in Asia.

Hong Kong seems to be the world capital of double-decker buses, at least outside of London. They are everywhere! If you are on a busy street and look in both directions you will see a minimum of a dozen double-decker busses. Imagine a city with an average fleet size of busses. Then double the fleet size. Or triple it. And then imagine they’re all double-decker. That’s Hong Kong. There are a lot of people that need to be transported! I am not a fan of buses, but here they actually keep their buses clean and they do not feel like a city bus at all. They also have double-decker trolleys. And the metro is fast and efficient (this is Asia after all).

Double-decker buses

This was my first taste of “China.” The people who live in Hong Kong do not consider themselves Chinese, but they’re still a part of China. I spoke to other travelers who told me HK is VERY liberal and western compared to mainland China, in regards to the culture. In Hong Kong, it was the very first time where I felt a little bit overwhelmed with everything going on. There are just a lot of people in a small space. It takes a bit of time to get used to everything. However, it won’t stop me from visiting China one day, so I look forward to whenever that happens. At the moment I’m a little hesitant to go just because of this slightly overwhelming experience, but realistically who doesn’t want to go to Yunnan? Or the Great Wall? Or Lhasa?

Chi Lin Nunnery

So much more to write… but really, you should just experience it for yourself. Let me know if you’re coming to Hong Kong and I’ll send you some tips!

Zach