SE Asia Part I: Hong Kong!

Most great adventures start with a simple catalyst.  In this case, it was Weng Hong leaning over a cubicle wall in the LGO lounge last spring and asking “hey man, want to run the Penang Bridge Half Marathon with me in Malaysia in November?”  At first I thought he was crazy and that there’d be no way for me to make it to Malaysia in the middle of the semester, but over the next couple months the pieces started falling into place that made the adventure possible:

1. The race fell on the weekend after the Veteran’s Day holiday, which combined with my class schedule this semester meant that I could get nine days off by missing only two days of class.
2. Albert and Xiaodi got internships with Li and Fung in Hong Kong, which meant that I had a natural stop-over point for a trip to Malaysia (plus an excuse to visit them and explore Hong Kong!)
3. I was able to trade some Alaska Airlines miles in for free tickets from JFK to Hong Kong and back, and the other flights were all very reasonable.
4. We added Albert as a co-conspirator to the whole trip

With everyone falling into place so serendipitously, I eventually got the point where I was all-in.  Albert and Xiaodi helped plan for the time in Hong Kong, and Weng Hong handled all the logistics for our time in Malaysia.  The only last-minute change was the addition of a quick trip to Vietnam to visit our G-Lab company (that'll be a separate post).

And so it was that I found myself last Friday boarding the 9^th-longest flight in the world, a non-stop from New York (JFK) to Hong Kong (HKG) on a very comfortable Cathay Pacific 777-300ER.  I ended up getting to JFK early, and was able to get on an earlier flight to Hong Kong by sitting in one of the last rows on the plane.  This turned out to be a great choice because I had the entire row to myself, allowing me to lie down and sleep for a good portion of the flight!

A different perspective of the world; en-route from JFK - HKG

               Fifteen hours later, I landed in Hong Kong, took the Airport Express train into the city, and met up with Albert to explore town.  We wandered along the waterfront of Kowloon, taking in wonderful views of downtown Hong Kong, before taking the train to the other side.  We took some time to visit the student pro-democracy protests in the Admiralty District.  It was a little surreal to see the scenes exactly as they had appeared on CNN, and so see how civil and organized the protesters were.  After that, we headed out to get delicious Dim Sum with some of Albert’s friends.  Xiaodi was in California for an interview, but her apartment worked out really well as a home base!

View of Hong Kong Island from Kowloon

Pro-Democracy Protests in Admiralty District

               The next day was my only full day to explore Hong Kong and the surrounding area.  I wasted no time and headed out for a morning hike up Victoria Peak.  Along the way, I met up with an Italian tourist from Turin and we swapped stories as we ascended the peak.  Even at 9am I could definitely feel the heat and humidity, and by the time I reached the top I was definitely a little winded.  Luckily there was a nice breeze at the top and the views of the city were amazing.  After a quick noodle and dumpling lunch, I headed back to town on the tram.   Then I walked around some of the downtown parks and eventually ended up at the waterfront ferry piers, where I boarded a ferry to Lantau Island.

Heading up Victoria Peak

View from the Top!

Getting ready to board the tram down the hill

Heading down the hillside (can't tell from the picture, but this was probably a 45 degree incline!

               The main attraction on Lantau is the giant Tian Tan Buddha statue and the Po Lin Monastery.  From the ferry terminal, it was about a 30 minute ride by bus to the area that contained both.  The Buddha itself was very impressive, towering nearly 10 stories over its base.  To get there, you must climb a long staircase to the top of the hill.  The climb is rewarded by fantastic views though!

Entrance to the Po Lin Monastery complex, with the Tian Tan Buddha on the right

Climbing up to the Tian Tan Buddha

View from the top, looking down towards the monastery

               What was even more impressive was the Po Lin Monastery.  Built in the classical Chinese style, the Monastery is a marvel of intricate details both inside and out.  Wandering through the grounds with the smell of incense hanging in the air was a truly remarkable experience.  Then just as I was getting ready to leave, I noticed a group of Buddhist monks starting to gather in the courtyard in increasing numbers.  After a few minutes, the group swelled to fill nearly the entire courtyard and I realized that they were lining up in some sort of formation.  Eventually the whole courtyard was filled and the monks started performing a prayer and ceremoniously entering the temple.  It turned out that there was a special ceremony going on that day, and I had witnessed the start of the process!

Incense in front of the monastery.  The smell was fantastic!

Colorful flowers to match the colorful buildings

Buddhist monks on procession

               After the Monastery, I headed back down to the ferry terminal and returned to downtown Hong Kong.  Then I met up with Albert again for another delicious dinner before calling it a day (the jet-lag was starting to hit me!).  The next morning I spent the time catching up on some e-mails and homework before heading back to the airport for the next stage of the journey: Vietnam!