Taichi by the harbour

Exactly how many more "unique-to-Hong-Kong" experiences I can have, I'm not sure. But this morning was definitely one of the coolest. The Hong Kong Tourism Board puts on these free tai-chi classes, designed purely for the tourists, that are held at various locations around Hong Kong. The instructor speaks English, the moves are basic, but the locations are stunning. This morning's session was held at the Avenue of the Stars, sort of like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but capturing the handprint's of Hong Kong's iconic movie industry (sample above). The Avenue of the Stars is nice, but the clincher is its location across the harbor from the Hong Kong skyline.

So my friend Dan and I showed up bright and early and were definitely not disappointed. Although I cannot say that I'm in shape, I felt that tai-chi was going to be easy to practice given its slow, rhythmic movements and gently hypnotizing moves. Of course, I underestimated how out of shape I was because my leg muscles were really sore afterwards. I should have known better from my own experience with martial arts - one uses muscles that one never knew they had, in ways those muscles were never intended to be used.

The session lasted 90 minutes, and it was easy to get lost in the moment - there was a gentle breeze, ferries plowed the bay, skyscrapers towered in the distance, and there I stood in a tai-chi stance called Plucking the Needle from the Ocean Bottom (I'm not making that up.) Priceless.

Once we were done, our instructor and a couple of his students were kind enough to show us more complex moves, including a routine involving the Chinese fan. Dan caught a great picture below.


It's activities like these that rekindle my interest in karate again, and I end up getting angry at myself for having neglected it for so long. Granted, I have the MBA "I'm too busy for anything else" excuse to fall back on, but that's just weak. I need to make more time for these things again, especially Aikido, which I fell in love with when I trained in it before the MBA. With enough practice I should soon end up looking like this dude...

Around the world in three hours

Depending on which guidebook you read, or which website you visit, you get differing takes on the town of Shenzhen, situated on mainland China just across the border from Hong Kong. The best way I can summarize these reviews is to say that it felt like I'd be visiting the Chinese equivalent of New Jersey. Those of you who have been to NJ know what I'm talking about.

So it came as a surprise when I got off the train and was greeted by a modern downtown with clean streets and a gleaming subway system. There were the expected number of highrises and expensive shopping malls, and in general things didn't look too shabby. It was also obvious that I was back in China proper. English was a luxury again, touts were out hunting for anyone who looked like a foreigner, and pork was sprinkled generously on all food items, including dessert.

Having lost my guidebook on the train ride over, I suggested to my friend Dan that we head over to the nearest hotel concierge and pretend to look like guests asking for the day's recommended activities. The ruse worked like a charm, and after grabbing some food we were off to see Window of the World.

Again, perhaps due to everything I'd read, I had low expectations and was simply looking to spend the day in Shenzhen before heading back to Hong Kong. However, this interesting theme park was a joy to wander, and the steep ticket price (roughly US$15) was totally worth it. The park's objective, it quickly became obvious, was to display the world's greatest monuments in miniature form. Cheesy you say, but not when you're actually there. For an avid traveler, a place like this is a dream come true. Where else are you going to see the Taj Mahal and the Lincoln Memorial on the same day?

The really bizarre effect the park had was not of the accurate replica of everything you've ever wanted to see, but of seeing these replicas next to each other. You'd be standing beside a faithful replica of the Sydney Opera House, and be looking across a body of water at the streets of Venice. Or you'd find yourself walking the grounds of Easter Island, and look across the way to admire the distinctive Manhattan skyline (with the Twin Towers still intact). Surreal. My friend Dan took the shot below of the Great Pagoda in Burma with the Eiffel Tower in the background. (The Eiffel Tower, by the way, was a 1/3 replica of the real thing, and towered over everything else in the park.)

Then there were other fun picture moments, such as when I came across a kid playing with some ants, while behind him loomed Ayer's rock in Australia. The actual rock monolith is 350 metres tall, but somehow I felt that if this kid's ants started climbing the replica rock, that he'd climb right along with them and be at the top in no time.

Ah, Paris. I've always wanted to go, and now I don't have to.

Just in case we forgot our history, the park threw in the dinosaurs as well, which I guess could be considered ... monuments?

But the craziest item in the park was the the replica of Mont Blanc, which had been hollowed out inside, and set up with a real-life ski slope. Yes, tropical China has now committed the same folly that Dubai has with its indoor ski-slope.

The real amusement came from looking at the Chinese tourists, who had obviously never skied before, don snow gear over their shorts and t-shirts and then try to master stopping techniques as they careened down on their skis and snowboards. It's always easy to make fun of people from behind a glass wall.

With all the unexpected fun that we had at the park, Dan and I were quite tired by the time we returned to the border. Still, I had promised Saeeda I would pay a visit to the famed shopping complex called LoWu Commercial City (a massive mall) to pick up some "cheap" designer bags for her. I can't really convey what this place was like, other than to say it was the chaos of an outdoor bazaar tightly confined within the walls of a mall.

1,500 tiny stores (I'm not joking about that number) were stuffed into ever corner, and sold everything from dinosaur eggs ("authentic, real, come look, look - special price for you!") to risque underwear, to knock-off designer wear. Aggressive keepers hunted for tourists, grabbing you by the sleeve to show you the latest knockoff watch. Touts exclaiming they had the best DVD collection would basically assault you as you came off an escalator. It took a while to get used to, but eventually I just started using Dan as a shield everywhere I went.

The irony of the police walking the avenues of the mall was not lost upon us, especially because there was not one authentic item on sale anywhere. If you want to understand the frustration of international brands when they point to the blatant copyright infringement that occurs in China, you need only to come to Shenzhen. At one point Dan decided that he wanted to pick up some DVDs, and the closest shopkeeper to Dan pounced on him and led him (and therefore me) to a back store tucked away behind shuttered shops. Once we were inside, the shopkeeper closed the shutters for our store as well, radio-ed someone and began showing us catalogs of movies, some of which weren't even out in US theaters yet.

Once Dan had picked out the movies that he wanted, our man would radio someone, and a slab would open up in the ceiling, from which would drop the requested DVDs. It was bizarre - you couldn't see who was doing the dropping, or why it had to be the ceiling. Wouldn't a panel in the wall be more convenient? I can't believe that the police patrolling the place have no idea this goes on. Once the purchase was complete, there was a flurry of radio communication, shutters were cautiously opened, and we were escorted back to the main escalators (good thing too, because I don't think we'd have made it back on our own).

Not to make it sound like Dan was the only one who bought fake things. I did my own part to exert downward price pressure on the accessories of the rich by picking up leather goods and some Gucci wallets. My bargaining skills have improved since I've been in China, and I made out quite well. I'll leave out the exact details in case I need to give one of you a gift sometime in the future - I wouldn't want you to think that I would ever pawn off a fake product on you. Just know that I left with enough designer goods to make it look like I have a job on Wall Street.

Incomprehensibly frustrating ticket agents

Saeeda left today. The whole day was gloomy to begin with, because I was going to be bored out of my mind once she left. I guess I can rely on some of the other exchange students to become my travel buddies, but there is only so much silliness I can engage in with other adults before they decide I'm best left alone. Saeeda seems to have wondrous reserves of patience when it comes to my childlike behavior. What's going to happen when I have no adult supervision?

But the day was made maddening by the actions of the Cathay Pacific gate agents. Let me start by saying that I love the airline. It's taken us all over Asia and we've had a great experience with them. Until today.

We rolled up at the ticket counter with two bags to check-in for Saeeda, as well as a roll-on hand luggage, and a backpack on Saeeda's back. The agent informed us that our hand-luggage was overweight after weighing everything, and told us that we could stuff some things into the bags we were checking in, because they still had some room. So we do the desi thing and pull away to the side to open up our suitcases for the world to see while we shuffle things around. Once done, we check in Saeeda's two bags and head off for the security gates, where Saeeda is promptly stopped.

Apparently her roll-on luggage is too big to be allowed on the plane. We know something is wrong because a) we have a combined 10 years of consulting travel between us, and know exactly what fits in the overhead bin; b) the ticketing agent never stopped us when issuing our tickets; and c) because Saeeda is being stopped before she even gets to the security line.

Still, no amount of pleading gets us anywhere, so we return to the ticket counter to ask them to do something for us (issue us a note, perhaps?). The same ticketing agent that has helped us now sees Saeeda's backpack, and says that we have too many things. We can't believe our ears. Not only do we not have too many things, but I point to Cathay's luggage policy, which is lying in the form of a flier on top of the ticketing counter. Here, it clearly states that passengers are allowed one hand-luggage, and in addition, either a purse, backpack, garment bag, etc.

I can't begin to tell you how frustrating the next twenty minutes were. Nothing we said, I mean nothing we said could convince the gate agent, nor her supervisor, that we were following Cathay's stated policy. For some reason, we now had an "extra bag" in our possession, even though I have no idea how the ticketing agent hadn't noticed Saeeda's bag in the first place. Held hostage like this, and with no other option (my silky smooth voice nor my negotiating tactics helped), I had to pay an "excess bag" fee, not to be confused with "excess baggage" fee (the latter is actually much cheaper if you're not too far over the weight limit, which we weren't). After shelling out over US $100, and saying goodbye to Saeeda, I fumed back home. This was not over.

When 2,000 people want to go on the same ride

Hong Kong has two theme parks it boasts of. One is Disneyland, which is a newcomer of obviously American origin, and still has not been embraced by the local population. One of the reasons that people aren't flocking to Disneyland Hong Kong is because the confusion Chinese families face when confronted with the local version of the Magic Kingdom. Most Chinese families don't care to go on the rides and will spend their entire time strolling up and down Main Street, browsing the stores, posing with the characters, and stopping off to get bites to eat. Apparently the way Disney approaches its theme parks doesn't work in an environment where the family enjoys the park as a unit. It makes no sense to the Chinese to have the children go running off to do their own thing while the adults do theirs. Yet another reason to get to know your customers.

The other theme park in Hong Kong is Ocean Park, which is a local favorite. Located on the south side of the island, Ocean Park has been in operation for 30 years now, and continues to draw large crowds. Because we wanted to avoid these large numbers (especially after having experienced the crowds of Mong Kok), Saeeda and I decided to visit the park on a weekday. Smart idea, we thought, because all the kids would be in school. Not quite. We didn't realize that the Chinese New Year holiday extended well into the week, and that schools would remain closed for another few days. The result? See below.

It is one thing to face these crowds in a city, where you know that once you reach your destination you will eventually be ok. People will peel off one by one until you are safely where you need to be. But in a theme park, you are in a caged container. The more people that pore in, the denser the crowd gets. There is no releasing the pressure.

Crowds had never bothered me until today. As an example, I left Saeeda sitting at the Dolphin Show to get a bite to eat for us. The show wasn't supposed to start for another 45 min. and I decided to head for - what else - the McDonald's in the park. Getting there, however, meant slogging and hacking my way through a crowd such as the one above. Once at the fast food outlet, I then had to stand in a 40 min. line (I would have gone elsewhere but trust me when I saw McD's was the most appetizing thing around). Once I had the meal, I had to slog back to the venue where Saeeda was sitting. The whole thing took an hour, and because the show had started already, the attendants had locked the gate and refused me entry. Part of the reason, I think, was to hold back the hordes of people that were trying to get in, despite there being no seats left in the place. I had to put on my best authoritative, British English accent to be let through. No sooner had I sat down, though, that the show ended. Arrgh.

To be honest though, this was the best behaved crowd I've ever been part of. Although it took forever to get from point A to point B, and inevitably entailed a ridiculous wait for a ride once you were at your destination, not once did I hear an angry curse word or see a frustrated face. This has to be something to do with the Buddhist mentality.

The funny thing was that the scariest rides, such as the fastest rollercoasters, had the shortest lines. Apparently, none of the adults wanted to go on these rides, and it would just be the kids (and us goofy adults, of course) waiting around to get on the things. The longest waits were for the attractions that the whole family could enjoy, such as the Dolphin show, the cable car rides, the train around the park, and the aquariums. Again, this goes back to what Disneyland had't completely figured out when it opened its park - in Asia, it is the family unit that matters the most.

I have to admit, the day was enjoyable, despite the crowds. I also left with a newfound respect for all the queueing theory that goes into the theme parks in the US, as well as a longing for the crazy rides that can only be found state-side. Asian rides are tame by comparison.

Pretend fireworks

So the Chinese new year festivities continue, and everyone gets the week off. Although our friends had scared us into thinking that Hong Kong would become a ghost town, and that we should stock up on milk, water, spare batteries and duct tape, it turns out that things aren't that dire. Stores remain open (and crowded), the public transportation system continues to hum along, and the only difference that we can tell is that you get elbowed in the gut only half as much as normal when you try to squeeze yourself out of a subway car.

The big event today was the fireworks show over Hong Kong harbour, so as duty-bound tourists, Saeeda and I headed down to the water to watch the spectacle. I've attached a picture below.

Isn't that a great picture? Yeah, exactly. For one, it was foggy. Second, it was drizzling. Third, the wind was blowing straight for us, which meant that the smoke from the fireworks hit us directly in the face.

All in all, it made for the sorriest fireworks display I'd ever seen. Mother Nature just didn't feel like cooperating.

Kung hei fat choi!

My repertoire of Cantonese words has increased 33% recently. Other than being able to say "hello", "thank you", and "please stand back from the doors" (if you ride the subway enough here, you're bound to pick this up), the latest thing I've learned is Happy New Year! ("Kung Hei Fat Choi!")

The Chinese calendar is a lunar one, and this week marks the start of the Year of the Pig. Everywhere you look there is marketing material with a pig on it. We were in a McDonald's the other day and noticed that even the menus had little pigs drawn on them. How appropriate.

But the week of the new year here is like Thanksgiving in the US. Everything shuts down completely for at least two days, and everyone and their mother get on a plane, train, or automobile to head back to the family. I've been noticing that the area around my apartment has become easier to walk through the last couple of days, and that there will be the odd seat available on the subway system when usually there are none. Classes of course, have been moved so that all the students can head back home for the week.

With no real desire to travel abroad given our recent adventures, Saeeda and I decided to stick it out in Hong Kong and experience the Chinese new year here. Although there are different activities for each day of the new year week, today's was the one we had been looking forward to the most - the new year day parade in Kowloon.

Having become accustomed to the crush of people that live on this tiny island, Saeeda and I decided to head out to Kowloon (the location of the parade) two hours before the event itself. But of course, two million other people had the same idea, so by the time we got to the parade route, there was very little space to be found. Still, we made ourselves comfortable and didn't worry too much given our height advantage. Never has my height been made more obvious to me than my stay in Asia. It's not just that I'm taller. I actually sometimes feel like I'm floating above a sea of heads (especially on a crowded subway car). The parade route was no different.

Although things were a little late to start, the atmosphere was festive. The parade itself was fun, although probably not the best parade I've seen. Still, the novelty of it all, along with the excitement of the crowds all rubbed off, and the experience was enjoyable. I've embedded the video that I grabbed with my digital camera - you have to pardon the poor camera work (moviemaking is not my forte), but some of the highlights are interesting. Such as the Arizona Cardinals cheerleaders halfway through the parade.

Because nothing says to me Chinese New Year more than the Arizona Cardinals cheerleaders...

The best classes in business school

I haven't written much about the classes I'm taking here at HKUST (yes, amidst all the traveling and goofing around I am indeed taking classes here). When I first signed up for this academic term at HKUST I was a little disappointed, especially because the selection was a little lacking. Of course, I was used to the class selection at the GSB, where you need three different spreadsheets just to track the various courses, and where bidding for classes takes a good chunk of a supercomputer's processing time.

Despite the lack of selection, I ended up with four classes that have worked better than I imagined. Although two of them (International Management and Managerial Decision Making) are "soft classes" that I don't particularly care for, the other two have quickly found a place on my "Top Classes I've Taken During My MBA" list. That's saying something, especially when you consider the "rock-star," future Nobel prize winning professors I've had the good fortune to study with.

The two HKUST classes that I mention are "Investment and Finance in China" and "Politics and Socioeconomic History in China" - boring in name only. The first is taught by an American professor who has a ridiculous amount of experience doing business in China - not only is the course material informative, but his war stories are the best.

The other class has been a complete eye-opener. With a title like "Politics and Socioeconomic History of China" I would have expected a laundry list of dates and facts thrown at me. Instead, not only has this class revealed my ignorance of all things Chinese, but it has given me a whole new viewpoint by which to examine the cultural backdrop to China's emergence on the world stage.

I have to admit that I was arrogant enough to think that because of my travels that I had more knowledge than the average joe regarding China. While that may be true, I'm coming to understand that I'm not that much better off. Were Winston Churchill alive today, he would no doubt use the same definition for China that he used for Russia in his time: "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." However, my classes, and the subsequent cultural immersion, has me seeing the big picture for the first time.

If only everyone had the opportunity to step into the unfamiliar and learn from the experience. Study abroad rocks!

Approving your lobster before eating it

One of the smaller islands that comprise the greater Hong Kong area is Cheng Chau, easily reached by ferry from downtown Hong Kong. The hour long ride to get there was worth it, since Cheng Chau is a micro-Asian city with its own unique culture. Boat people ring the island, and spend most of their lives at sea, coming ashore only for supplies and some entertainment. This was apparent as our ferry started to dock at Cheng Chau, because we could see into many of the houseboats around us, where children played with dogs while the TVs blared in the background - the whole family carrying on about their daily lives on their boats, balancing themselves perfectly in time to the motion of the sea.

But of course, the first establishment you see as you exit the docking area is ... McDonald's. Of course.

Navigating wasn't a problem, as the Hong Kong tourism board has done a fabulous job of posting signs and maps everywhere. Wandering along the boardwalk for a little bit, we veered inland towards a major temple on the island. It was interesting that this temple's forecourt consisted of a court of another kind entirely - a basketball court. Although I wanted to shoot a game of 21 with the locals, Saeeda was more interested in sightseeing, so I had to defer to her.


A little more wandering brought us to a trail that hugged the coastline, but took us up into a higher elevation. The views were beautiful, but they were hampered yet again by the ever present haze. Near the city this haze takes on an ugly brownish tinge, so it is easy to claim it as smog. Here, however, on an island surrounded by the windblown ocean, it remained impossible to see far into the sea. I wonder if the area's geography has something to do with the pollution - perhaps exacerbating it somehow?

Our walk was pleasant, taking us not only through nature but through family life as well. We criss-crossed the town on narrow streets that were bordered by apartments. The doors and windows to these apartments were always open, and you saw families lounging around in the living areas, with children playing in the courtyards outside. Street hawkers sold vegetables outside hair salons that bordered neighborhood pharmacists, all sandwiched together tightly to the point that multiple conversations were easily shouted across from one establishment to another. Life, to say the least, moved at a relaxing pace here, slow enough to make me wonder about going back to the pace of things back home (I do have to return to Chicago some day, don't I?)

Our stay in Cheng Chau concluded with a wonderfully fresh seafood dinner. We were reminded of how fresh, exactly, when we decided to order lobster. Not something we eat normally, at our outdoor restaurant this delicacy was listed at a mere HK$120. Our server went running inside before we had completed our order and came running back with a plastic bag. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do until she shoved it in my face, and I realized that the bag was moving. Inside was dinner, in the form of a lobster struggling to get out. I was a little taken aback - I had never stared my meal in the face before. Even though I knew how lobsters were prepared, I had never picked mine out. But our server wouldn't leave until I nodded my approval, which I did without knowing what else to do. How exactly does one check the quality of a lobster? Do you pinch its middle carefully? Visually measure the size of its claws?

The meal did not disappoint, and I quickly forgot about my close personal encounter with my food. May our lobster's soul rest in peace.

Tapas in Hong Kong

The exchange students here with me are great people, and it has been fun getting to know them better. There is the usual mix of party animals, intellectuals, and comedians, but all of them have traveled extensively and have some great stories to tell.

After one of our classes today we decided to head out for some food together at a local tapas restaurant. The food was great, and the company even better. The cool part about getting there was taking the world's longest escalator. Hong Kong in general has escalators everywhere in its subway system and its buildings, which makes sense because this is such a vertical city. But Hong Kong's solution to providing access to its elevated, mountainous region is to slap an elevated pedestrian escalator on itself. Now its residents don't have to climb inconvenient steps, they just hop on to an airport style escalator that conveys them from the lower part of the city to the higher part of the city. Simple!

A day of culture

Lantau island was exhausting, especially because we were gone all day yesterday and didn't get back home until very late. I woke up today feeling extremely lazy, and a few attempts at being active this morning convinced me that I'd be dragging for most of the day. Saeeda discovered that museum entry to the main Hong Kong museums was free on Wednesdays, so it was settled. Today would be a day of culture and education.

The first museum we decided to explore was the Hong Kong Art museum, which is situated on the southernmost tip of Kowloon peninsula and has stunning views of Hong Kong harbor. I'm not an artsy kind of guy, and we'd seen plenty of museums displaying Chinese art in Beijing and Shanghai, so I have to admit that my reason for visiting the museum was motivated by the free admission. There's got to be a business school lesson in there somewhere - is it possible to stimulate demand for a good that people wouldn't normally purchase, simply because it is free now?

But the visit was pleasant, made more so by the string orchestra that greeted us on our entry. Not only was it free admission today, but the Hong Kong symphony orchestra was performing pieces from Mozart and Tchaikovsky in the Art Museum's lobby. I've had plenty of disorienting moments on this Asia trek, and this one ranked up there at the top. Saeeda and I were in Hong Kong, at a Chinese art museum, listening to Mozart while in the background we had stunning views of one of the world's busiest harbor's. Sampans, junks, trawlers, tugs, and tankers moved gracefully in the background, almost as if they were timing themselves to the music, while far in the distance towers belonging to Samsung, Sony, HSBC and Citigroup gleamed in the sun. Only in Hong Kong.

The museum didn't take long to see, so Saeeda and I decided to maintain our day of culture and headed across the street to one of the most famous hotels in Hong Kong - the Peninsula. Claiming a long history of hosting the cream of the aristocratic elites of the area, the Peninsula is a glitzy place from the very beginning. Even before you enter the hotel, you have to navigate the fleet of Rolls Royce's parked outside. Incidentally, this is the largest privately owned fleet of RR's in the world, so much so that the Peninsula gets to customize each of its cars to its own specifications. The drivers attend special training, and the guests at this hotel get exclusive use of these beauties for transport to anywhere in Hong Kong - a city that is so extensively by ridiculously efficient mass transportation that owning a car is a folly. But when you have money, you have to spend it somehow, right?

Our stay at the Peninsula was confined to afternoon tea, which as it turned out, was overrated. Not that we're experts, or that we do this all the time, but we've had better tea in the US. I imagine one comes to the Peninsula for the name, and less for the quality of the meal.

I couldn't resist grabbing a picture with one of the cars outside upon leaving.

Discovering the Big Buddha

Hong Kong actually consists of several islands, the biggest of which is Hong Kong island, and happens to be where I'm staying. The other islands make for nice daytrips, so we decided to hit up the most talked about island in this area - Lantau, home of the Big Buddha statue.

Getting there is part of the fun, because you have to take a cable car ride up the mountain. Needless to say the views are pretty nice. However, my fear of heights kept me from appreciating the ride as much as I could have.


The Buddha status was erected relatively recently (around the 90's, I think), but is still an imposing structure, especially because it sits on such high ground and because of the relative solitude (rare in Hong Kong, as you can tell from two posts below).




We had started our daytrip a little late in the day, and realized once we got to the Big Buddha that we had missed the last cable car back down to the train station, which is where we needed to be to come home. A little desperate hunting later, and we realized that there were still a bus that we could take back, but that it would not leave for another hour or so. Which allowed us to explore a little more, and come across the real jewel in the area - the Wisdom Path walk.

This little trail took us meandering away from the Big Buddha statue towards even higher ground, where with the setting sun and new vantage point we were able to shoot off some pretty nice pictures.

Watching football at 7am

This will be a brief post to reflect the debacle that this SuperBowl represented. Basically, a bunch of us decided to hit up a local sports bar at 7am to watch the Bears get plastered. Snacks consisted of scrambled eggs, toast, baked beans, and orange juice. Not quite your typical tailgate fare. It was also a little strange walking around deserted Hong Kong streets (see my entry from yesterday).

It's a shame that the game was such a disaster for the Bears. I'm so happy that I'm a Redskins fan. Oh, wait, that's not a good thing either...

The true meaning of "population density"

You haven't experienced population density until you've been to Hong Kong. New York is fast, Karachi is teeming, London is bustling, but Hong Kong is just plain crowded. I don't have classes on Sunday, so Saeeda and I decided to take a walking stroll to better acquaint ourselves with the city we'll be calling home for the next few months. The first step in doing so was to get away from the glitz and glamour of downtown, where the high prices and concentrated population of foreigners ensure that you have to go elsewhere for the authentic "Chinese" experience.

Kowloon, however, is another matter. Situated north of Hong Kong island, Kowloon is the tip of the Asian peninsula that comes tantalizingly close to Hong Kong island. Kowloon is also where many of the locals live, and it makes for a fascinating walk. We started our journey at the Flower Market, which as the name aptly describes, is full of flower stalls and vendors. Here we saw the interesting "nipple fruit tree" ... once you see the picture, it makes sense

Located around the corner from the Flower Market is the Bird Garden. Not only are there rows of stores displaying brightly colored birds everywhere, but this is also where old men will bring their pet birds for display. This cockatoo took a distinct interest in my camera.


Continuing our trek across themed marketplaces, we next chanced upon the Fish Market, where, surprise surprise, were streets full of stores selling pet fish.

It was right around this time when I began to become aware of the immense press of humanity all around us. Actually, I'm surprised I was able to ignore it for so long, but perhaps the excitement of checking out new places had me distracted for a while. You can see from the few pictures I was able to snap from higher ground that there are people everywhere. Everywhere. Personal space is a non-existent luxury. Someone is either riding your butt, or you are riding theirs. For the US readers of this blog, picture Black Friday (the busiest shopping day of the year, falling after the Thanksgiving holiday), or perhaps New Year's Eve on Times Square. Now imagine that much crowding on an every day basis, and you begin to get the idea.

We survived the population crush intact to make our way back south towards the harbour, where we watched the Hong Kong skyline light up in the nightly Light Festival. Every night at 8pm all of Hong Kong's skyscrapers light up and blink in time to music that is piped through loudspeakers on a promenade called the Avenue of the Stars (Hong Kong's answer to LA's Walk of Fame).

I have to say that Hong Kong's skyline is beautiful. But although impressive, it doesn't compare in terms of breathtaking beauty with that of Chicago. That's right, Chicago. Eat your heart out NYC.

Faisal and Bruce Lee save the day

I've been absent for a week from the blogosphere, and my apologies for that. These last few days have meant saying goodbye to the languid lifestyle of a tourist, and getting ready for classes to start in Hong Kong.

Life here is expensive, even after the dollar conversion. The "apartments" are New York style cubicles, where one attempts to wedge themselves in as best as possible. Rents are sky-high, and there are people everywhere. To say things move at a fast pace here is an understatement. But despite the great population density, Hong Kong has amazing infrastructure that keeps it humming. Its subway system is one of the greatest in the world, and best of all, is idiot-proof (trust me, I've tested its limits). Its streets are spotless, and its entertainment and nightlife districts rival those of any cosmopolitan city in the world.

My time these past few days has been split between taking care of administrative details, and hanging out with my future exchange students. The latter has been facilitated by the university that I'm at - the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The name is misleading, because this place is not just a tech school, but has several highly regarded graduate academies. How yours truly snuck in remains a mystery.

Last Friday our MBA program organized a social outing where we got to tour Hong Kong while getting to know our fellow students a little better. The day was packed with sightseeing, including the Chi Lin Buddhist Nunnery, built in the Tang style of architecture that we saw while in mainland China:

Stanley Market (a popular street on the south side of Hong Kong island that looks like a boardwalk straight out of Europe):

And Victoria Peak, which is the highest point on the island. The views from here are stunning, if you can see through the pollution, that is. The picture at the top of the blog is from the Peak.

The exchange students that are here at HKUST are from all over the world, and are a cool bunch of people. Collin (big dude in red t-shirt below) is from Indiana U., and is quite the photographer. His equipment made my digital camera look like a disposable in comparison. Above are the some of the other exchange students: standing are Jacque from Guam (bet you've never met anyone from Guam before), Jameel from Florida, Alfredo from HEC in Paris, John from Manchester, Dan from Cornell, and Neil from Toronto; seated are myself and Steve from UNC. There are several exchange students that weren't at the orientation or in the picture above, but I'm looking forward to getting to know them better as time goes on.

The most important thing that happened on our trip today was a fight that broke out. These thugs came from nowhere and began pushing and shoving , and making rude comments about the ladies. That's when Bruce Lee and I decided to open a can of whup-ass...