Waking up today to go visit the Hong Kong Monetary Authority was much easier than prying myself out of bed yesterday. Before the trip I took a quick walk around the forested area surrounding campus. What immediately struck me was just how different the environment is here. Mountains riddled with trees reach for the heavens next to the faded pastel of the Fu Tai Apartments. Apart from one another these encapsulate nature and humanity; yet they exist side by side marrying the two rivals. I don’t really have that much experience in larger cities, but to me the integration of environment and the urban sprawl of Hong Kong is impressive.
The trip to the Monetary Authority was pleasant and informative, but I am still not sure why they have multiple banks issuing currency – as an American with a central banking system this seems odd to me. Regardless, we learned about the history of currency in Hong Kong and security features of modern bills. We all left content and hungry, so we decided to go get some congee. This Congee was amazing, with slivers of ginger and sliced pork that literally melted in my mouth. I’ve had congee before, but I guess I’ve never had CONGEE before – and this stuff was CONGEE. After that meal we meandered our way back to Tuen Mun for the Yan Oi Tong presentation, where the nuance and mission of Hong Kong NGO’s was put into perspective. Afterwards a few of us ate “baby spicy” hot pot that was anything but “baby spicy”. And now it’s time to turn in for the night to digest and reflect.
