For the second day of classes one of the things that really stuck out to me was challenging the fact of whether or not we can truly compare Hong Kong to the rest of the world as a country and more like a city instead. As obvious as it seemed to me at the moment, considering the small size of Hong Kong, it was something that hadn’t really crossed my mind until today’s class.
After class, our group used the LightRail for the first time. I’m continuously being both really impressed and confused by the many different modes of navigating the city. I’m still not sure when one would use one mode over the other, seeing as the MTR and bus service definitely seem to cover a lot of land, but trams and things like the LightRail exist and are used. They’re all very quick and efficient as well.
After lunch our group split and so Haley, Keileh, and I went into Central in an attempt to find some local artwork. It took some time to get there, but was very worthwhile since the area itself seemed like a very unique part of Hong Kong. We went to Hollywood to the PMQ (Police Married Quarters), which used to be local housing for those in the police force or those who were of rank. This building was now used as half-mall, half-museum and artwork surrounding the building’s past. The area around seemed very popular among foreigners because we definitely saw a large population of them surrounding the area. One of the interesting things is that we accidentally walked into a temple, Man Mo. It was quite the experience, full of incense and honoring two major deities.
I’ve loved exploring Hong Kong so far, and am definitely becoming more accustomed to navigating the city. I have also picked up a bunch of new, favorite snacks– sesame balls that seem to be fried balls with sesame on the outside, and a gelatinous rice-based filling. The second is an egg tart that Keileh introduced to me. Hong Kong most definitely fulfills its reputation of delicious food!