July 24: Hong Kong
We flew into Hong Kong this afternoon and proceeded uneventfully past the health team taking every passenger's temperature with remote thermometers. It’s good to be here. Honk Kong is very much a Chinese city despite the years of British rule. But, because of that history, it is also easier for us to be on our own. The subway is modern, clean, easily negotiable ... and equipped with very accessible western toilets. (By now such facilities are not taken for granted). The employees are friendly and speak English. During non-rush hours a passenger gives Jen his seat. During rush hour it’s not too different from the New York subway.
Although it is a crowded jumbo sized city, it also has an "open" feel as a consequence of its geography: the green hills, the ocean and, most of all, clear skies and puffy white clouds not seen since Tibet. This is a center of international commerce with a skyline punctuated by many skyscrapers dedicated to finance and trade. It is one of the world’s great ports; a place where a large proportion of the containers that reach our shores are loaded and shipped. (It is also a place where
contraband e-waste from the U.S.A. is illegally unloaded from these same containers to further poison China's land, water and air).
A panoramic view of Hong Kong is impressive by day and dramatic by night. To capture this city photographically in a unique way would require stalking it for a long time. We only have a couple of days.
These are three pictures which I took. Since one can literally see thousands of similar photos on line, I post them mainly to share how I briefly experienced this modern metropolis. I attach a link to one of many anonymous panoramic shots. This one, taken from Victoria Peak, where I took the two night photos, provides a good contrast to them.
