Western Living on the East Side

This place sits in the east, on the south  

part of China's coast.  I arrived after spending 3 weeks in Thailand. There were no expectations for this journey, after being surprised with the complexity of Thailand. It was dark and rainy at the Hong Kong International Airport.

You are probably wondering how I got here? My professors in Australia were under the impression I was attending a green energy conference. Nope.

As I was walking through the airport, official guards were scanning the arriving guests. White medical masks cover their mouths. The two little kids in front were immediately stopped. The temperature radar gun was lowered onto their forehead. This is to prevent disease from entering in the region.

The region is enclosed in the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea.  Many people automatically associate H.K. with being in China. However, it is a Special Administrative, or sovereign area where it is free to govern itself.

Hong Kong is the 3rd most important leading international financial center. It is the World's most vertical city. The apartment buildings look old and worn down but every room is occupied. All I could think was about the energy it takes to keep the building functioning.

H.K. is a clean city with a balance of beautiful nature on tall rolling hills and modern skyscrapers cohabitating on an island. H.K. was named a world city because it helps facilitate the global economy.

Ferry, train or bus will take you to anywhere you want. They get you there fast. Easy to navigate even though every sign was written in Cantonese.

My friend Joey lived on one of the 200 surrounding islands.  Lamma Island, or also known as Pok Liu Chau. It is the third largest and home to the electronic power station. It took two trains, one ferry ride and a long walk to get to his casa from the airport.

It was nighttime let me remind you. Tomorrow was really the start of my adventure.