Thursday, May 31, 2007

Taiwan vs Hong Kong

One of my Taiwanese friends once said that she didn't like Hong Kong very much because it was just like Taiwan. There's some truth to that. There are many ways that they are similar. When I walk out my door, I am inevitably sucked into a giant mall.

Hong Kong, or where I'm at, really is a giant upscale mall full of things that I can't really afford. Which is ok as far as it goes, but it only goes so far, you know what I mean. I went to a museum, and a reconstruction of a nunnery. Those were fairly cool.

That said there are some ways in which it's different. Hong Kong is a lot more cosmopolitan and multiethnic. People here don't bat an eye to see foreigners. And also the weather is much better, not so goddamn humid.

I said before that I only knew Hong Kong from the movies. But you probably shouldn't take the movies all that seriously. If I did, I would have come expecting men in black suits shooting the crap out of each other. However, if one took the movies seriously, I would have just come from a place where people live in sculptural urban isolation and make out with watermelons.

Anyway, tomorrow I'm off. I have my visa and bought my 24 hr. train ticket to Beijing. Hopefully my stuff doesn't get stolen.

1 comment:

Jeff said...

I envy you quite a bit right now... I've been stuck in the boring midwest for such a long time.