1. Arriving in Guangzhou after a 40 hour train ride was... difficult. I was exhausted, smelly, unable to communicate with anyone, and incredibly frustrated. Thankfully, within a couple of hours I was on a quiet, clean, and spacious bullet train to Hong Kong. I love bullet trains... this felt like heaven.
2. My joy was made complete after arriving at HKUST, taking a shower, and finally having a bed that was not only not on a moving train, but was also far enough away from the ceiling so I can sit up in bed. Its the little things.
3. There are restaurants, coffee shops, and malls EVERYWHERE! It is kind of glorious. At any given moment, I have access to caffein, air conditioning, and all kinds of food. One thing I've really missed in past trips to the mainland is having access to a variety of cuisines. The ability to eat authentic and local Chinese food AND tacos AND Pad Thai AND hipster salads AND Italian pasta AND fusion food is amazing.
4. While I came here knowing that Cantonese is the main dialect, I wasn't expecting Cantonese to be so completely incomprehensible, Mandarin Chinese to be so little spoken, and for English to be so wide spread. Locals (with the major exception of cab drivers) are very likely going to be able to speak excellent English.
5. If you need to interact with someone who doesn't speak English (or Mandarin) always fall back on pointing, body language, smiling, and laughing. Even if you don't get your point across, you will at least make a positive (if strange) impression.
6. You can usually guess at how wealthy someone is by their watch. No one has cars, apartments are small, so lots of wealthy Hong Kong natives spend a significant amount of money on watches and jewelry. On campus, backpacks and shoes usually are a good proxy.
7. While the library on campus is nice for quick study/AC breaks, the Central Public Library is absolutely stunning. It is centrally located, near a subway (MTR) station, has lots of books, computers, magazines, tables, seats, and outlets! Best of all, if you are like me, it is almost completely silent, despite being very busy.
8. The subway! This is, hands down, the best public transportation system I have ever experienced. While I do wish that the buses that connect the campus to the city ran more frequently, the subway is flawless... even during rush hour.
9. At first, I wasn't sold on Cantonese food. But I think that had more to do with the poorly prepared cafeteria food than the cuisine itself. Out it the city, I am overwhelmed by all of the amazing smells and foods that I want to try.
10. However, I have found some unexpected (and rather unpleasant) surprises. On campus there is a cafeteria that lets you choose what ingredients to put into a bowl of noodle soup, and usually I order a handful of fish balls, some zucchini, some bok choi, and maybe some tofu. Except, I don't know any Cantonese... so I usually point at the small sample displayed on the counter. Unfortunately, I didn't point at the fish balls (which are like ping pong balls, small and white), I pointed at the cheese balls. In my defense, they look nearly identical, except for the small orange speckles. But they definitely don't taste the same.
11. Hong Kong milk tea is significantly less sweet than the Taiwanese milk tea (with tapioca pearls) served in the mainland. I'm guessing the British influence has something to do with this.
12. Paying for things with coins is weird. I am constantly forgetting about my coins, and now I have a pretty good stockpile. Hong Kong has a different currency than the mainland, and so they issue different bills and coins, which seem to be (surprise!) modeled after British currency.
13. One more colonial leftover: they drive on the left side of the road! I am always forgetting about this, and looking the wrong way before crossing the street. Fortunately, the Hong Kong city planners have prepared for foreign tourists by helpfully panting "Look Left" or "Look Right" on nearly every crosswalk.
14. Hong Kong covers a relatively small, mountainous area, so everything is built vertically instead of horizontally. There are lots and lots of stairs and elevators to navigate every day.
15. People actually wait in lines here! It is amazing, one of those small things that I didn't really appreciate before.
16. No one pays any attention to me! I'm not called out, no one stares, and I have yet to hear anyone call me a lao wai.
17. This is a fantastic city to explore on any budget, but it is very easy to go over budget. I'm trying hard to be aware of my own limits... and avoiding most of the cool stationary stores or yarn stores around town.
18. There is so much to see and do here! I've been "station hopping", i.e. picking a random subway station, getting off, and exploring new neighborhoods. Thus far, I've covered a lot of central Hong Kong Island and a bit of Kowloon, but I hope to begin venturing out into the New Territories this weekend.
19. Monsoons are pretty common this time of year, so the weather seems to jump from beautiful, sunny and warm, to pouring rain and wicked winds pretty quickly. You need a good rain jacket or a sturdy umbrella to stay dry.
20. I've also begun switching over from using my nice (but bulky) camera to my iPod. Logistically, in a city as crowded as Hong Kong, this is easier. I also want to try and make a point of distinguishing myself from the tourists. I enjoy doing tourist-y things, but I also want to be respectful of the others around me as I begin venturing out into less well-known areas. That being said, feel free to follow me on Instagram and take a more informal view of the city.
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