From the top of Victoria Peak, to the evidence of the Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong was definitely a city like no other. A laser show at night, a maze of buildings in the day, Hong Kong still got away with amazing me even after traveling to so many different cities. It reminded me of San Francisco tangled in vines deep inside a wild jungle. All the streets curled around trees and streets went up and down like crazy to entwine with the trees growing there. We walked the most in this city over the short span of time we had there, but we at least got to see a ton of different things here. I wish I could list them all out to you but I have to stick with just focusing on the main things I saw!
This city was a mix of wonders that showed older Chinese temples but at the same showing off the urbanization going on around these old places of worship. For example, I climbed the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery to get a beautiful view of Hong Kong and to admire the various golden statues of the Buddha on the way up to the temple at the top of the mountain. I swear that I am not exaggerating when I say that every single statue was completely different from another. Each one had its own pose, facial expression, and size to resemble some sort of different emotion or meaning. To go see something a little different then all the temple visits, we travelled by bus to the Tian Tan Buddha, the big Buddha at the top of a mountain. On the way there, we made a quick stop at a fishing town called Tai O to check out the local life there. We decided to take a boat ride out into the waters to spot some pink dolphins while staying at the small town! As always, the dolphins were truly playful and got up close to our boat. When we got back to shore, we made our way back to bus that would take us further to see the big Buddha. Though, something stopped me in my path when I saw a shark hanging upside down in a fish market. It was specifically in a small medical booth with a ton of other dried sea creatures used for Asian medication. Being a shark activist, I was left heart broken due to the reminder of how many sharks are killed for the foolish concept of medication and the bizarre dish of shark fin soup. After all, Hong Kong is the top city for shark finning. If I could put a stop to it, I would.
Overall, my visit to Hong Kong was overwhelming with different emotions as I learned more and more about this outstanding city that seems to always be forgot for some reason. There is a great variety of food, a mix of different cultures, and the people there speak lots of English! That’s one big problem to avoid while exploring Hong Kong, so definitely relax and ask for as much help as you need there. Most of the people there are quite welcoming and will be glad to help you out to see their city!
Special notice: Please do not buy shark finned soup or promote anything for the shark finning industry. Sharks are being slaughtered by millions and are a keystone species in our oceans. Let this beautiful predator do its job and keep them safe!
