Snapshots of Hong Kong. Part 1.

I have been in Hong Kong for almost 1 month now. These past 4 weeks have gone by very quickly as I've become acquainted with the cultural differences, new neighborhood, and the demands of my job. There is so much to see and so many things that stand out radically for someone that has never been to Asia before. Observe....

Chinese New Year!

Mini-orange trees were everywhere for the Chinese New Year. Often, they were decorated with red ribbons and small red envelopes. These trees bring good luck and the envelopes hold treats :)

Dragon and lion dances.

Bright night lights of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is an island, and therefore, shipping is a huge industry for this economy. You can see giant shipping vessels in the water all around the island. It's an extremely developed and industrialized country and green space within the city is hard to find. But there are huge National parks outside that offer beautiful views and trails.

No one told me Hong Kong is a foggy city. I'd like to think it's the moistness in the air... but I've also been told it's the pollution. Since I've been here, I've only seen the sun maybe 4 times (yes, once a week). 

Because the city can count on the fog to roll in when the night cools, there is a light show on the bay. The buildings were decorated for Chinese New Year which made the show even more festive. There's music playing over loudspeakers and green lasers pointed to the sky every night.

One of the quirkiest cultural differences I've seen in the city are the customs of the Indonesian immigrants. THOUSANDS of lady domestic workers congregate for picnics on the sidewalk every Sunday in my neighborhood. There is a phenomenon that many young female Indonesians are lesbians either because there is a lack of males in the Indonesian Hong Kong population and so they take on a male role or because homosexuals migrate to Hong Kong to be able to freely express their sexuality. Thousands of Indonesians sitting on the sidewalk dressed as boys is definitely an interesting sight.