Hello HK

2:30pm on a Sunday afternoon. This marks one full week in Hong Kong! I landed 7 days ago at a very rainy HKG right around this time in the afternoon. I seriously can't believe it's only been a week. What's funnier is that this time last week, I was dreading getting on the plane to HK because I did not want to leave Beijing. Friends, family, familiar places---I knew Beijing like the back of my hand and one month wasn't enough time to spend there in the capital city. I think I told everyone I knew that if I hadn't already paid for housing in HK, I would've conveniently missed the flight down. (Plus, Dad flew into Beijing on the day that I left [Hi Dad!], and I was bummed to miss his flight in by 5 hours)

Well......I stand corrected. Hong Kong is an unbelievably beautiful, stimulating, crowded, frenetic, humid, and exciting city spread out across different islands in a gorgeous harbor. I find myself constantly stopping in my tracks to look at the beautiful fluffy white clouds across the brilliantly blue skies. The gently sloping hills all over the island provide a breathtaking contrast to the hundreds of skyscrapers that are strategically yet haphazardly placed on these islands.


Hopefully, this gives you a better idea of what HK actually looks like. HK airport is right off of Lantau Island. I currently live on Hong Kong Island (most populated), right about halfway up the Peak. Kowloon has gorgeous bars and massive malls, along with a beautiful view of HK island's Central District (where most of the famous massive skyscrapers are.) I've yet to be out to the New Territories yet on this trip, but soon enough. So much has happened in the past 7 days that I have to rely on photos again to try to piece it together.



It was a fairly smooth flight down to HK despite the massive rainstorms that have been pummeling southern China. There have been many casualties due to flash flooding and landslides already, and I hope the Government has been able to quickly and efficiently send down the necessary supplies and man power. There was an option to take the MTR (HK subway) into HK Island, but I had two suitcases and I was feeling a little blah. Little did I know...it was due to the onslaught of a head cold that has kept me at half-energy all week. I hopped into a cab (no line!), and I was really amused that the driver was on the right side. Welcome to the British colonies!


Currency in Hong Kong is brightly colored like the mainland, and it seems like each denomination of bill is sponsored by a different bank, such as HSBC or Standard Chartered. Interesting choice, and I really want to do more research into it to see why it's structured in such a way. Here's a 100$HKD bill. The exchange rate is a bit lower than RMB, but it's easier to just do a rough 1:1 conversion in my head for USD.



The apartment I share with my wonderful roommate from Thailand is great and centrally located. I was a little hesitant to share a place because I am so used to living by myself, but like mom said, I was just lucky to get such an amazing place & view in HK (rather than a view directly of someone else's apt across the block). Above---pics of the view we have from our windows. Seriously, I stop at the windows everytime I look up just to soak in this view.

It's shaping up to be an exciting/busy summer already with friends from Harvard and New York that now live and work here in HK and also a huge number of Duke Law classmates. I'm a little tired from 5 weeks in Beijing because I think we went out every single night there as well, but you only live once right? I'm just pushing my body to see how sustainable this is. ;)

[Note: based on the fact that I spent the past 5 days on 4 types of cough medication, I'd say my body is asking for a little respite, but hopefully that's a fluke.]


We've gone down the hill every night for dinner or drinks. It's actually quite a fun/dangerous drive down the peak with sharp curves, single lanes, and random cars pulling out of basement garages and straight into traffic. In 7 days, there have already been 2 sharp run-ins with other cars. I prefer the front seat because of the view, so both times, I have had to reach out and physically brace myself for impact. In my myriad of summers in mainland China...I can count similar instances on a single hand. So...driving in HK...more dangerous? Taxi drivers, more impatient? Who knows. Doesn't stop me from taking taxis...

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The Landmark in Central. One of the billions of uber-swanky malls that HK has. I never thought that seeing Chanel, Ferragamo, and Tod's stores would be mundane, but after spending the previous month working at the (ridiculously luxurious) Shin Kong Plaza in Beijing---I am starting to get a little annoyed whenever I see another Burberry or Prada store. When I landed in Beijing, Maggie and I would go every so often just to see the new lines and pick out bags for ourselves that we'd buy once we achieved something big, like a summer return offer. But now, the thought of walking into another Chanel store makes me want to go to sleep. My goal for the next week is to actually seek out the different local markets that HK has to offer: Ladies' Street, Jade Market, Flower Market, etc. Expect pics.

Pretty Hong Kong. I love the hodge podge of architecture in this city. Colonial type buildings with either Georgian brick or marble slabs interspersed with very simple concrete block skyscrapers that are peppered with hundreds of individual ac units plus the glass skyscrapers down by the waterfront. Basically, everywhere you look in HK, there's a tall building.


I have to admit that whenever I look up, the skyscrapers have started blending together a little for me. I wonder if people ever feel suffocated here, especially in the financial district. But, then you just climb the peak a little and you feel like you've escaped from the shadows and you're back in the tropics...there are so many plants, trees, flowers, birds, butterflies (and mosquitoes) here...

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One of the best things about exploring a new city is that you never know what you're going to run into. Case in point, a larger than life model of Andy's bedroom from Toy Story to celebrate the release of Toy Story 3. (I WANT TO SEE IT SO BADLY!!!)

July 1st is the anniversary of the return of HK to the People's Republic of China. It's also a day when many HK residents take to the streets and either march for their cause or to rally against issues they believe the government is not responding adequately to. We drove by past a section of the protesters on July 1st. I read in the newspaper the next day that it was actually the lowest turn out in years due to HK's recent legislative vote to adopt various democratic reforms that have been debated for a long time now. Unfortunately, those reforms have also fractured the Democratic Party in HK. It will be interesting to follow what happens with this saga. HK is in such an interesting spot with the 'one country, two systems' form of rule that it has with the mainland. I have so much to say on that that but this blog is more meant for picture essays and random, inane thoughts. ;)

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We took a ferry over to Kowloon on July 1st to grab dinner and to catch the light show that goes on every night in Central. As someone who used to take the ikea ferry to Brooklyn on weekends just for the view, I was pretty excited to take my 1st HK ferry. The ride definitely did not disappoint.

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Here's the view from Aqua on One Peking Road, one of the nicer rooftop bars in HK. They had a Beijing outlet for a couple of years which only recently closed down. You could tell it was the same interior designer for both....extremely dark stairs only lit by small tea candles. ;) Great drinks, great company, nice music---all tied together with the gorgeous decor and unbeatable view.

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On a somewhat nerdy note, I like being able to pick up a paper copy of the South China Morning Post (SCMP.) I've been reading them online for a couple years now and I enjoy the random collection of SE asian stories and international features they have. I'll always prefer paper copies of newspapers to online links. One thing that I found amusing is the large section of legal announcements they have in the business section, from divorces to corporate firings to vendor licenses for selling ice cream by the pool.

After an afternoon of wandering around in that blah humid HK weather, I found a little Malaysian cafe and just relaxed with a diet coke and the SCMP. I think I spent most of time looking at the classifieds. This one below is fairly straightforward. There was another one from a company which wanted it to be public knowledge they fired one of their VP's and that he had "absolutely nothing further to do with their business." Haha...harsh.

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The following pictures are just going to be a random selection of things I find interesting around HK. No connecting thread, just pure stream of consciousness. ;)

I started looking into HK real estate prices a couple of days ago....yes, that's how much I enjoy this city...I'm definitely considering coming back here sometime soon. I had coffee with a former ML colleague of mine, Matt, who now works for Goldman Sachs in HK, and his stories about HK real estate make Manhattan look like child's play. This pic is of the entrance to an apt complex here on the Peak with its very own butler w/white gloves and para-military looking security guard. Average monthly rental for a 3 bedroom is $80,000 HKD. That's per month. So...approx $10,400 per month in USD. Moral of the story....if we want to live there, my husband and I better be doing quite well w/our careers.

The other night, a few Duke Law students took us to a very down home, local HK restaurant for dinner. The decor was really simple with white-washed walls and plastic table cloths, but the food was really authentic. I look forward to heading back there sometime soon.


The following pictures are just sightseeing shots that caught my eye. All in all, HK--you're beautiful and I'm having a blast. I look forward to the next 3 weeks here before we head off to Kuala Lumpur, Siem Reap, and Phuket!







This picture was taken last night of Pablo & Andy, in happier times. This was before the tragic 4-0 loss of Argentina to Germany. I feel pretty bad for Pablo because of how much love he has for his home country. He couldn't contain his excitement all summer in Beijing...hope he's doing ok today.

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Until next time. When in Asia...