I've been told that Halloween is a big deal here in Hong Kong. In New York, it's basically an excuse to dress quite scandalously in a costume and drink all weekend. Here in Hong Kong, they take it even further.
Halloween is celebrated in both the traditional (actually doing haunted scary things) and the yuppie way (partying). This weekend, I went to the Halloween Bash at Ocean Park in Aberdeen, Hong Kong. Ocean Park is an amusement park in Hong Kong that is actually quite fun and a good tourist spot if you ever come to Hong Kong.
People went ALL OUT. It's two weeks before Halloween and thousands people dressed in all sort of witches, ghosts, zombies, etc. participated in the highly popular bash. The haunted houses included a western version in the Museum of Terror and a eastern version in the Ghost of "Guangzhou", featuring different cultural difference on what is considered scary. Where there were spiderwebs in the western version, there were deadfishesin the eastern one. The blood and gore is universally present and in large quantities. What I found most scary was a ride called "Burned Alive", where you are placed into a coffin and move through a cave. There is no one in front of you so I have no idea what to expect. When the skeltons and ghosts are dropping on you from above and you trapped in the coffin and can't move because of the fire that's surrounding you outside, it is truly one of the scarier experiences I have been in. Coincidentally, the day I went to Ocean Park, New York Times Travel section did a piece on this expecting event.
http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/15/halloween-fun-at-hong-kong-theme-park/
The event illustrated that 1) Hong Kong is quite the most densely populated place ever and 2) labor is very cheap. For each of the rides, it is not out of the question to wait over an hour in-line. The lines move very efficiently so basically there were thousands of people waiting for each houses at a particular time. At 11PM, the amusement park is PACKED with people. The most popular attraction, Zombie Hunt, had a 2-hour line. 2) Inside the haunted houses, on the streets, anywhere in the amusement park, people are dressed up and their job is to follow you around and scare you. I must have encountered over 100 of these employees, whose sole jobs are to scare you. If labor wasn't cheap, there is no way the amusement park would spend such an amount of money where probably 20 people would have been able to create the same effect. Even when we are waiting in line, there are 5-10 people just directing traffic and the lines.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Homesick
Coming home to dc has brought me all these feelings that I did not anticipate. Many people thought it was crazy that I flew half way around the world for a wedding. However, given what has happened in hong king the past 2 weeks, this was a much needed break from the place. Everything here just had something about it that I needed to get away from.
With the memories still fresh, here are some fundamental differences that hit home during this trip.
1. Glamor. Hong Kong is so much more modern and glamorous than NYC or DC. No doubt at all. Even the airport is more upscale than Tysons Galleria, the most upscale mall in the Northern Virginia area.
2. Service. There are WAY more service personnel in Hong Kong than in America. Going shopping for a David Yurman bracelet was a way difference experience in US than HK.
3. Air. It is unbelievable how great it is to run outside in DC. The crisp, clean air that makes you want to be outside forever. Even on a good day, running outside in Hong Kong is hazardous to one's health.
4. Transportation. Everything was in cars/driving in US. Now, it's great that I got to ride in a sweet car to a countryside wedding this weekend. HK public transportation is the best I have ever seen. Trip back from the airport was fast, efficient, and comfortable.
5. Food. The calories in US is out of control. I think I gained 5 lbs this weekend.
6. Space. I got lost in my own townhouse in Virginia. I really liked being away from the crowds here. It's good where there's plenty of space and places to move in the US.
7. Football. The joy I experienced watching the Redskins-Packers overtime game and the cowboys-titans game was amazing. I would give anything to have football access (at a decent time) here. Alas, the 12 hour time difference ruins any possibility of that.
8. Credit Cards. It's good to be able to swipe your credit card everywhere again and not carry around loads of cash. And, they accept Amex everywhere. Score.
9. Customs. As a US citizen, it took me 1/2 hour to get through US customs (I shudder to think about the internationals). After being in Hong Kong for 2 months, the automatic booth let me in and out in about 5 minutes.
10. Friends. It's been too long.
Overall, I think Hong Kong and the US ranks pretty evenly with each other with its own pluses and minuses. However, I didn't realize how much I missed the US until I returned.
With the memories still fresh, here are some fundamental differences that hit home during this trip.
1. Glamor. Hong Kong is so much more modern and glamorous than NYC or DC. No doubt at all. Even the airport is more upscale than Tysons Galleria, the most upscale mall in the Northern Virginia area.
2. Service. There are WAY more service personnel in Hong Kong than in America. Going shopping for a David Yurman bracelet was a way difference experience in US than HK.
3. Air. It is unbelievable how great it is to run outside in DC. The crisp, clean air that makes you want to be outside forever. Even on a good day, running outside in Hong Kong is hazardous to one's health.
4. Transportation. Everything was in cars/driving in US. Now, it's great that I got to ride in a sweet car to a countryside wedding this weekend. HK public transportation is the best I have ever seen. Trip back from the airport was fast, efficient, and comfortable.
5. Food. The calories in US is out of control. I think I gained 5 lbs this weekend.
6. Space. I got lost in my own townhouse in Virginia. I really liked being away from the crowds here. It's good where there's plenty of space and places to move in the US.
7. Football. The joy I experienced watching the Redskins-Packers overtime game and the cowboys-titans game was amazing. I would give anything to have football access (at a decent time) here. Alas, the 12 hour time difference ruins any possibility of that.
8. Credit Cards. It's good to be able to swipe your credit card everywhere again and not carry around loads of cash. And, they accept Amex everywhere. Score.
9. Customs. As a US citizen, it took me 1/2 hour to get through US customs (I shudder to think about the internationals). After being in Hong Kong for 2 months, the automatic booth let me in and out in about 5 minutes.
10. Friends. It's been too long.
Overall, I think Hong Kong and the US ranks pretty evenly with each other with its own pluses and minuses. However, I didn't realize how much I missed the US until I returned.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Every Flight Out of Hong Kong is an International Flight
Hong Kong airport is a work of masterpiece.
First, the airport express from Hong Kong Station in Central is extremely fast. Much faster than cabs. it took 20 minutes from the station to the airport and it drops you right at the airport. Usually it would take an hour to get there by car. The best part is, you can check your luggage right at the MTR station so you don't have to carry your luggage around as you go to the airport. There are check in counters for every airline right inside the MTR station. You can even check in a day before. Smartest idea I have encountered in airport travel.
The airport itself is quite ridiculous as well. Because every flight out of Hong Kong is an international flight (given flying to China is considered international travel given Hong Kong is a SAR), its immigration process is extremely streamlined as well. Each Hong Kong ID has a chip in it. You put the ID into the kiosk, walk in, scan your thumb print, and you're done with immigration! No waiting in line, no stamping, no passports, nothing! It really reduces the time necessary for immigration by least half.
Inside the airport, given its all international, the amount of duty free and high-end shopping involved is no less than the IFC mall in Hong Kong. Cartier, David Yurman, Ferragamo, Versace... you name a luxury brand and the Hong Kong airport carries it. Again, this is a tribute to the amount of shopping and superfaciality Hong Kong exhibits. Even the airport is a shining reflection of the mentality of the its residents: efficiency and luxury for those who can afford it. My friend said something very wise about Hong Kong: "Hong Kong is designed by the rich for the rich. And it is very well runned for those who can afford it."
First, the airport express from Hong Kong Station in Central is extremely fast. Much faster than cabs. it took 20 minutes from the station to the airport and it drops you right at the airport. Usually it would take an hour to get there by car. The best part is, you can check your luggage right at the MTR station so you don't have to carry your luggage around as you go to the airport. There are check in counters for every airline right inside the MTR station. You can even check in a day before. Smartest idea I have encountered in airport travel.
The airport itself is quite ridiculous as well. Because every flight out of Hong Kong is an international flight (given flying to China is considered international travel given Hong Kong is a SAR), its immigration process is extremely streamlined as well. Each Hong Kong ID has a chip in it. You put the ID into the kiosk, walk in, scan your thumb print, and you're done with immigration! No waiting in line, no stamping, no passports, nothing! It really reduces the time necessary for immigration by least half.
Inside the airport, given its all international, the amount of duty free and high-end shopping involved is no less than the IFC mall in Hong Kong. Cartier, David Yurman, Ferragamo, Versace... you name a luxury brand and the Hong Kong airport carries it. Again, this is a tribute to the amount of shopping and superfaciality Hong Kong exhibits. Even the airport is a shining reflection of the mentality of the its residents: efficiency and luxury for those who can afford it. My friend said something very wise about Hong Kong: "Hong Kong is designed by the rich for the rich. And it is very well runned for those who can afford it."
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Tough out here
One of the toughest part of being far away from friends and family is our ability to cope through difficult situations. Always, something strikes us and the first people we turn to are our closest friends. For me, it has been very tough the past few days.
Something happened in my life that propelled me into a general state of sadness. While we don't need to go into why, it has been very difficult to cope. At least when I was in New York City, my friends and I were in the same time zone. I know the calls won't be dropping randomly. I don't need to wait until awkward times to speak to them. Here in Hong Kong, it makes it so much tougher. What's really tough is that there are few people here I can truly confide in. Even when I do confide in them, it is not the same. I feel I cannot be as free. I still hold back. There are some things I do not share, in fear of how they would judge me. On Wednesday night, at the time when I was in my deepest sadness, I could not think of a single person in Hong Kong I could talk to. Instead, I called my friend in DC. I know I would have felt much better to confide in person, but it was just not a possiblity in the realities of Hong Kong.
The toughest part of being so far away is missing the friends, family and support.
Something happened in my life that propelled me into a general state of sadness. While we don't need to go into why, it has been very difficult to cope. At least when I was in New York City, my friends and I were in the same time zone. I know the calls won't be dropping randomly. I don't need to wait until awkward times to speak to them. Here in Hong Kong, it makes it so much tougher. What's really tough is that there are few people here I can truly confide in. Even when I do confide in them, it is not the same. I feel I cannot be as free. I still hold back. There are some things I do not share, in fear of how they would judge me. On Wednesday night, at the time when I was in my deepest sadness, I could not think of a single person in Hong Kong I could talk to. Instead, I called my friend in DC. I know I would have felt much better to confide in person, but it was just not a possiblity in the realities of Hong Kong.
The toughest part of being so far away is missing the friends, family and support.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Canto 101
While I can speak Mandarin, Cantonese is something I have never tried before. The written characters are completely the same (unless it’s in traditional, which is a whole different topic). However, the pronunciation could not be more different. The tones are completely different and it is impossible to comprehend if you spoke one language but not the other. Before I came to Hong Kong, my family, which only speaks Mandarin and English, told me that just use English in Hong Kong, everyone is fluent. It will get you farther than if you used Mandarin.
While in most places, it is sufficiently enough to just speak English, the one thing I use frequently that English is not always sufficient for is cabs. While some cab drivers understand English, there have been many times where I got into a cab and the cab driver has no idea where I am trying to go. Especially since the fact that the "q" sound is very different in Chinese/Canto, cab drivers have no idea where Mosque Street is. In Chinese, it is “魔罗庙街“。 However, the cab drivers usually cannot understand Mandarin Chinese either. Therefore, I consulted one of my colleagues for the catonese pronounciation. It is pronounced as "moll law miu kai". Definitely WAY different than the mandarin pronounciation, which is "muo lo miao jie". When I tried to repeat it several times, my friend bursted out in laughing. I figured it's because I'm doing it so sadly, however, he just said "actually, you speak cantonese with an american accent. if you were on the phone, i would have never guessed you were chinese." Even though I do not speak mandarin with an accent (I usually get applauded for my ability to speak mandarin without an accent), it seems that the dominating accent in my repertoire is american.
While in most places, it is sufficiently enough to just speak English, the one thing I use frequently that English is not always sufficient for is cabs. While some cab drivers understand English, there have been many times where I got into a cab and the cab driver has no idea where I am trying to go. Especially since the fact that the "q" sound is very different in Chinese/Canto, cab drivers have no idea where Mosque Street is. In Chinese, it is “魔罗庙街“。 However, the cab drivers usually cannot understand Mandarin Chinese either. Therefore, I consulted one of my colleagues for the catonese pronounciation. It is pronounced as "moll law miu kai". Definitely WAY different than the mandarin pronounciation, which is "muo lo miao jie". When I tried to repeat it several times, my friend bursted out in laughing. I figured it's because I'm doing it so sadly, however, he just said "actually, you speak cantonese with an american accent. if you were on the phone, i would have never guessed you were chinese." Even though I do not speak mandarin with an accent (I usually get applauded for my ability to speak mandarin without an accent), it seems that the dominating accent in my repertoire is american.
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