Rick's Roadshow: Hong Kong, Day 1

Ni Hao! (Hello) Welcome to Rick's Roadshow from Hong Kong! I am really excited to be here for a few days on business. It has long been a place that held my fascination, on a variety of levels. I am very fortunate to have business that brings me here to these islands. Hong Kong is known as a "Special Administrative Region" or "SAR", within the People's Republic of China, located in the South China Seas. Those of you old enough remember when it was under British rule, as part of a special 99 year lease that expired in 1997 when it reverted back to China. With a population of 7 million people, this is a densely populated area for sure. From the moment I stepped off the plane I was bubbling over with excitement to be here. I made my way to the hotel, with a few hours spare time before meeting my business colleague for dinner. Not wanting to waste a precious moment, I set out to explore a few areas nearby my hotel. Lucky for me, Hong Kong Park was literally a few steps away.

above: This rock is in Hong Kong Park and says something deeply profound and welcoming, I am sure.

above: the park has several lovely koi ponds, waterfalls, and lush vegetation. It is nestled in the hillside, surrounded by tall buildings so it is unusual.

above: I followed the park to the Peak Tram, where I rode this tram car up to the tippy-top of the mountain.

above: the views from the Peak top were nothing short of spectacular.

above: a birds eye view down onto the Hong Kong city and bay

above: I liked this little Chinese structure, providing much needed relief from the hot sun.

above: Stuff for tourists to take photo ops at the top of the mountain. It was actually pretty nice. Not surprisingly they had a lot of shopping up there too!

above: I wandered along the walkway and found this little look-out area, which was nice. I like the Chinese lions on either side of the opening.

above: After my business dinner, I went off on my own to take the Star Ferry from the Kong Kong side to the Kowloon Peninsula.

above: the ferry offers fantastic views of the Hong Kong skyline.

above: I especially like how the lights reflected on the water. I was in the ferry trying to capture some decent photos...

above: this one is dark but offers a nice perspective of the city at night.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO FOOTAGE!

above: check out this short video clip of the Hong Kong skyline. Pay careful attention to the lights on each building, they flash all kinds of patterns!
City Lights of Hong Kong
HK is known for its wide array of neon lights, almost like Las Vegas on some streets. I thought it fun to share a few, just things I saw while walking around:

above: the restaurant where we had dinner. It was really delicious Chinese food! Enjoy the rest of these photos of the city lights...






above: Hong Kong has hundreds of these shops, selling all kinds of strange things. I shouldn't say strange, they range from basics like Ginger root, to candy, nuts and a variety of Chinese herbs too.

above: I don't know why, but this sing made me chuckle. Wing Wah Lane.
Thanks ever so much for joining me on Rick's Roadshow from Hong Kong. As usual I have a series of appointments and meetings tomorrow but I'll be sure to snap photos along the way throughout the day. I hope you can return again tomorrow.
-Rick Rockhill