A City of Lights and Trees
Jun 08
This past weekend was quite eventful. On Friday after work, all the Bulldogs in Hong Kong met with the alumni at a super fancy (and super expensive!) restaurant for drinks. We met a few recent and not-so-recent graduates doing a variety of interesting work in Hong Kong. Afterwards, we went to check out Lan Kwai Fong, the local partying district. It was very crowded and full of foreigners, but still lively. We didn’t stay long, since we were tired, but we definitely plan on making a return trip!
Saturday was spent balling with some locals with David, Hanqing, Kevin (from Boston College) and Liang (YC ’08). They were good and we lost pretty much every game, but it felt good to exercise after sitting on my butt for a whole week. In the evening, we had a bro session and watched “I Love You, Man” and also discovered a sad dog made of shadows and silhouettes in a window across the street. It was freaky. I’m surprised I didn’t have nightmares about it afterwards.
Sunday was spent hiking in the hills above Hong Kong Island with Nelson, one of the older alums. We spent around 4 hours in the mountain, but the roads were paved and the weather was absolutely beautiful. I love that Hong Kong has such an abundance of natural habitats and greenery. There were butterflies, caterpillars, birds, plants…it reminded me of hiking in the Smoky Mountains and Hawaii. It was too easy to forget that just a mile to the north lay a scattered grid of towering high-rises and one of the densest cities in the world. There was such a feeling of peace and quiet that stood at stark contrast to the noise and bustle of the busy city. Hong Kong is often criticized for being a cold, serious metropolis, but the fact that you can walk 10 minutes and be lost in a sea of green adds an unique dimension to the experience. For a city hailed as one of the financial centers of Asia, it really is amazing.
The reservoir within the park. It’s literally right in the middle of Hong Kong Island.
Monday, a few of us went to the piers on Kowloon side to see the daily light show. The relatively short show is synchronized with music and played on the buildings of the Hong Kong skyline, along with lasers and spotlights arranged along the shore. The skyline itself is beautiful, especially when seen from the docks across the harbor. The skyline seems to grow out of the water itself, and the distant shade of mountains creates a majestic backdrop. Click on for a few more pictures from the weekend!
The city beyond the trees.
A city of light.
