so the days before and after hong kong disneyland we went walking.

 

hong kong is a crazy, colorful city lit with bright neon lights and panaflex signages. while a lot of the shops have moved on to LED billboards, the city still generally  retains that chaotic beauty it is known for. and i had to wonder if electricity in hong kong is cheap because the commercial district is insane with the lights haha

the gallery/avenue of stars is confusing because it was supposed to be under construction and in the works but this installation in its “temporary location” seems to be in order and not temporary at all. and i couldnt help not taking a photo with maggie cheung with her baonan of noodles.

kunyari stolen. it was a rather hot time in hong kong so we took to short mall breaks to cool off. egressing to peking road, i realized we were in the chungking mansions area, famously put on film by local director, wong kar-wai, and his australian dop, christopher doyle, in the aptly titled chunking express. the film was said to have been shot in doyle’s chungking apartment, so the legend goes (sorry, too lazy to google fact check this).

i booked airbnb a total of 4 days 3 nights stay in hong kong. understanding that carlo and i would then be flying off to europe from hong kong, we did a bit of laundry first. the weather was, as i said, hot, so drying clothes was no problem at all. the airbnb was also equipped with a kitchen so we bought some rice (very good rice) and luncheon meat in some supermarket while walking around. cost efficient breakfast for 5. there was leftover uncooked rice so i brought that to europe. lol. asians.

i think i got over lamenting about how efficient public transport and commuting is in other countries and the philippines remain 3rd worldly in that aspect. yet we walk most of the time when in other countries. better local view and experience than being in cabs or double decker tourist buses. also known as pagtitipid. bow.

the full facebook photodump album of my hong kong pics are here.

hong kong gives off that warm, frantic vibe of an advanced yet backward asian city. i marvel always at the use of bamboo and netting for scaffolding in a city made up of steel and glass skyrise buildings. the chinese characters on posted flyers and signages complete the image of a slightly worn out city that dont necessarily try to be anything else. however, the hong kong i met in 2004 was different from the hong kong in 2016. or maybe i was the one changed, eyes weary of superficial gloss and facade. i see a much more realistic picture of hong kong now. or of myself. maybe both.

charaught.