24 Hour Run with Hong Kong

After 16 hours, I finally got off the direct flight from Boston to Hong Kong. This is only stop number one in our program. Being in Hong Kong airport, I started to look around to see the similarities between the other airports I had been to in the past. One of the things that really stood out to me was the fact that signs for the bathroom did not say “bathroom” or “restroom” on them but instead said “toilet.” I had never seen that before but found it extremely interesting.

Making our way to the hotel was a scenic view. It reminded me of New York but on an island. There are palm trees but also tall skyscrapers and apartment buildings with clothes hanging outside the window. I wondered about why there were clothes out there. I was told that because of the pollution problem, homes do not have dryers in them and instead use the hot weather to dry the clothes when they are washed. Being in the area of where the hotel is, the city seems pretty busy. I ventured around the area and saw little stores where people were selling food, baked goods, and electronics. Alongside that, there were western restaurants like a 24-hour McDonald’s, 7-Eleven, Starbucks, and Subway.

In our line of activities of the day, we went to Sky100 which is an observation area in one of the tallest buildings in Hong Kong. Being on the 100th floor and with my phobia of heights was an experience for sure. From the top, we all saw a panoramic view of the city. We also had afternoon tea and snacks while up there. The location where the observatory was at reminded me a lot of the Prudential center with the high-end shops and restaurants.

We ended the day with a dinner boat cruise around the harbor. Food was served in a buffet style and there was a nice deck on the top where we were all able to see the sun set on the Hong Kong skyline. By the end of everything, the jet lag was hitting, the caffeine was crashing and all I wanted to do was sleep after being up for more than 24 hours.