Kowloon, HK

Kowloon on a Thursday afternoon is a pretty great place to be.  It’s like a much less crowded version of New York.  There are kids in school uniforms everywhere and random trendy twenty-somethings shopping to their hearts content.  The tourist sites are crowded with tourists.  Tourists like me.

I decided to keep it simple and just took a nice slow walk down to Kowloon Bay. I don’t know if the streets I chose were particularly well landscaped due to the proximity to schools and churches or if they were in a part of town with a terribly important past, but there were these amazing Banyan trees everywhere and little garden like medians. 

Then there were the bunny buses.  Buses in Easter colors that appear to have small bunny ears.  There is a logical explanation.  The ears are just a different way of connecting the sideview mirrors.  But to me, they will remain bunny buses forever.

When I eventually made it to the bay, it was very overcast so the view was not as amazing as it usually is.  Lauren, I have some bad news for you, I museumed without you.  I chose not to feel too bad about it as you refused to stowaway in my luggage.  The Hong Kong Space Museum is shaped like an egg. Or like the inbred version of Epcot.  It isn’t terribly big but it does have a few really cool exhibits.  Like the one where they strap you into a harness to simulate the gravity of the moon and have you walk back and forth in a special sealed chamber.  I feel if American museums had more harnesses their attendance numbers might increase.

Hong Kong has their own “Avenue of Stars” which is very similar to the Hollywood version.  Except the HK obsession with statuary has made it an even more “stop and take my picture” sort of place. I feel very sorry for Wong Kar Wai.  His star is the most visited star on the walk, and the least seen.  It sits at the base of Bruce Lee’s statue. 

Discovery of the day:

1)      Wasabi Tempura Seaweed chips are perhaps the greatest snack food of all time.

2)      There are Circle Ks in Hong Kong.  No strange things have been observed to be afoot.

3)      The 7-Elevens here have a full ramen bar.

Turned in early.  Next up Chan Tau…

A bunny bus

The last junk in Kowloon Bay

Bruce Lee

What appears to be a statue in honor of opiates, is in fact upon closer inspection an ode to mommies.

Among the many statues on the Avenue of Stars is this electrician.  Impressively he looks slightly more interested in his job than a few real electricians I know.

Mandy Cline, this photo is for you.  Incidentally, my hotel is on this road.

Later Gators! (Unless I can't get my computer to charge in which case it will be MUCH later)