Back in Hong Kong

For the first time on my journey, I am alone in a foreign city… at least for the moment. Of all the cities that I’ve been to recently, I’m glad that it’s Hong Kong. They have a wonderful public transportation system that gets you anywhere you want to go, and everything is translated into English. I generally don’t enjoy traveling alone because you aren’t able to share the experience. When I asked the hotel staff if it was safe to walk around at night, the man said yes because there are lots of people. Perhaps that’s a benefit of living in a city with very large population! I spent the first day back to Hong Kong in the hotel room sleeping. I also caved and ate KFC, McDonalds (which delivers), and Subway until I felt better. It was the best way to get over whether made me sick on the trip back from Nepal. The next day I felt adventurous again. I decided to make my way to Lantau Island to see the Big Buddha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tian_Tan_Buddha). Initially, I was nervous walking around the city on my own, but that’s what makes travel exciting. I enjoy pushing myself to do things that aren’t comfortable. The reward is worth it! After taking the cable car up the island, I walked up the stairs and around the platform of the Buddha. I then walked over and explored Po Lin Monastery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Po_Lin_Monastery). The weather wasn’t the best with the fog, but it definitely created a perfect mystical atmosphere. In the evening I went to see the Symphony of Lights (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Symphony_of_Lights) which is a free light show along the Hong Kong skyline. I observed the show from the Avenue of the Stars (modeled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame) where I saw the stars for Bruce Lee, Jet Lee, Jackie Chan. However, I didn’t know most of the names.