Hong Kong Part 1 – The Causeway

So everyone is wondering where I’ve been? Well I am definitely not stateside! I left for the Philippines around October 24, 2013 to begin a little tour of some asian countries. My first two weeks in the Philippines was mostly catch up with family, and visiting graves. I was not able to celebrate my birthday really, but family came first. I’ll be back in the Philippines for a week around Dec 26, but right now I am in Hong Kong! Man this place is awesome so lets start out day one.

JUST A NOTE! I have grammar issues all over the blog so don’t mind them haha

Causeway District

Ever had the feeling that you are totally fU(I<3d because you don’t know shit. The feel of no hope of getting around. Yea thats the feeling I had once I passed immigration.

SOOO FU(i<3D

The directions told me how to get there. But I had no clue where to get on the train. After searching the airport, I was able to finally have asked for help (I am a guy… Asking for help is hard) The train information attended gave me a mean mug like no other (now remember Philippines and Hong Kong have some issues going on with the tour bus incident in 2010, and a recent pass in congress discontinued free visa access to Hong Kong for Philippine passport holders…. Even though I was American, and I had a US passport they obviously didn’t care). He told me to read the map, and then told me it was $100 bucks. I gave him my money he gave me a ticket, and I still had to look for the damn train. But I manage to find the train. As the train started to move, the surrounding environment revealed itself. Hills all over the place, the water of the bay, the skyscrapers emerging into view… and of course a damn Disneyland train…. Man I was tempted haha. I arrived in the Hong Kong central station in which I was suppose to transfer to the Island line, but instead of going to the trains I decided to explore. I went up the escalator, and the first thing that came into sight was not a city. It was a mall… Yep Apple store is the first place I saw when arriving to Hong Kong -_- feeling hungry I decided to find a spot to eat. Stepped outside and a huge gust of wind forced me into the side of a building. I was not going to walk around. So I just stood there and took the envirement in. Well that wasn’t really the case, I was distracted by the number of Bentleys, Mercedes, and BMW that passed by. It was like they were normal cars to the every day person here. Although it’s rare to see these cars in San Francisco, here it’s like a parking lot full of them. I must be messing up in life if I don’t have a Bentley as a daily driver.  After walking around for 2 hours around central station I gave up. Starving I headed to the train and arrived in my destination at the Causeway Station.

Immediately energy rush through, the street environment was crazy! Walked out and cross the street. Only five minutes passed and I was already about to get run over by a car. Totally forgot they drive on the other side of the road -_- My hostel was surprisingly easy to find. But as I entered the building, and into the hall, I felt as if I was in the wrong place…

I… am gonna get killed….

As I approach the door, a sign says call xxx-xxx-xxxx. Over to the right of the door was a telephone. I felt as if I was apart of the Matrix, and was expecting Morpheus to answer the phone. But instead it was a kind lady asking me to go down to the 9th floor to check in. I arrived and found a warm welcome, and a really nice living room in which other travelers were sitting. The room was pretty quiet, and everyone kept to themselves. I was given my bed number, and directions on using the facilities. My first time in a hostel and it was a pretty interesting experience. I like to keep to myself most of the time, and privacy was always a thing I needed. Yea well that went out the door -_- I was in a room with 8 beds, and only one bathroom. Worst part is that my bed was in the middle of the room with no curtain or barrier. So everyone was able to see what I was doing -_-

My bed…. in the middle of the damn room

After settling in I decided to see my surroundings. The Causeway was an area known for shopping, and restaurants. But mostly shopping. The streets were all one way single lanes, and there was a constant flow of vehicles passing by with not much traffic. The sidewalks were packed with people, and loading trucks. My first day was basically scouting the area without my camera. (right below this paragraph is a side story of my night one) But the next day the rain came in, and I was out with my camera.

My Dinner Day 1

So I decided to eat a noodle spot in the Causeway by myself. I entered the restaurant and was immediately seated next to a couple on a date. The tables were not separated….. It was awkward… Really awkward. The ultimate third wheel experience. I ordered my food and I wanted to eat fast so I can leave but it was noodles, and it was hot AF! So in the middle of my meal a table cleared and told the waiter I wanted to move. Later I found out that if a restaurant is full they will seat you anywhere! So for all my fellow travelers going solo, keep this in mind. You will be on the most ultimate third wheel experience of your life hahaha.

DAY 2

Lady in the middle of the street…. I don’t know what she was doing

There was no chaos, it was all order, and efficiency. The area I was in had western stores such as McDonalds, Starbucks, and Bath and Body, along with high end places to shop, all mixed together with small venders on the street. It was pretty interesting to see the amount of people in these stores buying bags, jewelry, and clothing. The lines were long, and it seams as if everyone was able to burn cash away. It began to rain, but it did not stop me from moving around.

Apple Store with a man on the street selling iPhone 4s
Forever

The building were amazing. Almost each building had neon lights, strobes, and advertisement. The architecture was artistic, and created a image of modern strength.

Time Square… Not like New York though
This was behind Time Square. Fire escape says keep clear dude…

Small Street Shrine

As I walked through the district, I stumble upon a market placed called Stanely Market. My rush for hunger came again, and I realized I did not eat all day. I stopped in for a snack and ate… Language barrier was a issue. I was able to order one thing right but the other.. was… not sure what I ate but it was good.

Lobster balls and… well iunno wtf that was… It was good though

The food was great, the flavor was amazing! You can taste the fresh ingredients, none of that package crap. The reason for this is quite simple. The market served fresh live fish, and beef that comes in daily shipments. It is so fresh you can still smell… well yea that smell… Ok the smell isn’t great but the food was. Heres some shots of the market workers doing their thing.

Yum Duck!
Fresh Fish… Love that smell

FISH BALLS!

The city had life, everything was just energy all around, and people here are focus on perfection. Mange to catch this shot of a dog checkin on some booty.

Bad Dog!
Street art in the ally of Stanley Market
“Work Hard Play Easy”

After a day of exploring I went to scout my next location to shoot. Returned to Causeway and well it felt like I was in another world.. Il let the pictures explain the beauty of this district.

Stanley Market closed
Night Construction. They caught me taking their picture -_-

After a long day, I decided to turn in and finally eat a real meal. Even though there is fresh food, and I was in Hong Kong I decided to go simple… Mcdonalds! Well really there was some hot chicks inside so I was attracted to go in lol

All I want was a big mac

Well time to explore some more! The Causeway is the place to be if you wanna go on the biggest shopping spree in the world. The environment was full of Fashion, a mix of west and east, and people from all over the world are here! l’ll check everyone out later and keep everyone posted of my next district tour!

Keep up to date on wth I’ve been doing. Check my webportal at www.enix.me/djmarkyg

Follow me on twitter @DjMarkyG and Like me on Facebook!

For a full gallery of my Hong Kong trip check out the link

https://enix.smugmug.com/Marky-G/Hong-Kong-2013

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