Arriving in Hong Kong

The humidity of Hong Kong hit us as soon as we exited the airport on the night we landed. We quickly realized that the ride that was arranged for us wasn't coming due to some honest miscommunication about the time difference - a small setback, but arriving in a new city at night can sometimes be disorienting. But, we barely waited in the very orderly taxi queue, and quickly stumbled into a cab. The roughly 30 minute commute from Hong Kong International Airport, across various bridges, to Hong Kong Island still excited us, even after a 14 hour flight from San Francisco.

After initially only seeing some glimpses, in the dark, of the mega apartment blocks that dominate the area, our taxi surged onto the Tsing Ma Bridge. Lit up with purple spotlights and backdropped with the approaching skyline of Hong Kong Island, everything felt very futuristic. Mina thought that crossing the bridge was vaguely reminiscent of that Artificial Intelligence scene. 

The last half of the ride was spent craning our necks to see the top of the dense city and elaborately choreographed lighting shows on the buildings. The final leg was a blur through the tight alleys of Sheung Wan, the sights, sounds, and smells of which whet our appetite for our week in the city. - Alex