Hong Kong 香港

(After arriving, the first thing we went to see was a temple right outside of an MTR station that I can't remember the name of.)

(My fortune, I am still not quite sure what it says. I need to ask someone to translate it for me. A lot of the characters I recognize, but the combinations are not something I am familiar with.)

(The fortune stall. The way to get your fortune is by shaking a cup of thin bamboo sticks. [I did this while I was in the main hall of the temple.] When a stick falls out you are done. Remember the number that is burned onto the stick [mine was 55] and ask these people for the slip assigned to the number. Although you do have to pay them five Hong Kong dollars..)

(Next stop was "the gold fish market." Which is a street made up of many many many shops that sell not just gold fish, but all sorts of 魚 [fish: yú sounds like the German u with the umlaut over it, only with the tone of a question].)

(Gahhh! These fish are so fat! They remind me of my pug dog Molly. At home we call these "tumor fish." It's not the official name though. In Chinese their name means "Long-living Orchid." Pricey fish!)

(Feeding the fish.)

(The bird market in Hong Kong.) (A woman eyeing the blooms in one of the many shops in Hong Kong's flower market.)

(Flower delivery!)

(Thought both of these posters were interesting to see [above and below].)

(A view of Hong Kong harbor from the peak. Unfortunately it was cloudy that day!)

(Opposite the peak, a view of Hong Kong harbor.)

(This is an obvious sign that one is in Hong Kong, because on the "mainland" there is nothing like this that I have seen.)

(Lan Kwai Fong, 蘭桂坊, Orchid Birch Lane, is one of the night-life areas in Hong Kong. I really like all the lit up signs! At the very bottom of the lane you can spot a 7 Eleven! I hadn't seen one since living in America!)

(This street was so steep there are escalators!)

(Curios for sale in Cat Street market.)

（A store at the Cat Street Market.)

(The man, woman, and little girl are portraying a family for the commercial that was being shot in Cat Street market.)

(Man Mo temple near Cat Street is famous for the coils of incense that hang from the ceiling, even though there are many temples like this in the south of China. There were many other foreigners visiting the temple. I think it was a bit too touristy for my taste, but the photo turned out well!)

I was most fortunate to be able to travel to the wonderful city that is Hong Kong. It was one of the funnest things I have done while I have been abroad. I really underestimated Hong Kong. Before I had thought it was just a big westernized city (which it is) but it's more than that! Hong Kong has a blend of all sorts of people. Middle Easterners, Europeans, North Americans, and Hong Kongers themselves live there, making a great mix of culture.

Hong Kong is also much cleaner than China (you saw the littering sign). The government is also trying to make all public places in Hong Kong smoke-free. There were lots of signs up around the city encouraging people to do so. The fine for being caught smoking is something fierce too!

In Hong Kong hardly anyone speaks Mandarin. Mandarin is the dialect of Chinese that I learn in school, it is also the one I use everyday to communicate. While I was in Hong Kong I tried to pick up a bit of Cantonese. One of the major differences between Cantonese and Mandarin is that Cantonese has nine different tones (three are pitches of the voice), while Mandarin only has four.

English and Cantonese are the official languages of Hong Kong. I did not have any problems getting around!

I only spent a few days in Hong Kong, but I crammed in a lot of sights! I also made really good friends with the AFS exchange students living in Hong Kong! (Hong Kong and China are separate countries when you apply through AFS).

I hope to go back one day!