Hong Kong, Day 1

In Beijing I had a lot of opportunities to learn about things that
were specifically and definitely Chinese. Hong Kong is a crazy polar
opposite of that - it might be the most multicultural town I've ever
been in besides Brooklyn. Maybe.

Here's what I mean by that. Tonight Michelle and I ate at an Indian
restaurant in a mall full of African Muslims, after which we went to
an Australian bar in which a band (composed chiefly of Filipinos) was
playing astonishing, amazing New Orleans ragtime music. A man from
South Africa sang "Basin Street Blues" and did a spectacular
impression of Louis Armstrong.

You know, multiculturalism.

There was also a laser light show somewhere in there, and I saw the
Hong Kong equivalent of the Hollywood walk of fame, complete with
Jackie Chan's handprints and a life-size statue of Bruce Lee. Oh,
also before all of this happened we hiked to the top of this hill and
saw the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery. There really were 10,000 Buddhas.

I like Hong Kong.

(PS. That second-to-last picture is of Bowring Street.)