Ok, so, ever since I got here a couple weeks ago, I’ve been thinking that Hong Kong is a supremely crowded place. Well…I had no idea just how crowded until today. They re-hoisted a Typhoon Warning No. 8 early this afternoon. Nearly everything (retail stores, markets, offices, even gyms) immediately closed their doors and nearly everybody was on their way home. Even taxis turned off their For Hire lights and retreated home. I swear the entirety of Hong Kong was on the move. I have never, ever, ever seen SO many people scurrying out on the streets and crammed into the MTR (subway), on escalators, and on lifts (that’s ‘elevator’ for you Americans). It was absolute madness. Some MTR ticket machines and turnstiles went out of service due to too many people trying to use them! People were being fairly courteous and respectful to each other, though. I was impressed by the continuous purposeful movement of the crowds…and then there’s that person who cuts diagonally through the crowds, breaking the flow, or that person who sees his long lost second cousin twice removed, and suddenly stops, causing everyone behind him to crash like dominoes.
When I got here, I was told that Hong Kong, and particularly Central, is uber small, and everyone runs into everyone else everywhere. No kidding! Even I’ve started running into people I know on the street, at the movies, in restaurants. Maybe I will run into a long lost relative here. “It’s a small world after all, it’s a small world after all…”
For real though, it is indeed a small, small world that we live in, that we share together… and we must all be more conscious of how our seemingly insignificant individual actions affect (both positively and negatively) everyone and everything.
I’ve heard that heat waves in Europe and floods in Vietnam are causing deaths. Such heartbreaking news. Let’s all send our love and healing energies to our sisters and brothers who need it. Additionally, we must realize that these extreme and dangerous climate conditions are our planet’s response to our treatment (read: abuse) of it. I’m not educated enough on the topic to go into it in detail, but global warming is real, yo, and if you haven’t yet, I highly encourage you to watch An Inconvenient Truth.
That said, your eco-conscious homework for today is: walk or bike when driving is unnecessary. Just try it once this weekend, huh?
Blowing you kisses, and hoping that the typhoon winds give them an extra oompf over to you.
PS I put up some photos! I’ll note an update here in my blog anytime I add new ones. Enjoy!
1 comment:
Cool, so you are actually blogging now!
Sounds like you are having fun!
peace,
Gary
ps. china is the country with a billion people. in other words, where YOU are
Post a Comment