Summer in Hong Kong

Spending May to July in Hong Kong is a great idea. I suggest it to anyone who can handle the "90/90" weather as I like to think of it. 90 degrees and 90% humidity. All the time. The pollution has been extremely mild compared to what I saw in the winter. The sun has shone a majority of the time. 

You can enjoy the busy city life. The outdoor seating areas of the pubs and restaurants. You can "hike" up the street and find yourself in a residential neighborhood that turns out to be a great place to run because it happens to be flat. A gem in Hong Kong. You can take a short trip to the beach. You can rent a surfboard for $8USD (Sam taught me to surf this week!). You can sweat all of the moisture out of your body on any number of hikes. You can take the bus to the other side of the mountains and enjoy dinner on the bay. You can go to the "dark side" (Kowloon) and immerse yourself in local life and souvenir markets. You can take the ferry to an outlying island to get away from it all. There's so much to do, even play ice hockey if that's what you're in to.

Market in Wan Chai. 30 June 2013

Crossing the Border

Last weekend, Sam and I went into mainland China during the holiday (July 1) which marks the anniversary of Hong Kong being handed over to China. Seems it was a good idea for us to get out of HK as thousands of people gathered to demonstrate their growing disappointment in the current governance of Hong Kong - despite a level 3 typhoon signal. That level of typhoon signal really just means heavy rain and winds, nothing too severe. At level 8, people are told to stay indoors.

While Hong Kong citizens were advocating for their democratic rights, Sam and I went to Shenzhen (the closest border city in mainland China - see the map) to get massages (often pronounced "massah-jee"). Apparently, the southern regions in China have a long history of bathhouses/massage which has led to the current situation of huge spa complexes on every block. Sam bought us a Groupon for $20USD each which covered a 100-minute body massage, 50-minute foot massage, and 24-hour access to the facilities: saunas, pools, showers, lounging area. The 24-hour access means you can treat the place like your hotel and sleep in the lounging area in big, comfy LazyBoy-esque chairs. Accommodation, massages all for $20USD. This is why I love China.

Shenzhen Central Park. 30 June 2013