Next was our bus ride to Kowloon. When we got to the Hong Kong border I didn't know if I had been asleep for 15 minutes or 5 hours, but it was time to get up. I knew that Hong Kong was a special administrative region, however I didn't quite understand what that meant until I when there.
On the Chinese side there was a security check to actually leave China, and on the Hong Kong side there was a whole new security check with bag scan to arrive in Hong Kong. Crossing the US border from Canada is actually significantly easier.
Hong Kong had a lot of autonomy, but for a good reason: it was a totally different place.
We had our check-in at the Dorsett Hotel where Christina and I decided to make a fort in our room that night and eat ice cream in it.
We took a ferry to the Hong Kong side where we took a bus tour in what gradually turned into rain. The size of Hong Kong took my breath away, it was like this was where the world came to meet. Culturally we would find out just how different Hong Kong was from China. Things were much more expensive there, but the quality was better. Ultimately it had the same comforts as any developed place would. No spitting, no strange toilets, it was another oasis.
Our bus took us to the cable car at Victoria Peak. As a Skyride operator I was particularly interested. It definitely paid to hang around at the top because the sky gradually cleared up thanks to the wind and revealed the Hong Kong city lights.
Our trip home was where the rain made a new appearance. Never have I seen a river moving so carelessly down the street. Almost everyone was keeping shelter indoors and it felt as though we were the only ones leaping across streets and stepping cautiously under covered areas.
After getting fresh towels and sheets, Christina and I used our time to create an elaborate sheet fort and held a low-key ice cream party.
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