Aug 21, 2007
The eagle has landed… in Hong Kong.
From the air, it appeared as if a giant nimbus cloud came down from the skies to greet Hong Kong only to become impaled on the sharp buildings of the skyline. Unable to wrestle free, the great cloud engulfed the city in grey. Stepping off the plane, I ducked to cut through the thick cloud. After a summer of anticipation, all I could see were effulgent neon signs and white halos from distant street lights. After a long and sleepless flight, it was exhausting just to fight through the viscous air.
As the day went on, the cloud slowly disappeared revealing the city. Initially from my room on the 26th floor, I could only see the dozens of nearby residential high-rises, some covered in over thirty stories of bamboo scaffolding. Later, I could see the bay, dotted with ships of all sizes. In the middle of the bay was a perfectly rectangular peninsula, the remains of a runway from the old airport. By midday, I could see Kowloon across the bay, until recently the most densely populated place on earth. It was wall after wall of high-rise residential buildings. By four, I could see the outlines of mountains in the distance, the site of future adventures, I’m sure.
Jetlagged, I went to bed early, but also excited to explore my new home in the upcoming days.