Veritas

Here are some more photos from my first day in Hong Kong.

I stopped at the café in Hong Kong Park to have a pint of refreshing Tsingtao beer.

The buildings in this city are really remarkable.

I went up the funicular tram to the top of Victoria Peak.

There are great views from up there. I've heard it's even better at night.

The mountains are right behind the city. It reminds me a lot of San Francisco; but the mountains are taller and the weather is much warmer. There are subtropical plants and animals everywhere.

I walked down Old Peak Road, which takes a winding route West of the Peak.

The road was almost completely deserted.

HSBC issues many of the bank notes here in Hong Kong. Yes, that's right. The name and logo of the Bank are printed on the notes. They've got a cool building.

Hong Kong is a lively city.

There are many, many western restaurants in Hong Kong, but I wanted to try some local fare. I stepped into a small restaurant that had only Chinese patrons at the tables; I was the only Westerner in the place. Luckily there were pictures on the menu so I knew what I was getting; spring rolls, grilled chicken and noodle soup. It takes a little while to figure out how to eat noodles with chopsticks. I watched some of the other guests at the restaurant, and learned that it's acceptable to hold the bolw up to to one's mouth. It would be pretty hard otherwise.

The sun set while I was eating, so here's the first nighttime shot.

I browsed the wares in this nice supermarket. There many American foods there that I haven't even seen in Sweden. Werid.

And one more for today. The International Financial Center is twice the height of any of the nearby buildings, and it's obviously the tallest in Hong Kong.