Hong Kong Street Scenes

Walking the streets of Hong Kong is always an adventure, even at nights. The sidewalks are full of people hurrying to and fro. They walk fast, seldom smile, and are focussed on where they are going. The first four pictures below were taken on our way to the Area Administration Building from our Apartment on a typical morning. The busses unload scores of workers who then hurry down the street toward us as we approach them. Sister Smith and I must break our hand clasp and try not to be run down. It sometimes reminds me of the "running of the bulls" in Spain! I have tried smiling at them, but seldom get a return smile. The elders and sisters stand in front of our building and try to strike up conversations as they hold out their hands to greet them. They are usually just brushed off. But they keep smiling and trying. Great missionaries!!

There are not as many motorcycles in Hong Kong as we saw in Thailand and Indonesia, but there are still some. Here is an example of a motorcycle used as a delivery vehicle.


Occasionally we long for some American (Australian?) food. We found an Outback Steakhouse a few blocks from our apartment and love to take a break for lunch there.
Bottled water is big business in Hong Kong. The empty bottles are put out in the mornings and the full ones are left to take into the buildings during the day. We have these bottles in our apartment. They are delivered outside of our apartment door whenever we call for a refill. The water is supposed to be pretty good in our area, but for safety, we drink the bottled water.

We have been so impressed with the clean streets and alleys here. We see workers sweeping the sidewalks and curbs daily. The alleys are free of litter. Periodically, water trucks come by and clean all the sidewalks. Building owners usually clean in front of their buildings every morning. A great trait.

The transportation system in Hong Kong is unbelievable. Bus routes crisscross the entire country. Usually one has two or three choices to get to any place. A relic of 100 years ago are the electric trams, or, as they are affectionately called by Hong Kong residents, the "ding dings". They clang the bell as they approach intersections and pedestrians who get in their way. They only have tracks on a few streets. The street in front of our apartment is one of these. The tracks go down the middle of the street. The subway system is known as the MTR, and goes across the bay underground. It is very efficient and fast. The ferries go from island to island. The one that goes from Hong Kong to Kowloon to the North is free for seniors. It only takes about 10 minutes to cross the bay and be on ones way.

Two "ding dings" crossing in front of us.

.

Another method of transportation that uses the sidewalks are carts that are used to gather garbage or deliver goods to businesses. They need a whistle so pedestrians can know they are behind them. Often it is women doing this work

Note the 7-11 store in the background. There are hundreds of them in Hong Kong, often two on the same block. They are not large, but carry papers, candies, alcohol, treats. You can even pay your utility bills in them and refill your "smart" octupus card.

We have been surprised with the number of "street" work projects going on. It seems that every block has part of the street and curb area broken up to get at sewer and water pipes. One area is finished and another started. Most of the digging and recovering is manual. Good employment opportunities. Sometimes tranversing the construction areas as a pedestrian is quite a challenge,