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Hong Kong
You can give me the top 10 mega-cities of the world and I’ll choose Hong Kong anytime. There’s something so grandiose yet subtle in its beauty. At first glance, you’re enthralled by the skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island, surrounded by its mountainous geography of slopes and ocean. Once you work your way within its heart, lies its distinctive aura that leaves you paralyzed, stagnant in a river of pedestrians, the natural currents pushing them along to their purpose. Even then, it’s easy to lose yourself here, finding myself wandering between each crevice, building, and alleys, with a keen eye, observing the local flavor. What it lacks in its refinement (I.E Tokyo, seoul etc etc) compensates with its rugged diversity. Yes, the streets are often crowded, with sparse real state and shanty apartments towering over consumerist establishments, yet you’ll never feel that dull, homogenous feel of its eastern counterparts. It’s a mixed bag of Asian ethnicities, ranging from the usual Japanese tourists to Indian businessmen, harassing westerners with “sales” on suits, watches, and other counterfeit goods (which is why I often try to distance myself from Bryan haha). Hong Kong has always been best at night, saturated lighting of reds and yellows illuminate the compact spacing of shops and stalls, cigarettes puff amidst the contrasting smells of exhaust pipes, roasted ducks, and stinky tofus. The crisps burn, a symphony of stilettos chatter, slurping my noodles and cheap beer while the trendy beats of canto pop play, a myriad of taxis and trucks pass by, grazing my ears and back. However physically estranged I am from my homeland, I can still find that tangible warmth in a place where no one knows my name, nor speaks my language. There are those who find peace within the comforts of home, I find mine in displacement.
You can give me the top 10 mega-cities of the world and I’ll choose Hong Kong anytime. There’s something so grandiose yet subtle in its beauty. At first glance, you’re enthralled by the skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island, surrounded by its mountainous geography of slopes and ocean. Once you work your way within its heart, lies its distinctive aura that leaves you paralyzed, stagnant in a river of pedestrians, the natural currents pushing them along to their purpose. Even then, it’s easy to lose yourself here, finding myself wandering between each crevice, building, and alleys, with a keen eye, observing the local flavor. What it lacks in its refinement (I.E Tokyo, seoul etc etc) compensates with its rugged diversity. Yes, the streets are often crowded, with sparse real state and shanty apartments towering over consumerist establishments, yet you’ll never feel that dull, homogenous feel of its eastern counterparts. It’s a mixed bag of Asian ethnicities, ranging from the usual Japanese tourists to Indian businessmen, harassing westerners with “sales” on suits, watches, and other counterfeit goods (which is why I often try to distance myself from Bryan haha). Hong Kong has always been best at night, saturated lighting of reds and yellows illuminate the compact spacing of shops and stalls, cigarettes puff amidst the contrasting smells of exhaust pipes, roasted ducks, and stinky tofus. The crisps burn, a symphony of stilettos chatter, slurping my noodles and cheap beer while the trendy beats of canto pop play, a myriad of taxis and trucks pass by, grazing my ears and back. However physically estranged I am from my homeland, I can still find that tangible warmth in a place where no one knows my name, nor speaks my language. There are those who find peace within the comforts of home, I find mine in displacement. 
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