Kong Show

Hong Kong Gong. It was a show. Btw - never fly there and back in 5 days. The 15 hour difference will eat your mind. Also, don't speak 5 times to teenagers leaving all your sightseeing to the final 12 hours. Hong Kong is one of the great world cities for a reason - there's LOTS to see. My experience was a blur within the smog. Still, the blur was worth it. The smog, not so much.

Oh yeah, welcome to the new blog. I figured it was time considering we haven't been in Europe for 3 months. The name? Steve, Harmony and I were having a little Mongolian for supper (not literally) and I made the statement "we only got one crack at earth, so we best make it a big crack." Yes I realize I could have also called this Big Crack, but, really? Could I have?

I posted a few Kong pictures on the Facebook but nothing could capture this city. Its crowds and air pollution are well documented. On an average day the pollution is "dangerously high" which means. . .maybe just breathe when you have to? And the crowds. We spent last night walking around Mong Kok, the crowdest spot in the world. At one point I just stopped moving my feet and let the Asian current take me for a ride. If you're not a people person or have claustrophobic issues, don't travel here. You will die or feel like you did. We also toured the famous markets and ate and drank Hong Kongy things. By the time we arrived back at Harmony's house I was spent and needed my alone time.

Beyond all that here's the top ten things that surprised (and impressed) me about HK:

1. Housing - Thousands of 30-50 story - slim fit apartment buildings everywhere, making up most of HK. As Steve said "it feels like a never-ending downtown." I still wonder how people feel special or even noticed in a culture like this.

2. English - Everyone speaks it (the long British occupation explains it) and all of the signs contain it.

3. Signs. Big as billboards and the shops they point to.

4. 7-11 - They are everywhere, even in ritzy malls.

5. Taxi drivers - Fast, daring, weaving, fast. . .

6. Bible Knowledge - The teens I spoke to knew more about the Bible then most Canadian adult Christians. Btw -our talks went good.

7. Harmony's Crib - Sky Tower. 32nd floor. Very sharp. And chandelerie.

8. Clean - I'm serious, as dirty as the air is, the streets make up for it. Very little garbage or grafitti to be seen.

9. Western - HK is VERY Westernized. To be honest, I felt like I was in Vancouver's China Town. I would have rather seen more traditional Chinese culture, probably have to head to the country for that.

1o. Organized - In a city of 8 million on such a small land mass, chaos lurks everwhere, except here.

Bonus: Harmony. Great host and woman of God. If you're looking for a good role model for your daughter, steer them towards C Mac. She's among the best there is.

It was the longest and fastest trip I have ever taken and I felt lagged the entire time but it was well worth my time and gave me yet another experience on our great planet. What a week!

Now? Continue to explore ministry opportunities, here, there and everywhere. One crack.

John