hong kong

The Sacred and the Profane in Hong Kong

I don’t think I’ve ever been in a more city-like city than Hong Kong. It’s miles and miles of skyscrapers, unrelenting traffic noise, and concrete. At first, it had a lot of anonymity vibes, but, after Id’ walked around for a couple of days, it felt almost user-friendly. Overhead foot paths cross giant boulevards and wind through high rise complexes. Quiet paths hug the harbor through green spaces and large parks. No garbage and no bad smells except the fish sauce. The public transportation is impressive. Buses, trams, subway trains, and escalators. Also ferries. Because Hong Kong’s commercial districts are located on different islands, there is a lot of back and forth across Victoria Harbor. For 80 cents, you can hop a Star Ferry and almost any time of night or day.

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What I Learned About Taiwan from Yu Peng

A week is not enough to understand anything in depth but, in travel, it’s usually enough to form some impressions. Taipei? The language and the style is Chinese but most Taiwanese don’t think of themselves as Chinese. They are Taiwanese. But what is Taiwanese?

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Taiwan — There’s a Lot Going on Under the Surface

Busy street in downtown Taipei, Taiwan’s capital.

On my first day in Taiwan, I asked a young Taiwanese woman in my hotel what she thinks about Taiwan’s relationship to China. She looked the other way and lowered her voice to a whisper. The next day, my taxi driver eagerly downloaded his decidedly progressive political views until I asked him about Taiwan’s future. Then he paused and lowered his voice.

Because sometimes in life, the best way to deal with disagreement is to just keep a low profile and do what you want.

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