End of Hong Kong, Beginning of Thailand

Hello from Thailand! I'm writing from the Chada Guest House, which is our very nice and cheap hostel that we've booked for tonight. Dimitar, Ivo, and I all got in earlier than Sanjana and Nisha, so we're waiting for them before going out. I can connect my camera to the computer here, but the Internet access is so slow that I won't be able to upload more than a few photos.

When I last posted from Hong Kong a few nights ago, we were about to go to the light show on the waterfront. It was by far the coolest thing I have seen on this trip, and one of my favorite experiences ever. Hong Kong has an amazing skyline that is laid out on all sides of Victoria Harbor, with most of the largest buildings along the waterfront on Hong Kong island. We went to the water on the Kowloon side, opposite the island, to watch. For 15 minutes, speakers played music and lights on Hong Kong highrises created a lightshow to match the song. It reminded me of the fountain show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, but it was simply far more spectacular. I took some video that I will post if I get access to a broadband connection, but there is simply no way to describe the experience without actually being there. After the lightshow, all of us went to dinner, then bought drinks and returned to the waterfront to spend more time admiring the skyline.

Yesterday, we took a tram to the top of Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island. The views from the top were, no surprise, spectacular. The trip to the peak took up most of the day, after which we went to dinner, and Ivo, Dimitar, and I capped off the night at a rooftop bar in Kowloon.

As dramatic and beautiful as Hong Kong is from its many vistas, life on the street, particularly in the district where our hostel was, is a different story. It is hot, muggy, and dirty, and it can feel unsafe. During the day, we were constantly accosted by men trying to get us to buy copy watches, suits, and cameras. At night, the same men offered us drugs, and there were rows of prostitutes. Our building was filled with what seemed to be sweatshops. Although there was certainly a lot to be learned from the experience, I am very glad to have moved on to a new city.

We have had almost no time to explore Bangkok so far, but from what we have seen, it will be fun. We passed several temples and palaces on the way to the hostel, the streets are filled with backpackers drinking, eating, and shopping at stores operated by street vendors, and our hostel is clean and comfortable. We have a flight to Krabi tomorrow afternoon, so we will spend only half of the day here, but we'll return for a couple of nights before going to Cambodia. All of us are very excited to head south to the beaches, and we're hoping to avoid the monsoon rains as much as possible.