Buzzworthy

Hong Kong hums. It’s New York on uppers; LA condensed. This is where East meets West, and everybody is reveling in the vibe.

The streets are a bouillabaisse of Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, with a spice of Euro-flair. The sidewalks barely contain the throng of humanity; the crosswalks are 40-feet wide to accommodate the masses. High fashion, gourmet food, and exclusive shopping mingle with discount mobile phones, Mao trinkets, and Hello Kitty. In HK, night becomes day under the blinding glare of neon and halogen, and the energy is palpable.

We arrived in HK last night after a 13-hour plane flight from Vancouver, and 25 hours door-to-door. It was raining, hot, and muggy, and the streets were literally packed elbow-to-elbow with locals doing their thing. The scene was mind-blowing. We went to sleep.

This morning the feel was different, as though the giant lay sleeping. Groups practiced Tai Chi in the park, street vendors quietly arranged their wares, and birds chirped near the mouth of Causeway Bay. Yet the giant was not dormant for long. Soon, the seven-plus-million residents amped-up, and HK once-again roared to life.