Hong Kong isn't Supposed to be Quiet

Greetings, blog followers! We just went into the city to get Hong Kong I.D.s, and our travels took us close to the "Occupy Central" protests. If you've never heard of them, here's a quick summary:

Hong Kong is a SAR, or special administrative region, which means it has some freedom while still being part of China. Part of the former is their ability to vote- however this is hindered by part of the latter, a policy that dictates that the candidates must be provided by China first. Since China's government is known for rewarding mostly the people who are friends with important people and not hard work- further compounded by communism- the citizens of Hong Kong are naturally resisting governmental intervention from them.

Phew. So, with all that in mind, we set out to the city and noticed a few things that had changed from being on the outskirts of a protest. Here's a handy list, because I like lists.

-We noticed someone wearing a backpack with safety goggles attached, presumably to protect against pepper spray.

-Because of the blockade set up for the protest, there were no cars around, making the area peacefully quiet.

-7-11 was nearly sold out of water, likely from protests needing fuel to stand in Hong Kong's uncomfortable sun.

-The area seemed to be less crowded than most Hong Kong areas. That, in conjunction with the quiet, made the place unusually serene for the city.

The car-free streets.

Thanks for reading!