Wandering Aidan Miniseries, Episode 1

Welcome to the Wandering Aidan Miniseries, "Comparing Hong Kong to Denver" where I describe what Hong Kong is like so everyone will stop asking me! The first episode is "Weather and Transportation".

As usual, the first things I am inclined to mention are the heat and humidity. The heat wouldn't be particularly devastating on its own, but when you add in the unheard-of humidity, it gets dangerous just to set foot outside. Hong Kong has made us learn to build our day around the temperature- for instance, if we set out for a run at any time other than early morning, it's like jogging through a desert while wearing a jet-black parka. Surprisingly, though, it's starting to cool off here as fall arrives. People told us that it would cool off, but honestly, we didn't believe them. Of course, there is no chance of snow, and I doubt it will get cold enough for the trees to shed their leaves, but we have still experienced quite a few refreshing breezes over the past few days.

Another area where we have had to be more flexible is transportation. We don't own a car here, so public transport is essential. Luckily, another difference between Hong Kong and Denver comes into play here, and that is the fact that Hong Kong is full to bursting with taxis and shuttles. Have you ever wondered how we get into the city for all of those crazy adventures? We have a wide range of options:

-If we want to go to Stanley Plaza, we need to take the public light bus (or minibus) that ferries passengers back and forth between locations. Stanley isn't the only stop, but it's the only one we've used so far.

-If we want to go to the city, we can come along for the ride on the apartment complex's personal shuttle…

-…However, the shuttle only stops at one or two key points, so we have to take a taxi if we need more precision. Luckily, a taxi can be called straight to the apartment, and the process almost invariably takes less than two minutes.

-There is a tunnel connecting the island and mainland parts of Hong Kong, but our preferred method of crossing is the Star Ferry, a convenient, back-and-forth boat that docks every five minutes.

-If everything else fails, a subway exists down in the city's inconspicuous underground. We almost never ride it, but it can be useful for traveling unobstructed, especially when traffic acts up on the busy streets.

-Finally, we use our own feet quite a bit, especially if a bus or a shuttle doesn't stop at the exact location we need. Hong Kong can be punishing if long walks wear you out.

As for the way back, we can usually return the way we came. However, that can't be done if we arrived in a taxi. To make matters worse, taxis can't be hailed down in Hong Kong. Instead, we have to seek out taxi queues, which are found at shopping malls and hotels (and when we finally do find one, we're drawn to it like moths to a light, since we often stay in the city for tiring lengths of time).

The light bus.

The Star Ferry. Note- these pictures were found online, not taken by any of us.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions about Hong Kong- a.k.a. material for a new episode- just plop them in the comments section.