HK

Every night at 8 o'clock the city of Hong Kong transforms into a wacky laser show. The skyline of Hong Kong island becomes a giant performance art piece as searchlights, lasers and other assorted illumination, all mounted to or integrated into the architecture, fire off in a dazzling choreography set to the campiest synth music imaginable. It's really bad. It makes Howard Jones sound like Mozart. The visual is spectacular, however, so it's worth the goofy soundtrack. The best vantage point from which to view it is the Avenue of the Stars on the north side of Kowloon Bay. As red sailed junks cruise through the water with the brightly lit and lasered skyline of Hong Kong island as the backdrop, one feels a bizarre but comforting feeling of the old residing contentedly with the new.

A good way to round out an evening is to proceed to the Temple Street night market. It is conveniently located one subway stop up from the Avenue of the Stars and is comprised of block after block of stalls selling everything one could need to enhance, remember or otherwise complete a trip to HK. Binoculars, shoes, t-shirts, and every type of trinket imaginable are all for sale. On a perpendicular street toward the near end of the market are restaurants lined up one after another. Nearly every manner of cuisine is available from sushi to Indian food, so after wandering through the market, pull up a low plastic chair and grab a bowl of curry.
-Ken