Green and Gray

This past Saturday, Dan and I went hiking near Shek O (on the eastern part of HK island), along the Dragon's Back Trail. It reminded me that Hong Kong is actually a really green place, once you leave the city streets. It was a really foggy day, so we weren’t able to see any of the views. But it was beautiful, regardless. The air smelled of leaves and clean moss. As we climbed higher, the wind grew more intense and we were drenched in mist. All we could see was white. For all we knew, we were in the middle of nowhere, wandering into ocean. Dan threw a rock out into the white. We walked slowly and watched an entire nest of ants walk across the trail. Dan gave me a piece of bamboo and I ran around, poking at things like I was a kid again.

In contrast, Alley, David, and I crossed the border and visited Shenzhen on Sunday, the "overnight city". The city was exactly what I imagined: a frenzy of cheap goods (including piles of sneakers taller than me), huge crowds of people, ugly construction, pollution, and an endless gray sky. And then again, there were other parts of Shenzhen that I liked: the pineapple and sugar cane stands, Lotus Hill Park, and the wide city streets.