It’s been awhile! A lot has happened since the last time, and I’m currently visiting Hong Kong. After almost 19 hours of traveling from Charlotte, I arrived Saturday evening to a warm and humid city. There’s plenty to see in this city, and with the limited time I have, it was time to get cracking!

First order of business was to get to my relative’s place from the airport. Hong Kong International Airport is huge and very modern. Since it’s on an island outside of the city, it’s connected to the mainland via a very large bridge. Unfortunately, I was *on* the bridge so there aren’t any pictures…

First stop, my home away from home in Hong Kong. I’m staying with relatives in Kwun Tong for the few days I head to Tokyo. It’s a nice quiet area but is a bit smaller than what I’m used to for so many people. The view isn’t terrible, but it’s by no means spectacular… XD

Now would also be a decent time to talk about the camera gear I took on this trip. I recently picked up the new Canon S95 compact digital camera. It’s extremely full featured and slots in well for when I don’t want to lug around the full SLR kit. It fits easily into my pocket and features all the shooting modes I use the most (Program Auto, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority), does HD video, and has some other pretty nifty shooting modes!

This is my personal favorite… the so called “miniature mode.” It’s pretty much a faux tilt-shift effect, which gives the objects a miniaturized look. I’ve been using that extensively where the situation fits… 😀 In addition to the S95, I also have the Nikon D50 with me (since the D7000 hasn’t arrived yet) and an array of lenses. For standard shooting, I’ll be sticking mostly to my 18-200VR and 50mm Nikkors, but brought the 70-300 and 100mm macro with me as well. I’m especially looking forward to running the 70-300 through it’s paces!

Enough about camera equipment, it’s time for some sightseeing! Hong Kong is filled with interesting sights. It is home to several “themed” areas, where folks can buy stuff related to specific hobbies. Entire streets are dedicated to things like fish, birds, jade, and electronics!

Jade Market

“Goldfish street”

“Bird street”

I also managed to get myself to the super awesome Dollfie World shop in Mong Kok. I already knew what I wanted to buy, but that didn’t stop me from browsing their stock in person! The shop itself was a bit smaller than I thought it would be though… I guess the pictures on the internet made it look bigger than in person.

Also on the agenda for the trip was an excursion out to Dai O, which is a quaint area on Lantau Island. It has the air of an old fishing village and features a lot of interesting architecture. A lot of the houses are built on the water and supported on stilts.

For more pictures, be sure to check out the rest of the uploads up on Flickr!