Kowloon, Walking Around Hong Kong

By Allison Martin Kowloon is reminiscent of a gigantic American "china town", with the combination of English signs and Chinese stores. In fact, many older Chinese customs are still retained in Hong Kong which have been lost in mainland China.

Small shops, city parks, food stalls and restaurants line the thronged streets. Apartment buildings covered with gigantic pictorial advertisements in Chinese and English tower overhead, blocking the view of the surrounding mountains and much of the sky. The stalls of magazines, vegetables and household goods add a touch of bright color to the street scene.

One of the unusual sights in Asia are the bright and colorful birds sold in cages along the sidewalks. The pet birds attracted many customers along the sidewalk.

Walking the streets during the day feels relatively safe. The streets were crowded with people of all ages intermingling with cars, buses, and trucks. English is seldom heard on the streets despite the ubiquitous English advertisements overhead.

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