Hong Kong

The first stop on my 5 week journey through SE Asia is Hong Kong, a world-class city of some 7 million people.

My first impression was of its modernity: a huge new airport; sleek towers of glass and steel, wrapped in neon lights at night; fast, efficient public transit; a bustling place where almost everyone walks around glued to their smart phones (our taxi driver had 5 set up on his dashboard!).

But there is another Hong Kong, a city of smaller, older apartment buildings and local markets: a market for flowers; another for jade; one for cheap electronics; and even one for song birds (rather sad to see).

Three days isn't enough to fully appreciate the complexity of such a vast metropolis, but my friends and I have much more to see and do in the coming weeks. Next stop: Hanoi, Vietnam!

Four amigos on the road: Mark Goldberg, Chuck Baran, Simon Bell and Paul Zago.