Halloween in Hong Kong

From San Francisco, I had to fly through Hong Kong to get to Thailand, so I decided to spend a couple of days there, including Halloween.

I hiked up to "The Peak" for a great view of the city, while watching 99.9% of the tourists take the cable car up the steep incline. There were a few amazing mansions nestled on the hillside.

I also strolled through Hong Kong Park, including the aviary, and poked along the crowded streets window shopping and people watching.

I was lucky to have a couple of friends in town as well, who showed me particular neighborhoods, restaurants, bars, and in one case, a private social club with an amazing view of the harbor.

Then came Halloween. My friends had left. So I was on my own. At first I was going to avoid it, but then I thought, "What the hell...why NOT go to the most crowded, wild place, just to say I did." That was the famous Lan Kwai Fong (LKF) district.

What a mob scene it was. Wow. First, a long line of costume-clad pedestrians wound through the barricaded streets just to enter the fenced-off LKF district. Second, we funnelled through a heavily guarded entrance. Third, once inside, the first 100 meters or so was like the Red Carpet at the Academy Awards. The sidewalk was lined with photographers (some definitely amateur, maybe some professional) who snapped away at the funny, fancy, grotesque, and/or sexy costumes.

I was not in costume. (My first costume-less Halloween in as long as I can remember.) So I felt a little weird walking the Red Carpet. At one point, just to be funny, I threw up my hands as to indicate "Hey, what about me? Doesn't anyone want a picture of ME?" And immediately the camera-wielding crowd thought that was funny, and snapped away at me. It turned out to be a long night and a mess getting home. But I made it.

Overall, Hong Kong was a lot of fun. But then again, by the third day, I was ready to leave and get on with my journey in Thailand.