(Hong Kong) Feeling Nostalgic for a Place I’ve Never Been | Recognizing a Fictitious Divide

Originally, I had planned to visit Taiwan as the last stop of my world trip before returning to Korea, but feeling a sense of missing out, I looked at the map for a while and decided to change my plans. I decided to go to China, ride a bicycle along the rivers that form the border between China and North Korea, from the Amnok River to the Tumen River, and then visit Mount Baekdu, the sacred mountain of the Korean Peninsula, before returning to Korea. To do this, I needed to get a Chinese visa in Hong Kong, so I took a flight from Taiwan to Hong Kong.

I went to the YMCA I had booked for my accommodation, and the building was huge, but they told me they couldn’t store bikes indoors. There was a luggage storage, but they said only bags could be stored there. Next to the reception, there was a warehouse with a bicycle already inside, but they told me that wasn’t an option either. I asked if I could leave the bike behind the building, where I could see a locked area outside, but they said that wasn’t allowed either.
In the end, I had to chain the bike to a trash bin in front of the building, where anyone could easily access it. I was worried that my bike might be stolen, especially towards the end of the trip, so I had to check on its safety day and night.

The next morning, as I went outside to explore the city, a sudden wave of nostalgia hit me. It was my first time visiting Hong Kong, yet I was feeling nostalgic for a place I had never been.
I suddenly remembered watching Hong Kong movies during Chuseok (Korean harvest festival), Seollal (Korean New Year), and on Saturday evenings when I was a child. Listening to the accents of the people around me made me feel like I had stepped into a scene from one of those films I loved watching as a kid

I often saw the harmonious coexistence of old and new buildings. Hong Kong is a place where the present and the past stand side by side.

In front of my accommodation, there was a restaurant like this: it had cool air conditioning, was cheaper than the touristy places, served large portions, and offered a variety of dishes. I came here nearly every day to have my meals.”

Before the food arrived, they would serve warm water, which I drank every time. But then, I later noticed at the table next to me that there were spoons and chopsticks placed in a container. Ah, it wasn’t drinking water, it was for disinfecting the spoons and chopsticks.

There were quite a few places like the restaurant in front of my accommodation in the residential area, and the set menus were very filling.

As I walked through the city, I felt like I was stepping into a scene from a movie I had watched as a child. I also wondered if foreigners who grew up watching Korean dramas and movies would feel the same way when they visit Korea in the future.

When I was a child, I enjoyed Hong Kong films, in my middle and high school years, I watched Japanese films, and in my early twenties, I loved Taiwanese films. It felt as though the flow of the film industry moved from Hong Kong to Japan and then to Taiwan. If there had been no Hong Kong cinema, could the Korean film industry have grown to such a global scale today? I think we have all influenced each other and grown together.

It was street food and just perfect for my taste. It was really delicious.

The streets of Hong Kong at night made me fall into nostalgia once again.

The buildings in Hong Kong were so unique that I kept taking photos.

The streets of Hong Kong at night…

The streets of Hong Kong at night… I saw a homeless person spending the night in front of a real estate office. It made me feel heavy-hearted, yet there was an irony to it. There are so many houses, yet many people are struggling because they don’t have a place to live.

I think one of the hardest things about being born into this society is having a ‘home of my own.’ Isn’t that the main reason many people work so hard? Soon, when my world trip ends, I’ll have to jump into the battle of life to find ‘my own home,’ but I wonder if I will ever truly have one in my life.

There were a lot of people as I headed to the subway. Since Taiwan wasn’t as crowded, I thought Hong Kong would be the perfect place to experience an environment similar to Korea before returning after 12 years.

I noticed some people exchanging something without leaving the station.

The Hong Kong subway was cool and clean.

The city center of Hong Kong

Hong Kong has many unique buildings.

The Hong Kong skyline, where various buildings are gathered in one place.

The large park in the city.

What’s interesting about Hong Kong is that bamboo is often used during construction.

It’s even more surprising that bamboo is used when constructing large buildings alongside heavy machinery. It seems like the government officially allows the use of bamboo for construction. Bamboo must be much stronger than I thought.

One of the characteristics of Hong Kong is that you can have letters engraved on your license plate if you pay.

When I first went out to see the night view of Hong Kong, I was so amazed by its spectacular beauty that I couldn’t stop admiring it. Can there really be such a beautiful night view?

After finishing my sightseeing in Hong Kong, I decided to cycle around the Hong Kong. Since the roads in Hong Kong are designed primarily for cars, they are very narrow, making cycling near the cities quite dangerous. I arrived at a park late at night and saw people enjoying barbecues. Despite the intense humidity and heat, seeing them grill and eat made me admire their passion.

I set up a tent in a park by the road, but it was so hot that I stayed outside until 1 a.m. By around 2 a.m., I finally went into the tent, but sweat kept beading on my forehead, and mosquitoes kept getting inside and biting me, so I couldn’t sleep well.

The next morning, I woke up and was amazed by the view. How could there be such a place in Hong Kong?

As I passed through another city area in Hong Kong, I was happy to see well-maintained bike lanes. The central part of Hong Kong is very crowded, but this neighborhood, although filled with apartments, wasn’t as hectic.

As I ventured toward the countryside, I started to see houses, which was a bit of a surprise. In some ways, it looked similar to Korea. The city is chaotic with only apartments visible, but as I moved toward the outskirts, I saw residential areas, nature, and it seemed like life here was more relaxed.

It was too hot and there were too many mosquitoes to sleep outside, so I decided to stay for the night at a YMCA. The building was large, but there was only one other person staying there. The first-floor indoor space was huge, but they said I couldn’t store my bicycle indoors. Since it was a rural area, I wasn’t too concerned about theft.

The next morning, I ventured deeper into the mountain paths. I had no idea Hong Kong had places like this filled with nature.

While looking at the map, I saw a hiking trail and decided to leave my bike and head into the mountain. The walking trail was well-maintained. There were many barbecue areas along the way in the middle of the mountain.

I couldn’t believe this was Hong Kong. If I hadn’t traveled by bike, I would have remembered Hong Kong as a place with busy streets, lots of people, and tall buildings.

Afterward, I moved on to another urban area where the bike lanes were also excellent. If I followed this road, it would lead me to a beach where I planned to camp that night.

There were many bridges in the suburban area of Hong Kong, but I had trouble figuring out where the entrances were for my bicycle, which made it a bit challenging.

Eventually, I reached the beach where I would camp. To my surprise, there were many barbecue tables there. I was wondering if Hong Kong liked barbecues even more than Korea.

I walked around the beach and noticed two tents already set up, which made me feel more at ease. There was a free shower and 24-hour restroom, which was very convenient. At 5 a.m., I went to the restroom and saw people who had come out to swim. They were swimming in the dark, which was impressive. Their passion was amazing.

As the sun rose, the beach became busier with people swimming.

While looking at the map, I saw a route that would take me to another island by ferry. I went to the dock and got on a ferry.

The ferry dropping me off at Tai O was leaving to the next destination.

When I arrived, I noticed that the village looked unique, and I found out it was a tourist destination.

The village was so narrow that most people were riding bikes around.

I had a Hong Kong breakfast, Spam, fried egg, and noodle while watching people ride their bikes.

On one side of the island, I could see the bridge to Macau in the distance. Since bicycles couldn’t be taken on the ferry to Macau, I decided to skip it.

I was curious about the houses made of metal plates. I wondered if the indoors would get too hot with buildings like that.

There were also houses by the water. I saw a local person fishing on their balcony, preparing lunch.

On the other side of the village, there were other houses, too.

I had a delicious lunch.

After lunch, I left the village and started climbing the mountain road. In the middle of the road, heavy rain suddenly started, so I took a short break at a bus stop. When the rain eased, I continued my ride. Taxis in the central area of Hong Kong are red, but in this area, they were sky blue.

Looking at the map, I saw a camping site. It was a government-run free campsite, and I could check in just by showing my passport. It was right in front of the sea, and the view was nice. The campsite had free showers and restrooms, which made it very convenient.

The next morning

I learned that Hong Kong has excellent outdoor facilities, including many free barbecue areas, free camping sites, safe swimming nets in the sea, and 24-hour access to free showers and toilets, among other amenities.

On the way to the dock, I noticed that the walls of the houses were very tall. It looked like a wealthy neighborhood.

The Mui Wo dock was full of bicycles, and I saw many foreigners there.

Since the central area of Hong Kong is so busy, it seemed like wealthy people or foreigners live in places with such beautiful nature and commute to work by ferry. I also saw students taking ferries to school.

There were various boats sailing across the sea.

Just a day ago, I had been cycling through a jungle, and now I was looking at the tall buildings in the central part of Hong Kong. It made me realize how amazing humans are.
There are 8 million species of animals on Earth, but only humans, Homo sapiens, can build complex cities and structures. It’s truly fascinating.

This Homo sapiens in the photo doesn’t have the ability to build structures, but is skilled at traveling by bicycle. Celebrating her return to the heart of Hong Kong with a thumbs-up, Homo sapiens Jin.

In Hong Kong, the past and present coexist in many places. After finishing my bike trip around Hong Kong, I quickly headed to the Chinese Immigration office in the afternoon because I had an appointment for my visa.

There were so many people at the immigration office, as it had just opened the border. The thing I was most concerned about was my visit to Turkey. There had been rumors that people who had visited Turkey might not be able to get a Chinese visa, as there was tension between Turkey and China at the time.
When my turn came, the immigration officer asked me if I had visited Turkey. It wasn’t just a rumor. I showed them my old passport, which had many stamps. The officer couldn’t find the Turkish stamp, so I had to show it to them. They took the old passport inside for a moment and then came back. Fortunately, there were no problems, and I was told to come back in five days to collect my visa.
With that, my China tourist visa issue was solved.

Five days later, I went back to the immigration office to collect my visa. This is the view of Hong Kong from inside the immigration office.

Finally, I received my visa! I could really see the end of my travels now.

Comparing the visa I received with the one from six years ago, the visa paper was still the same.

Thanks to my connection with the dean of School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, I had the opportunity to visit the university and talk about my travel. I thought I would be speaking to students, but since it was vacation, most of them were professors. I was so nervous that I lost track of time.
In fact, my connection with the dean goes back 10 years. Back then, the dean was visiting Ecuador and heard about a Korean woman traveling by bike, so he came to meet me, but he didn’t have the time. So he only greeted briefly and left.
Later, due to COVID, the dean couldn’t go abroad, so he searched online for people he had met while traveling and found me. Later seeing that I was in Hong Kong, he contacted me. It was amazing how a brief encounter like that could reconnect after so many years, turning into a meaningful meeting.

After having dinner with a Hong Kong family I talked on Instagram, we went to see the Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market.

I was shocked by the massive amount of fruit. They import fruits every day, and by morning, all the boxes are gone, and the streets turn into roads for regular traffic.

I went to the Hong Kong Racecourse, and it was so crowded.

I even participated in the horse race and won 160 HKD (U$20)! This was my second win in gambling while traveling around the world. I won money right away the first time I gambled in Las Vegas, and I won again immediately this time! My secret to winning at gambling is… never play a second round!

I was nervous about returning to Korea for the first time in 12 years, soon after cycling through China. On the other hand, I felt fortunate that I could experience the complicated roads, subways, and apartment complexes in Hong Kong, which would help me adjust when I returned to Korea.

I watched the Dragon Boat Festival with the Hong Kong family.

Hong Kong’s red taxis constantly evoked a sense of nostalgia in me. It was a strange feeling to experience nostalgia in a place I had never been, and it took me back to my childhood memories.

The Hong Kong family invited me to see the Rubber Duck, which had just arrived in Hong Kong. On the way to the park, we passed by some incredible buildings.

The park was packed with people trying to see the Rubber Duck, and I couldn’t help but think, what’s so special about it?

But when I saw it, I understood why it was such a big deal. It was so cute! I loved it so much that I made it my WhatsApp profile picture afterward.

Before leaving Hong Kong, I wanted to see the city’s night view one more time. Just as I was heading out, a film shoot was taking place. I had no idea that so much equipment and so many people were involved in filming a movie, and I couldn’t help but admire them.

At the end of my trip in East Asia, I recalled the movie The Motorcycle Diaries of Che Guevara, which I had watched 10 years ago.

“During this trip, I once again confirmed my belief that the illusory divide of the Americas is a complete fiction. Let us all raise a toast to a united America.”

At the time, I didn’t fully understand this part, but during my trip to Hong Kong, I came to realize its meaning. As my journey through East Asia was nearing its end, I felt that “we are very similar in many ways, have inspired each other greatly, and have grown together.” However, sadly, we sometimes misunderstand and defame each other.
When I traveled through the South Pacific, I enjoyed their music, especially Ukulele – Blad P2A (DMP) song from the Solomon Islands. The comments on that song’s YouTube video were very impressive. It was so moving to see the people from various South Pacific islands praising the Ukulele song and coming together as one.
Sadly, when I saw some successful videos from some Asian country, I noticed that some other Asian sometimes bring up unrelated negative topics to criticize. After seeing that, the sight of South Pacific people uniting felt very moving. I wished that, like them, East Asians could unite in the same way.
Now, after traveling through East Asia, I realize that we are so alike, yet we are fighting over an illusory divide.
Let us all raise a toast to a united East Asia

At the end of my trip, I took a photo of the local currency, and it seems like Hong Kong will be the last place I do that. Since I had already traveled through China, there was no need to take another photo of their currency, and after that, I’ll be returning to Korea, so I won’t be taking pictures of any more foreign money.

My goal was to get a 90-day tourist visa for China, but unfortunately, I could only get a 30-day visa in Hong Kong. Originally, I planned to bike through Hong Kong, pass through Shanghai, see the Amnok River, visit Mount Baekdu, and go up to the Tumen River. However, due to time constraints, I had to fly to Dalian, which is near the Amnok River.

While packing, I was shocked to find that my bag was seriously torn. I fixed it with some blue tape I bought from Decathlon and hoped it would hold up a little longer.

I have several bicycle bags, and the way to pack them into the airplane is by putting them all into a checkered bag I bought at the market. I took out all the camping gear from the rack pack and packed everything piece by piece, stacking the bags neatly on top. The tripod was packed into a bicycle box sometimes.

When I arrived at the airport, I suddenly remembered something I had to do—collect a stamp!

I had been collecting coins during my world travels, but the weight had gotten too heavy, so at some point, I only collected stamps. I think Hong Kong will be the last place I collect a stamp for my world trip.