Law & Order Hong Kong style

An outgoing student at the Buddhist Sin Tak College. The school motto: To illuminate with wisdom and to manifest with compassion.

Just when I thought this trip couldn't get any better, we spent our first full day in Hong Kong. This day has become one of my favorites. It was very hot and humid, but the experiences were awesome. The day started with a conversation between our group and South China Daily Post Columnist Ben Kwok. It was a great opportunity to hear about the freedom of press in Hong Kong and the rise in media owners in the area. Next was a visit to the Buddhist Sin Tak College.

The Buddhist Sin Tak College is a secondary school in Hong Kong. It is different from any other secondary school we saw so far in China because the classes are all taught in English. It is a full immersion school for students in grades 7 through 12. Students who come from the primary schools to the Buddhist school receive instruction in Cantonese prior to starting secondary school. This school is their first experience receiving instruction in English. Therefore, we were able to observe a wonderful summer program that helps students learn to work with each other and transition to classroom instruction in English. What's really neat is that these summer classes are more manageable than most of the Chinese classes we have seen so far...only about 22 students.

We stopped for lunch on Lan Kwai Fong street. I was far too interested in walking around the area and taking in the sights, so instead of eating, a Starbucks

When the lights go down, the "in crowd" heads to Lan Kwai Fong Street. It's a must for night owls and people watchers.

had to tide me over. Cathy, Jane, and I walked around window shopping and checking out the area. It was very crowded. Lan Kwai Fong Street is a cosmopolitan area. It has narrow streets that are quite hilly. We frequently had to stop to watch traffic driving on the left side of the road. At night it is more of a party atmosphere on Lan Kwai Fong but it does have a wide variety of international cuisine. I guess the foreigners go there for the night life.

The most interesting visit today was at the High Court in Hong Kong. There, we met with a justice from the Court of Appeals. He was very candid as he explained the court systems in Hong Kong. What was really neat for us is that we were able to go to court today and witness a murder trial in action. Law & Order Hong Kong style. I was rather distracted by the judges. There were 4 and they had those funky fake white wigs kinda like George Washington. You should see what a Chinese man looks like with a white powdered wig. But, we were able to listen in to the questioning from the murder trial. The murder occurred in Hong Kong but the accused went to mainland China. It was apparent from the questioning that his physical condition was somewhat compromised when he was returned from the mainland. Something about a 30-pound weight shackled to his leg. Hmmm. I wish we could have stayed.

The MTR (Mass Transit Railway) is an efficient underground rail system that covers Hong Kong's major urban areas. Placed into service in 1979, the system carries more than 2.5 million people a day! To put that into some perspective, Chicago's CTA ridership is about 1.2 million people per day.

Our last group stop was at the Bureau of Home Affairs where we learned about youth initiatives. Not wanting to see a hotel room for too long while in Hong Kong, a group of us navigated the subway system over to Temple Street on Kowloon Island. Temple Street is a large street market. Not wanting to take anything less than my suitcase can hold, I bought some additional souvenirs for my family. Our hotel is on Hong Kong Island so our subway journey went under the bay. I am looking forward to Friday. We are thinking of a cruise along the islands. Keep checking.