View from above

Today in Hong Kong the skies are crystal clear and from my seat on the plane back from San Francisco I can see the islands of Hong Kong and all of the enclaves where the city has been built up. There is surprisingly a lot of undeveloped green, especially on Lantau Island.

The fact that it is so clear is surprising and confounding. I am not sure at first what I am looking at, having never seen through the smog before. Is it Taiwan? As we round a green island and I admire an untouched beautiful beach, I see the Chek Lap Kok airport on its reclaimed land. So I must be looking a beach on the far side of Lantau Island. Amazing. Beautiful.

I actually like Hong Kong when it is clear like this. It is actually a beautiful place with the blue waters and the green mountainous islands. The sun early the next day filters warmly on the shorter Chinese-style buildings below me out my window. The city never really sleeps or quiets down, but this early, sunrise, there is a semblance of quiet and sleep. Of course the wet market below is getting ready to open soon and some red taxis are already making their way through Central to get those early banker fares.