The first thing we noticed on our descent into Hong Kong was the skyline and the lights. In the airport everything was so antiseptic and orderly. We were shocked after a month in the chaotic and grubby worlds of Vietnam and Cambodia. Even the taxis are color coded based on the area of town where they operate. The full impact of the skyline unfolded as we rode our taxi to our destination of Tsim Sha Tsui (TST).
“Look at how everyone stays in their own lane,” Nug commented as we zipped along. It was a complete 180 degree from the free for all of the roads in SE Asia. I nervously glanced at the meter as we crossed the $200 HKD mark on our fare.
Our driver braked as we approached a red light while inexplicably a taxi several cars in front of us gunned it through the intersection…and T-boned a motorbike. It flipped and the passenger on the back flew across our line of vision a solid 20 yards. The sound was wretched. The motorbike driver got up and ran to the girl who was now sitting up stunned. The bike lay in a crumpled heap on the ground and the back tire was still spinning. Before we could move our light turned green and our taxi driver maneuvered around the bike and accelerated. The fact that we had not seen a single wreck during our entire time in Vietnam or Cambodia sunk in at that moment.
So, chaos can be safe and orderly in its own fashion! Yay!! for entropy!!