Good Golly, Ms. Trolley

The coolest thing the British left behind when they finally sailed back to the U.K in 1997 –well okay, maybe not the coolest thing- but the coolest thing after the hospitals, the universities, the rule of law and the court system, the rigorously protected private property rights, banks and a stock market, and the English language which has allowed Hong Kong to be a leader in international commerce -okay, besides all that, the coolest thing the British left are the trolleys.

The island of Hong Kong is one of the few cities in the world that is still running its trolley system from the early twentieth century. The trolleys, rather than being a touristy attraction, are actually an integral part of the public transportation network on the island. The trolley cars are very narrow, much narrower than a modern bus or a subway car. They clatter along the tracks in the middle of the street fed by an overhead electrical line. The wheels of the trolleys are really close to the center of the car so the nose and tail of the car are inclined to bob up and down as you go.

We rode the trolley for the first time Sunday.

It was loud. It was shaky. It was crowded. It was awesome.

-Jack