Skyscrapers and mountains in the mist

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Hong Kong Skyline over Victoria Harbor Hong Kong was in many ways, not the way I expected it to be. I knew the basic history - that it was a highly developed area which had been ruled by the British since the 1800's, and after the British lease had run out in 1997, had been handed back to China. The "one country, two systems" policy had been established with the hand-back in order to maintain the economic momentum which continues to drive Hong Kong and makes it one of the financial capitals of the world.

The first view one sees when getting off the airplane is of majestic mountains shrouded in mist. Hong Kong is actually a collection of mountainous islands. Although there is massive development around the them, and probably hundreds of skyscrapers, the city has been very well-planned and from several vantage points on the busy streets, one can see greenery in the distance. It must be one of the most eco-balanced cities in the world.

Hong Kong is full of movement. There are people everywhere, and the sensory stimuli multiplies tenfold at night when nearly every street sign blinks, flashes, or somehow grabs the eye. The British imprint is easy to see with the cars driving on the other side of the road, a large portion of the population speaking English, and several British institutions such as afternoon tea and Madame Tussauds surviving in the city after the hand-back.

The most stunning sight is by far, Victoria Harbor. It looks impressive during the day,and even moreso at night as many of the skyscrapers come alive with multi-colored lights which shift in artistic patterns. From Kowloon (the touristy island of Hong Kong), Hong Kong island is quite close to the harbor and the skyline extends as far as the eye can see. It's hard to take it all in, and unimaginable to think of how many man-hours, materials, and money must have gone into building what looks like the largest skyline in the world. Perhaps New York, Chicago or other cities have more buildings, but I don't think that any other city has the same vantage point as Kowloon's lower shore which is far away enough to see everything, but still so close as to experience the sheer enormity of the buildings.

Hong Kong island is the business district and is laid out on several mountains. It's quite a workout walking around as everything goes uphill, and for the many businessmen in suits, an acquired talent to appear cool as cucumbers under the extertion and humidity. Climbing up to the highest point in town - Victoria Peak is a must, and the tram ride goes straight uphill at 75 degrees. The view is stunning from up there, and there is even a Madame Tussauds outlet featuring wax figures of notable Hong Kong movie stars.

Hong Kong has a huge expat population, and I was able to meet a few of them when I went out to Lin Kwei Fong - one of the main bar districts which is built on a mountain. It's quite an impressive street/area - you walk straight uphill on a steep slope and there are literally bars everywhere. Getting back downhill must be pretty tricky if you have one drink too many. I wonder how many people have rolled down over the years... The bars are nice, but super expensive, so most people buy drinks in the pharmacies which line the club and party outside, occasionally stepping into an air conditioned bar to cool off. Every expat said nearly the same thing about living in Hong Kong - you work yourself to the bone during the week, and then go nuts and spend your paycheck on drinks on the weekends, and repeat.

Because of this area being so mountainous, Hong Kong has built the Mid-Levels escalator, the longest escalator in the world to help people get up. It's quite a long ride, although a bit underwhelming. I do have the bragging rights of saying that I rode nearly a kilometer on an escalator though.

I met up with my tour group towards the end of my time in Hong Kong. It's a small group of 12 including the guide, and I'm again, surprisingly the only American. Our guide said that the tour would be pretty unstructured with a lot of free time do your own thing which sounded quite reassuring based on my previous experiences. After a drink out with the people from the tour, we got an early start on sleeping as the next day, we'd be travelling into mainland China by way of overnight train...

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