Crazy Things I Like About Hong Kong

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So here is the deal for Americans in Hong Kong ... its a great way to tip your toe into Asia. You get an international "experience," but you can ask anybody "where do I find the ferry for Macau?" and get an answer in English.

Last night I sat down at bar and heard the bartender discussing a drink order with a waiter in animated Cantonese ... the waiter was dispatched and the bartender turned to me ... and without skipping a beat .... says "My name is Joe, how can I help you."

So anyway, its a very modern, efficient place ... but as always ... there are crazy little things that I find fun.

For example, the emergency exit signs depict evacuees fleeing a conflagration (actually I thinking they are "proceeding with caution to the nearest exit," but there are flames nonetheless.)

The city is super modern (like New York on steroids) and virtually all vestiges of colonial history have been bulldozed to make way for a world class metro system and a forest of gleaming skyscrapers ... which makes it even more quaint that Hong Kong has retained (and uses as part of its colossal mass transit system) two remnants of 19th colonial life ... the Star Ferry and the historic cable cars.

The Star Ferry is the single best thing about Hong Kong. Twelve 19th century watercraft ferry passengers between Kowloon and Hong Kong Harbor every 10 minutes or so. It is a delight to watch these antique craft sailing back and forth all day long ... its a bigger treat to ride along. The trip takes about 9 minutes and cost 40 cents. Residents can travel under the harbor by metro, but I have no idea why they would. If I lived here, I would take the Star Ferry everyday. It is quite simple AWESOME!

Once you arrive on Hong Kong Island, you can hop off the Star Ferry and onto one of the 19th century cable cars that have been racing down the center of the congested city streets for the better part of two centuries. Its a great way to see see the Hong Kong Island side of city and its actually a bit of an adventure because the cable cars feel more rickety then they probably are.

Hong Kong also has ... as part of its mass transit system ... the worlds only commuter escalator. For centuries, the wealthiest people in Hong Kong lived high on Victoria Peak, above the downtown area known as "Central." For much of its history, the residential area above Central (known as "Mid-Levels") was populated by large hill-top homes. Beginning in the 1960's these historic homes began to be replaced by luxury high rise apartments ... many of which cost in the tens of millions of dollars. The increased density caused gridlock ... so .... in 1993, the city built an escalator system that climbs 800 vertical feet so that people who live in the Mid-Levels can reach the Center without a car. Problem solved. The escalator route is a lively thoroughfare, full of shops and restaurants.

Take a look at the photos.

More to come.

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