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Published: April 11th 2008
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Hong Kong
View from Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade Excited! That is how we both felt leaving Brisbane for Hong Kong. Moving from our longest time in one country to our shortest, we predicted a bit of a culture shock when we arrived in HK. Boy were we right! We were wide eyed as we drove into town in our taxi at the sheer scale of the buildings, high rise apartment blocks everywhere. As soon as we got out of the taxi, the hustle and bustle of the city was upon us, and the heat and humidity hit us. We stayed at the Ah Shan Hostel, which is basically a few rooms on the 14th and 15th floors of a big apartment block in Mong Kok, the northern part of Hong Kong. Way nicer than we expected, we were given a triple room as the crazy laughing lady in charge had evidently given away our double to someone else! We were just happy to stick on the air conditioning and conk out for the night...
Everybody raves about the shopping in Hong Kong, and rightly so. We woke up ravenous and pounded the streets looking for something that resembled breakfast as we knew it. Starbucks came to the rescue,
Hong Kong
Graham Street Wet Market and we gorged ourselves on pastries and tea. We took the metro under the sea to Hong Kong Island and strolled around bustling streets looking at camera and clothes shops. The amount of people on the streets here is unbelieveable. It takes some getting used to. Imagine Grafton St. on the last Saturday before Christmas and you're getting there. Every single street is mobbed. After a delicious lunch I bagged my first bargain, a lens and flash for my camera and then we hit Graham St Wet Market, a bit of an institution. Here traders peddle their fish and vegetables, with much shouting and hollering. From there it was on to the Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) building, famous for being the most expensive building ever constructed according to our trusty Lonley Planet. A bohemouth of aluminium and glass, the working innards were on show for all to see. Then we headed up to the 43rd floor of the Bank of China Tower, to enjoy spectacular views over the bay. Apparently a Feng Shui enthusiast's worst nightmare, the triangulated tower is an icon of the HK skyline, and is a striking building in its own right. We popped
Hong Kong
Graham Street Wet Market back to our hostel to drop off our new purchases, and headed straight back out to the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade to catch the lightshow. At 8pm every night the skyscrapers are ablaze with spotlights, colourful LEDs and lasers, putting on a display for the tourists. The scene was surreal, as Number 1 IFC, the tallest building in Hong Kong lit up the clouds, making it feel like twilight. The scene was spectacular and breathtaking, and the size of the buildings intimidating, when compared to a cruise ship that pulled into port just as the lightshow was in full swing. We headed for dinner to a fantastic restaurant of duck and ribs, surrounded by gold upholstry. By the time we got back to our hostel, we were both aching from head to toe, and our feet were ruined from so much walking. We really paid the price for our lazyness in New Zealand and Australia, driving to every attraction and distraction.
The next day we decided that a slightly slower pace was required, and headed to the snappliy titled Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin temple in New Kowloon. With fantastic traditional Chinese temple architecture, it was a real
Hong Kong
Graham Street Wet Market feeling of culture in a city of such hustle and bustle. Pilgrims burned insence and bowed as they prayed, and we strolled around the gardens and water features. Kate was tempted to get her fortune told, but going on the "quarity of engrish" we had heard so far, it was decided that it would be an unwise investment. We headed to Causeway Bay in the afternoon to stroll around the stylish clothes shops, where Kate was in her element, and groaning with exasperation at the lack of space in her rucksack. We stopped off in The Peninsula Hotel for afternoon tea, and institution in Hong Kong, and a great treat for us both. After the long wait in the queue of an hour, we sipped tea and ate scones, listened to the string quartet, and dremt of being able to afford to walk upstairs to our room rather than our somewhat less prestigious hostel...We stayed on the move, and headed around more shops until our feet required plasters and bodies demanded caffeine. The next stop was the Temple St. night market, chock-a-block with stalls of excitable vendors selling all sorts. We trawled the tables, and then sat at tables set
Hong Kong
Graham Street Wet Market out on the street and had a great meal of beef with black bean sauce and lemon chicken. Yet again by the time the wonderful metro saw us home, we were exhausted and aching.
On our third day, after breakfast (from Starbucks again. I know, shocking lack of adventure on our part, but breakfast is not the time to be messing around with noodles and rice...) I left Kate to the internet, and pounded the streets of Mong Kok in search of more camera equipment. I could never in my wildest dreams imagine a place with as many electronics shops as Hong Kong, they're everywhere. However the bit of kit I was looking for was out of stock everywhere, but the shops were promising a delivery that night. Emptyhanded I returned to the hostel, and Kate and I went out for another delicious dinner. The food in HK is great, and we ate for less than 10 Euro between us! All that thriftyness was rendered insignificant, as we headed to the 30th floor of One Peking, to an amazing bar. Aqua Spirit enjoys spectacular views over the harbour and of the Hong Kong skyline. As we took our seats
Hong Kong
Graham Street Wet Market we realised that there was a minimum charge of 15 Euro each, so we were in at the deep end! There we sipped (very slowly, I might add) our champagne cocktails and again found ourselves daydreaming abound being able to afford a second drink! After the glasses were empty and the complimentary peanuts raided, we strolled out into the night, with thoughts of "must earn more money" in our heads. I decided that a quick detour down the camera street opposite the hostel was in order, as fresh stock had just been delivered to all the shops. I found what I was looking for at a great price, and we both joked at your chances of buying a camera lens at 11.30pm in Dublin. This town really does not sleep...
Our last day in Hong Kong was considerably lazier than our first, we strolled around Mong Kok's shops, the Ladies' Market and malls, having a leisurely lunch, and trying to unwind in a city that has only one pace of life: frenetic. We both agreed that Hong Kong has a great deal to offer; its amazingly good value and great fun, but like the Big Apple anything more than
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View from Bank of China Tower 4 days at a time would be biting off more than you can chew. However we have both vowed to return in a few years time as there is so much to see and do.
Stay tuned for our next adventure as we head to Nepal, and hopefully make it to the Base Camp of Everest. Quite the contrast from Hong Kong, I think you'll agree!
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Gerard
non-member comment
'Breathtaking, unbelieveable, spectacular....'
Mark, maybe it's only the way I read it, but I get the vague impression that you enjoyed yourself in Hong Kong!!