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Published: June 11th 2008
After 5 weeks in SE Asia we took a flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong. We didn't really know what to expect from Hong Kong as we hadn't done that much research but after spending a few days there I have to say it is a really cool and exciting place and we both really enjoyed it. Perhaps it was the additional western culture!
On our first day we went to see the Big Buddha on Lantau Island. Its probably one of the more impressive statues that we've seen in Asia to date and its huge- not too much smaller than Christ the Redeemer in Rio. Lantau Island is a really quiet place and is a great place to relax, away from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong Island.
We then went for a stroll around Kowloon (Hong Kong's backpacker area) and the Avenue of Stars (a tribute to Hong Kong's film stars, most notably Bruce Lee). That evening we watched the symphony of lights show over the harbour. We had read a bit about it and were quite looking forward to it but it was a bit of a disapointment so we wouldn't really recommend going out
of your way to see it.
The following day we went to the flag raising ceremony in Bauhinia Square and saw the Golden Bauhinia. This monument was gift from China in 1997 to mark the establishment of the SAR when Britain relinquished control of the region. Hong Kong is a special administrative region for the next 40 years or so when it will eventually revert back to being part of China.
After the flag raising ceremony we took a ferry to Macau. Macau is totally different to Hong Kong. Its basically a mini Vegas. The place is full of casinos and is quite touristy but it had some nice pleasant streets to stroll around and we enjoyed the few hours we had there. That night we met up with Sean for a few beers (turned out to be several) to round of a relaxing few days. We spent most of the night in a bar on top of one of the skyscrappers. The views were amazing.
The next day we headed for China.
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The Big Budda
