Delights of Hong Kong

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Hong Kong is certainly an interesting place to visit. I can´t say I would ever want to live there.... mostly because I like having a fair amount of personal space. Compared to Townsville, it seems like half the world´s population lives there. I know that´s not the case, but the place can be a bit overwhelming for an unseasoned traveller like myself.

My flight got in on time, and the bus from the airport to Mongkok went okay. The new Hong Kong airport is a bit out of town, but after they combined a few islands and built a stack load of bridges, it´s a cruisey trip into the city. I don´t think I´m exagerating when I say there are literally hundreds of high-rise apartment blocks. These aren´t flash rish ones, but simply the normal way people live. It would drive me insane.

I had an organised tour the next morning (Tuesday), which ended up being about 12 or so of us in a minivan with our guide Michelle (she did give her Chinese name, but I only remember the Lee part). Went through Kowloon then the under-harbour tunnel.... first bit of trivia was that it was built in 1972. Ended up on Hong Kong Island where we got the tram up to The Peak. A fairly steep ride, but considering it´s been chugging along since 1888, not a bad effort. The view from the top is amazing. Luckily for us it was not too cloudy or smoggy, but the humidity was up there a bit.

Now, I have to say, nearly the whole place is geared towards tourism. Apparently the unemployment rate is only 3%, so people don´t need to steal from you to make a living .... there is logic there somewhere. The point being, things are cheap and affordable. Food is cheap, transport is cheap, the list goes on. Unfortunately for Brett I wasn´t able to get a new lense for him, but a did see those really good cream-coloured ones he mentioned.

Took a swing by Aberdeen to see the fishing village. Got the obligatory sampan ride for $HK50, which is about $AU8, and had a look at the largest floating restaurant in the world. Don´t worry folks, there´s pics to go with all of this. Next stop was to Repulse Bay where we saw a gem shop and the workshop at the back. I couldn´t help thinking it was so contrived, but I guess it´s part of the deal to take us there and get us to by their jewelery. Despite being asked many times if I was looking for something for a "special lady", I resisted the temptation and kept hold of my many thousands of dollars, haha. Their selling techniques are so predictable.

A quick trip by the Stanley markets, then it was back to the hotel. Not a bad way to fill in five hours, and I certainly couldn´t have got to so many places on my own. What better way to fill in the evening than with a cool laser show on the harbour. They have put lights and lasers on lots of the high office blocks, and synchronised it to 15 minutes of techno music. It was pretty cool to see, and I now know where the majority of the world´s electricity is being used. In most of the city, neon is the weapon of choice. It´s probably worse for me as I can´t read Cantonese (although there are a lot of English signs to go with them). It just got a bit much for me, with the heat and humidity, the people everywhere, and the flashing signs. I may have been in sensory overload, so I decided to sleep it off.

Hong Kong are having elections soon, and there was propaganda on lots of streets. Our guide told us that voting turnout was only about 30%, which for me seems pitiful but for those pesimistic readers out there, it probably makes sense.

Wednesday morning came and another 14 hour plane flight awaited. It wasn´t all that bad as I was able to sleep a bit, and the hostesses kept good care of us. Next stop ... Dublin.

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Photos

Appartments
This is how most people in Hong Kong live.

Bamboo scaffolding
Bamboo is used everywhere because it´s light and cheap.

Floating restaurant.
The guide took a picture of us in a traditional hat. Doesn´t suit my style.

Harbour laser show.
It´s hard to capture all the lights in one shot.

Morning exercise.
I think they are doing a kind of Tai Chi.

Comments

[Annette]

Mowing hat
I think you should bring back the traditional hat for mowing. Looks like you are having a good time and cramming lots in.