Hong Kong

Right before my birthday in September I had a work trip to Hong Kong. Since my meetings were on a Monday I decided to go Sunday morning to attempt a bit of tourism prior to my meetings. I went with a very vague idea of what to see with only my Lonely Planet as a guide.


Hong Kong and China have a strange relationship. A flight to Hong Kong is an international flight and Chinese citizens require a visa to visit. Hong Kong has its own currency, its own stock market, and a distinctly different culture than the mainland – for example most people speak Cantonese, not Mandarin. I knew Hong Kong was densely populated, on the coast with a series of islands, subject to typhoons and is supposedly an easy place to live as a foreigner.


After landing at the airport I took the train to the subway and then took a shuttle bus to my hotel. The first thing that struck me was how hilly it was – the bus kept going up and turning. Cars drive on the left side of the road – a hangover from the British colonial days which gave me the impression that we were going to crash periodically. There were “sky bridges” crosswalks connecting buildings and multiple layers with people everywhere. It was possible to cross huge distances without actually going outside, either underground or using the sky bridges.


After checking into my hotel I took the subway to the base of Victoria Peak and then hiked up to where the tram station was. The tram was really neat and went almost straight up to view of the harbor and a nice place to view the skyscrapers of the city. There was a pianist performing live music in the shopping mall at the top and I explored an English language bookstore there and people watched for an hour or so. Later that evening I went to dinner with a coworker and his wife in one of the bar areas of the city. People eat later in Hong Kong than Shanghai – we got there about 7:30 and no one was in the restaurant, but when we left at 9:30 it was packed – much more European than Shanghai.


My meetings went well on Monday and I took the train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou that evening. Before I left I wanted to buy some English magazines because they are easier to find in Hong Kong. While at a small convenience store I bought several magazines – they then had me push a button for a “lucky draw.” I won – a huge stuffed animal! I couldn't really tell if it was a dog, a horse or a cow, but I looped it over my suitcase and went off to Guangzhou.


Hong Kong intrigued me. I'll be back.
G