Heading out from Singapore, I was really pumped to finally get a chance to explore Hong Kong. Ever since reading James Clavell's massive novel Tai-Pan, set around the founding of the colony by the British, this little speck of land off China has always intrigued me.
And for anyone looking the quick executive summary – it didn't suck.
If anything, it was the exact opposite. Oh, sure, I came in expecting the postcard vistas of tall skyscrapers, good Chinese food, and a great ferry ride across the harbor, but Hong Kong provided so much more – surprise after surprise on every side and around every corner.
Okay – the quick snapshot about Hong Kong... it was an island a few miles off the coast of China with a stunning harbor. Back in 1840-something, the Brits founded their colony there to provide an easy way to keep trading and influencing China, without any connections to land that would leave them vulnerable to China's massive army.
Today, nearly 13 years after the UK gave it back to China in '97, it's still a unique mix of Chinese, British, and overall ex-pat. My first impression? Think of the biggest Chinatown you can think of, multiply it by 50, and then give it a heady mix of New York's raw energy with a dash of British refinement. It's pretty intoxicating.
Arriving was a little less exciting now that planes don't have to dodge skyscrapers en route to Kai Tak Airport. Instead, I came in via their ultramodern new airport and then by bus into Kowloon, where I got off to find my hotel. All I knew was that it was in the Chungking Mansions. Now, that's a posh name, but that's about all that can be said... this was a seriously dodgy skyscraper smack dab on the 'Golden Mile' for tourists. Dodging a number of extremely determined touts, all dead set on telling me that my hostel was no longer in business (“and hey, how about trying this one...?”), I walked through the lobby market level that wouldn't have been out of place in Third World countries to at last find my elevator.
It was packed, and as we ever-so slowly worked our way up, each time the doors opened, it was another surprise. From African laborers' low cost lodgings, to a Baptist church, and a dozen mysterious businesses, you never knew what Chungking Mansions was going to throw at you. Just like Hong Kong, in fact.
Excitement aside, I was more than ready to find my room at the Maple Leaf Hostel and it's tiny but absolutely spotless room.
My first day out and about was unabashedly playing the tourist. I hopped onto the world famous Star Ferry to head over to Hong Kong Island proper. And, just like Sydney or San Francisco, these ferries are hands down the best way to get introduced to the city. For a little over a quarter, you got vistas like this:
I then took Lonely Planet's walking tour – that winds among the back alleys and markets of Central. It was fun, but also humbling – and a little taster of the fun and frustration that travelling in China would bring. I mean, travelling in Europe, or any place that uses the Roman alphabet, you can generally guess and work your way around.
With Chinese? The writing is beautiful, but not very helpful to your typical gwai loh/tourist (ghost person in Cantonese)...
But, that was a huge part of the fun. Even ordering my first meal was a challenge, with lots of pointing and smiles, that got me some really tasty noodle soup in the end.
So, meandering through dried fish markets (complete with seriously overfed guard cats – talk about a cushy gig!):
… to dried flying lizards and dozens more things that I'm still unclear on, it was all good fun.
Working my way up the hill, I ducked into some hidden temples, and then a really cool photography exhibit about Hong Kong using infared film. Weird, but very cool.
Next up was heading up to Mid-Levels via the world's longest series of escalators – at 800 meters. It's a pretty amazing achievement, a nearly complete second level pedestrian expressway that's wedged in and between skyscrapers. Going down in the morning, and up in the afternoon, it's the commute of choice for thousands of Hong Kong's professionals. Nice.
Halfway up, it hit me – we all have friends who are masters of seemingly defying physics by squeezing unbelievable amounts of things in their car, room, purse, or even their over-worked brains. Well, Hong Kong just took that skill and extended to an entire city – showing a mastery of architectural Tetris that is second to none. Facing a never-ending crush of new inhabitants, the city has become super adept at adapting and fitting in people, roads, and even, yes, escalators wherever they can. Shopping plazas are in nearly every office building, linked by a near-continuous network of raised walkways. Even the property developers get into the act, maximizing the rents they receive by going vertical, even on a wide but ridiculously shallow lot.
The rest of the day was pretty much checking out the financial district, from its ever-increasing skyscrapers and the old colonial district. Hong Kong is funny that way – going from incredibly hard to pronounce Chinese name to stuffy British with “Queen's Road”, and then back again. Fun, but a little surreal.
And, as a reward for my efforts, I took a break in the Mandarin Oriental... a legendary hotel that was once of the world's finest. A gin & tonic in their rooftop bar was just the ticket, especially as it was the spot that my dad and mom met up when he was able to take R&R from Vietnam. From the Trevi Fountain to here, I always get a kick out of knowing that my folks and I had enjoyed the same amazing view.
When the bill came, I casually glanced at it, and got a nice shock... $100!! I mean, it was an AMAZING drink, but dropping a cool Benjamin on it? Oh, wait, that was in HK $. Ten quid was much better.
My first night was another great introduction to Hong Kong's ex-pat scene, as I met up with Dana, my friend Michelle's good mate. After catching the rather kitsch lights and laser show from Kowloon, where a number of the bigger skyscrapers flashed their lights in time to 80's synthesizer music...
… we met a bunch of folks at an informal networking gig, then kept on going in the party district of Lan Kwai Fong.
Many, many G&T's later, including the briefest of stops at an bar made entirely of ice, and I was good for only a cab ride back to Kowloon.
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