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This sprawling metropolis was a bit of a shock to the system having come from deserted Namibia after a brief stop in Johannesburg. Hong Kong airport was clean and surprisingly quiet, so when we boarded the train to the centre, we expected to step out into the madness, but it never quite happened. There were once more people per square mile than anywhere else in the world here, but there are so many high rise buildings, you don't quite realise it's so packed. The main shopping areas are busy, but more so before and after office hours.
We arrived at our hotel with a view of the huge sky scrapers and close to the famous peak tram. Jet lag had hit us so we had a nap then headed up to take a look at the view of the island and its outlying counterparts. It's quite ugly and beautiful all at once in its different aspects. The towering sky scrapers look quite impressive, though some more than others, but it's surprisingly green and the water surrounding the islands gives you a feeling of open spaces. It's smoggy, but doesn't feel too claustrophobic like London can. And the huge difference is how ordered and sophisticated the public transport system is - it truly puts us to shame. You can buy an Octopus card which you can use on any form of transport and the network is simple to understand.
We got the boat across to Kowloon island that evening to admire the view of the bright lights and laser show projected from the sky scrapers, when they really come to life. Kowloon island houses the some large arts centres, and main market areas, which again spring into action as the sun goes down. All manner of food is on offer, often still alive awaiting its fate. The shops and streets were decorated with red lanterns and a whole range of sizes and colours of pigs, in preparation for celebrating the Chinese New Year. We got dressed up one evening and went for a drink at the famous Peninsular Hotel bar, but it wasn't all it's cracked up to be; service wasn't very forthcoming, we got very unimaginative ready salted crisps with our far too expensive drinks, and you couldn't fully admire the view across to Hong Kong island as the venetian blinds obscured it. Definitely where people go to be seen rather than enjoy a nice drink!
We opted for chinese food for a couple of days, getting into the swing of using chopsticks, but found ourselves drifting to the comforts of trendy bars and restaurants for some Western fare as we knew India, where we're heading next, may be more limited. We treated ourselves to a meal at the Pearl on the Peak (on the peak with views over the island as the name suggests), which was very trendy and not too pricey, but all too much for Chris and I who like the finer things in life now and then admittedly, but a deep fried hibiscus flower was just one step too far!
We took buses, boats, trains, and cable cars around the islands, and discovered that even on Hong Kong island there was plenty of variety, from sights to food to activities...Chris even got to go surfing, and there are lovely beaches, although the waves were pretty lame to be honest! There are lots of expats here (although still 96% natives) which gives it a more cosmopolitan feel than I'm sure mainland China has, and the people are more relaxed and friendly than I expected.
All in all, Hong Kong is a city of contrasts, and even after a week there, we've barely scratched the surface. I'm glad we liked it as we've got to stop off there a few more times on the way through to other destinations, and it will be nice to be able to go somewhere we are slightly familiar with amidst our whirlwind tour of Asia.
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