Hong Kong, Where East Meets West
The Dynamic Charisma of The Cantonese
A great friend had come to visit me in China and we agreed that Hong Kong was a must see. It was a first stop for both of us, and we were equally amazed as we approached in the cab. It was quite an entrance…rolling hills that seemed to never end scattered with skyscrapers in the valleys…what a marvelously developed city. The landscape is decorated with beautiful beaches that attract surfers from everywhere, followed by the final descent into the heart of the city boasting a world renowned harbor and shipyard. Awe inspiring stuff.
A Brief History
Hong Kong boasts a very dynamic history. Once a colony of the British, the special administrative region of China blends culture like no other place in the world! A vibrant mix in cuisine and people, attracting talented individuals from all over as one of the hottest places in the world for young professionals.
Even more interesting is the relationship with China, which is bound to become more and more contentious in the future. China will eventually take control of the region once again, but the Cantonese speaking Hong Kong locals want nothing to do with the Chinese government. The values and culture of Hong Kong are in a way elitist, with good and bad intentions. Long story short, China has much to gain by retaining the currently autonomous territory, while the Cantonese feel they have little to gain by merging the two. It will absolutely be interesting to see the events play out.
Action-Packed Hong Kong
The first thing we did was check out the Hong Kong Football & Rugby Club. Set in the heart of the city, the backdrop from the field is pretty incredible. It seemed like a pretty cool place but after a short walk through we discovered non-members aren’t allowed to dine. Oh well. We found a pub to get some food in the city. A very British feel of course and met some nice people there…one of which had just returned from a hiatus in India. I always enjoy meeting fellow travelers and sharing stories. Her pictures were amazing! I need to get there very soon.
Later we walked around the infamous Temple Street night market. Without question there is a completely different feel from mainland China. As I said, some examples of colonization can have more positives than they do negatives. Hong Kong is a clear example of this rarity as one of the world’s leading international financial markets.
Street Markets of Hong Kong
There were so many people in the city! So much life! The markets seemed to go on forever…vibrant with different types of people and plenty of fake goods, although quite undistinguishable. Fendi. Prada. Louis Vuitton. Not my thing but no doubt there’s a huge market for it. At this point, we couldn’t fight our bodies anymore. We were both running on fumes from our work, travel, and fun. The inevitable had caught up to us and we had to relent. Bedtime.
Mike had work to do the next day so I made my way out to do some hiking in the hills. The metro was refreshingly clean in comparison to Beijing and far less hectic. Nice change of pace there. The Dragon’s Back was my targeted trail. Very peaceful as there weren’t many tourists and not nearly as difficult as the Great Wall. Despite a cloudy day, the views across Hong Kong were pretty awesome.
Victoria Harbor & LKF
As always, I took the path less traveled on the way down and got lost. I ended up at Big Wave Bay, where there was nothing more than a few families and local surfers. Peaceful is the best way to describe the scene. Seems like a great place to get away for the day. I caught the bus back to the city to catch the light show at Victoria Harbor. The skyline itself is very impressive at night as most companies have invested in fluorescent lights that blow up the sky and reflect majestically off the water.
Later in the evening we went to the very popular nightlife area of Lan Kwai Fong. Here we found another shisha spot…big surprise I know…and some great Middle Eastern food. The plan was to meet up with a mutual friend of ours who’s currently living in Hong Kong, but he didn’t make it back in time from the Philippines. Time had flown by and Mike needed to get to Guangzhou. I also was flying to meet some Irish friends in Manila. It’s tough that we don’t get to hang out much, but we both know another adventure isn’t that far out. Surely there’s a lot more offered by this eclectic autonomous territory of Hong Kong, and I look forward to my next visit.
