HONG KONG - CHINA

As my first destination in Asia, Hong Kong certainly provided me with an opportunity to accustom myself to 'Asian culture' and I found the city gave off a mixture of European and Asian vibes. Over the course of my stay I managed to see a fair bit of the city and nearby island of Lantau although the large jump in temperature from Switzerland to Hong Kong meant that I was very often found resting during the middle of the day.

Despite being a historically important and quite interesting city, I was dissapointed that Hong Kong provided almost no examples of its colonial past (there were only 2 'colonial buildings' still standing) and apart from a few art galleries, museums and a few other sites of interest, there was very little to keep me entertained in the city itself. What I was amazed to find however was an absolute plethora of shopping complexes and pretty much anything that I could think of buying was readily available. On my first night in the city, I just wandered around the streets close to my hostel, checking out new golf clubs, cheap clothing and a tonne of electronic equipment. Thankfully I was able to resist the temptation to spend the remainder of my savings in just a few hours !!! I was however, quit frustrated and surprised to find an army of sub-continental hagglers on the street, attempting to sell the tourist 'real copy watches', tailored suits and 'massage sessions'.... all of which I declined using only my most polite english !!!

Probably the most spectacular aspect of Hong Kong is the view of the city skyline as viewed from Victoria Peak on Hong Kong island. I visited the viewpoint twice, once at night and once during the day and was treated both times to fantastic views of the hundreds of skyskrapers, all crammed onto a tiny strip of space. From this position I was surprised to find that in fact there lay vast regions of 'wilderness' around the city and whilst walking down from the peak through something of a forest reserve it was difficult to contemplate that I was amidst a massive city, such was the tranquility and lack of noise.

Another highlight from my time in the city was Lantau island, to which I travelled with Lauren who was also staying at my hostel. After a cable-car ride accross some impressive mountain scenery, we arrived at a small 'tourist' village, adjacent to which was a giant Budah. Given that this was my first Budah, I was quite taken by the statue, however Lauren, whom had been travelling for some time in Thailand, was considerably less impressed by the hulking piece of bronze. Nonetheless the adventure was enjoyable all the same.

Between my few activities during the day, I also managed to get out during the nights and check out the Hong Kong nightlife. I quickly found that the city was far more interesting during the night than during the day, a point that was emphasised by my outing on Wednesday ('ladies') night. After paying a considerable amount for entry (including an open bar) to an establishment in the suburb of Wan Chai, I set about obtaining value for money and got myself well and trully bashed, in the process causing a fair bit of ruckass and meeting many people along the way. Following the closure of the club, I somehow made my way to another place (with the help of various people along the way), met some very 'friendly' local girls whom thankfully from which I was able to remove myself and then set about chatting with some Colombian girls (of a similar profession) in my best intoxicated spanish. A few hours (and bars) later I found myself in broad daylight outside my hostel at 8am. To recount all of what happened that night would require not only a great deal of space but also some help from those who were with me at the time (my memories are not so vivid), plus I do not wish to incriminate myself any further. Needless to say however, I had a great time although subsequent adventures to various spots around the city certainly did not prove quite so exciting.

My stay in Hong Kong was in hindsight too long as there really wasn't alot to keep me in the city. However, this was necessitated by my desire to watch the NRL grand final, which thankfully my team the Brisbane Broncos won, thereby making the wait more than worth it.

Photos 1-5: Buddah statue and the nearby village on Lantau island.
Photos 6-12: Sections of Hong Kong skyline by day and night.
Photo 13: Early on Wednesday night, before the fun really began.