Hong Kong | Eurotrip 09

Dec

2008

Hong Kong

Written by Ro

After saying goodbye to family, making our way through immigration and a short wait at one of Perth's very dull looking departure terminals we boarded our aircraft and made the uneventful 7 hour flight to Hong Kong.

We had the entire day to explore Hong Kong - our connecting flight arrived closer to midnight. The airport was confusingly laid out - made worse by the "engrish" directions of some of the airport staff. As we walked through travelator after travelator, a very stern looking Hong Kong police officer warned me to take off my hat - so I paid particular attention to the cameras which seemed absurdly bulky to be just viewing devices. Turns out that officers screen body temperatures of passengers to ensure they don’t have cold/flu - particularly important after the SARS scare on the island.

We made our way to the high speed train which departs from the terminal. The train took us through some beautiful landscapes with stark contrast between what you saw through the windows on the left hand side and the right hand side. Rolling hills on one side and the sea on the other, appartments vs docklands, sea vs inlet... you get the idea, very scenic.

Arriving at the station, the city is an eclectic mix of the third world atmosphere and first world skyline. LCD screens of all sizes litter line of sight and the air is a mix of exhaust fumes and that pang of expose sewers. Hong Kong should have switched to ethanol, or at least investigated alternatives a long time ago. The CBD is host to a huge mix of high end fashion stores and it’s easy to see there’s a lot of money flowing through the island city.

We took the Peak Tram up a steep incline to the top of a mountain ridge on the island where we found yet another shopping complex. Through the glass what would have been extraordinary views of the city were covered by frosted decals advertising the sky tower, a $20 extra option to see the views from what looked like an upside down half cylinder. We chose NOT to fuel the commercialisation already plaguing Hong Kong, ate burgers at a nearby joint with partially facing views city obscured by unnecessarily recessed balconies.

There was a Madame Toussaids here which we visited (being much cheaper than its European equivalents) and while obviously targeted to the Asian audience which frequented Hong Kong there were some recognisable names.

After exploring the area and getting the occasional glimpse at the immensity of the city we took the tram ride back down to the base and caught yet another toward the exhibition centre. Tram stops weren’t labelled and it was really a process of guess and check. The trams were crowed. We walked to the shore, saw the exhibition centre and crossed the harbor to Kowloon. Public transport in the city was relatively cheap costing us only 2HKD for trams and ferries. In Kowloon we visited the food courts and yet more shopping centres and hung around on the foreshore (with hosted an impressive view of the city skyline).

Every night at 8pm buildings on the skyline host a laser light show synchronised to music. The buildings each with their own individualised system of lights (including neon decals and sky lasers) were choreographed to what sounded like cheap synthesised music. The idea was an impressive one, trying to make up for Hong Kong’s obvious lack of attractions but the whole show was poorly executed.

After the event we caught the ferry back to the Hong Kong side, and the train to the airport. We milled and used the free internet here until our flight departed.

If you don’t have money there really isn’t much under the commercialisation of the city to see: Hong Kong's main attraction is its shopping which makes it the worst place for backpackers on a budget - still if you're interested in the workings of a modern Asian city Hong Kong is worth a visit. The final verdict was everything in Hong Kong costs money, except the free laser light show which just costs time. On our return trip we'll opt to stay in the airport - I think we'll be too poor to catch the train in.

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