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Shopper's paradise (but who can carry that much...?)
Tuesday October 24, 2000
Hong Kong, China - Nobody goes to Hong Kong for fun. Some people go to shop, others to work there and to make tons of money, some get stranded here, but just for fun? Definitely not!
That doesn't mean that I regret coming. In contrast, it's amazing to finally see this world-famous metropole. It's an interesting atmosphere, it feels very British. Cars drive on the left, traffic signs look like in England, two-level busses and street
cars. Combine this with the hectic and big scale of New York City - business, high rises, money, incredible rude people - and you have Hong Kong, almost. To round up the picture, add the weather of New Orleans in summer, where taking a few steps down t
he road makes you break out in sweat.
Along these lines, it's not surprising that there is not that much of interest for the non-shopping visitor (and as I travel really light, shopping is not really an option). I made the obligatory trip to Victoria peak yesterday night, and the view was in
deed spectacular. Supposedly the movie Blade Runner got inspired by that view. But besides that, it was a tourist trap, including a Believe-It-Or-Not museum, and Madame Tussaud's (no, I did NOT visit). I was especially bummed, as I planned on hiking ba
ck down, but security strongly suggested me not to do so, as there have been robberies at night. So I tried to find some other travelers who might be interested in hiking down together with me, but no luck.
Feeling that half a day in downtown Hong Kong is plenty for me personally, I made a trip to one of the outlying Islands today, to Cheung Chau. Some 22,000 people live there, and while it's supposedly crowded like hell on the weekends, I went on a Wednesd
ay morning, and it was very charming. The population is mostly Chinese, and people speak barely English. It's a longish island - maybe two miles long. In hidden alleys were shrines and temples, stores were selling Chinese medicine and herbs, there were
incense shops and little bakeries. And of course some beaches (beware, they have sharks!), and beautiful hiking paths.
My two days here are almost over, and more time would have been too much anyway. I was hoping to see and learn a little about the changes caused by giving Hong Kong back to the Chinese, but there is not much to see. The police looks chinese, there are l
ittle banners here and there, but it's all very hidden. No surprise - the skilled people are already fleeing town, and Chinese politicians know how easily they could destroy this treasure they received.
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Pictures
Click to enlarge
The view from Victoria Peak inspired the movie "Blade Runner"
The park at the foot of Victoria Peak is refreshingly different
Reflections of sky scrapers
Bamboo is used heavily in construction
Crossing the channel with the ferry
On Cheung Chau you feel like being in China
You find little neighborhood altars everywhere on Cheung Chau
Beach on Cheung Chau: "Do not swim near the shark prevention net"
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