This article is an part of ongoing series “Global Trekker“.

 Today I will take you all on a journey in and around Hong Kong. It was actually the first city that I had visited outside India (that is if don’t count Kathmandu). It is also one of the most dense and cosmopolitan city that I have ever visited even beating the likes of New York and London. It has a wide variety of atrractions and also some of the trendiest shopping in the Far East. But, let’s have a brief history first.

Brief History

Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港) is one of the two special administrative regions of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the other being Macau. The territory lies on the eastern side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province in the north and facing the South China Sea in the east, west and south. Beginning as a trading port in the 19th century, Hong Kong has developed into a leading financial centre.

It was earlier a British colony from 1842 to 1997 when it was handed over to China. Now it is called a Special Administrative Region (SAR) with it’s own government, own currency (HK$), own courts, etc. That is why it is so advanced and in much better shape than the rest of China.

I think that is enough of a history lesson. Lets move on.

First Impressions

If you are lucky enough to land at the Hong Kong Intenational Airport in daylight as I was, you would facinated. The entire city seems to be island clusters of high glass panelled building with water bodies in between. Infact, when you land, you won’t be seeing the land at all, only the sea untill you actually land since the runway is parallel to the sea!! The airport is ultra modern with natural lighting and glass panelling all throughout, monorails connecting the various terminals. Once you have cleared the immigration and have collected your baggagen there are n no. of ways of reaching the main Hong Kong island (taxi, metro, bus, etc). Since my father was on a business trip, we had a car (a Merc) to receive us.

The drive into town is splendid with modern buildings all around. You actually have to look straight up to even see the sky. So you can imagine the density of the buildings. We stayed a the Central Park Hotel on Hollywood Road which was a modest 3-star hotel and was quite centrally located.

Sites to See

Hong Kong is principally a business city. Yet, it is possible to see some really good places in HK. Here are some of my favouries:-

• The Peak : This is one of the most popular destinations in HK. It has best view of the city specially if you visit it in the evening when the city is lit up and looks its best. You can either take a tram to the peak (45 * incline!!!) or ue one of the buses.

• Madame Tussauds: Located in the Peak Tower , the Peak, this is the only one in Asia hosting the wax statues of a variety of celebrities like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan - definitely a must see!!

• Ocean Park : This is very similar to our Esselword but on a much bigger and better scale. The main USP is that it takes a cable car ride (one of the longest in Asia) to reach it.

• Repulse Bay : It is a very beautiful cresent like beach built in colonial style and a refreshing change from the ultra modern HK city.

• Victoria Harbour : It is one of the most beautiul harbours that I have ever seen. It also houses the Convention Center. We took a very memorable evening cruise from here. It is actually one of the best ways of seeing the city specially at night.

  

• Museum of Coastal Defence : This is not really a museum but an entire coastal defence fort which

  showcases HK’s entire maritime history. You would not believe the vast expanse of the place. Definitely worth a visit.

• Hong Kong Science Museum : This nothing like our very Nehru Science Center. It feaures the latest advances in science including life size models of aircrafts, ships, etc. Definitely a worth a visit if you can spare some time.

• Disney World HK : This was actually had not been constructed when I visited HK. But it is the second of it’s kind in Asia. Worth a visit if you are travelling wi

  th kids.

• Giant Buddha : There is the tallest outdoor statue of Buddha located near HK. Don’t miss it.

• Modern Buildings : Almost each an every building in HK is an architetcural marvel. Some famous ones are the HSBC Tower, Bank of China Tower, etc. There is even one that is said to be built of nuts and bolts and can be dessembled and assembled again in 10 hours!!!

• Shenzen: On one of the days, we took a train to the neighbouring province of Shenzen (China). I was shocked to see all the dust (very much like India). The cabbies didn’t know English leading to all confuson. There is a particular site called the Windows of the World which houses all the major world monuments including a replica of the Taj and Eiffel Tower. The shoppin there was dirt cheap with film DVDs costing Rs. 36. I bought a pair of night vision binoculars at Rs. 600 (Chinese Army make). Isn’t that a steal.

Some pictures directly from Hong Kong…

Food, Shopping and Transportation

Here are some pointers about having food in HK

• DONOT eat street food. Yes even for the Non-Vegs around. You are bound to encounter food stalls selling Pigs’ intestines, insects, etc. Always keep away from the street joints.

• Always ask questions about the dish you have ordered. In HK, chicken is considered to be as common as a vegetarian dish.

• There are a number of Indian restaurants around. Do give them a try. It always makes you feel at home. McDonald’s outlets are also safe so you can try them as well.

• If you really dig seafood no visit to HK is complete without a visit to the Jumbo Kingdom, an enormous floating seafood restaurant.

• Chinese food is safe if eaten at reputed hotels. But it will not taste like anything Chinese that we have here.

Shopping in HK is a treat. There are number of shops selling everything from designer clothing to high end electronics. But donot expect cheap prices. Some of the good shopping destinations are Tsim Tsa Sui, Central and Admirality Districts. There are some bargain markets at Stanley Market and also occasional night markets. If you really want good deals, a visit to Shenzen is a must.

Various forms of transport are available in HK namely:

1. MTR : This is the HK Metro. It is really well connected an you do get two day unlimited passes.Only problem is deciphering the station names.

2. Buses: There are numerous lines and is conenient if you have the exact directions.

3. Taxis : They are the most convenient but most of the taxi drivers donot speak English. In one instance, we had to show our hotel’s name written in Cantonese for the driver to understand where we wanted to go.

4. Ferry: There are inter- island ferries that you can take specially if you want to visit the Giant Buddha.

Conclusion

Having stayed in HK for 5 fun-filled days, we returned home satisfied with our visit. Hong Kong is a great metropolitan city and is one of the best places to visit in Asia.

If you would like more information about HK visit here.

NEXT STOP : Mauritius