You want that in some soup? (by Karen)

Hong Kong Island by night

My first experience of Hong Kong was the Airport Express - a SUPER clean train with plush seats, informative intercom and even a progress indicator so you knew how far you were from the next stop. It scooped us straight from within the airport direct to Hong Kong station on Hong Kong Island.  I was smitten from the start :)

The trams

But it wasn't just the efficiency of Hong Kong transport that was so impressive, it was the cost too.  Having experienced the cost of England's public transport, and now that of Australia, I can firmly say that Hong Kong's transport is super cheap and wonderfully affordable for a 7-month traveler on a tight budget.

As we cruised along silently one can't not notice the multitude of high rise buildings that dominated the landscape and stretched as far as the eye could see.  Lots of business buildings of course, but it was the mass of residential buildings that really stood out.  Certainly none were less than 20 stories tall, and all crammed tight with thousands of tiny apartments.  With a population of 7 million and in such a small area such a thing as a bungalow or detached house is greek to a Honky.

There is probably as many noodles in Hong Kong as there are tall buildings.  They love their noodles.  And even more so, noodles in soup.  In fact, put anything in a soup and they like it ... macaroni, cabbage, ham, egg, chicken, ducks tongues, it all tastes so much better if it's been souped.  Despite what seems to be a very carbohydrate-rich diet, the Honkys are a very trim nation.  I didn't see one obese person in the 3 days that we were there.  

Parade that we came across

However I did see a packed McDonalds at almost every turn, so I wonder if they are simply blessed with good ancestral genes, and if things might start changing for the future Hongkongese generations.

What we did constantly oogle at was how clean Hong Kong is.  There is ZILCH litter, and things actually shine ... cars, glass, floors. Even concrete floors are bleached so they shine!  Honky's take their cleanliness pretty seriously, there are even signs up saying that due to the dirtyness and mess that pigeons poop makes you can be fined $1500 if you feed them!  

On the ferry

We also discovered that Honky's take their image as a non-lazy nation quite frevently too ... while chilling in the park we were caught by the "sleep police" who was only happy once we had sat up from a lying position.  She then moved on to the next group of picnic-ers, prodding them until they sat up.  Lying on the grass or on a bench is a no no.

Rone soaking up the view from the ferry

Puneet and Zoe, and us of course :)

We were extremely lucky to have the hospitality of a friend of Rone's brother while we were in Hong Kong.  Puneet and his girlfriend, Zoe, gave us some excellent local tips and took us to some groovy Hong Kong bars and restarants.  They also gave us directions to a top-notch Dim Sum spot, where Rone declared that she had the best steamed bun of her life :)

Da best buns!

One recommendation from Puneet and Zoe was to go up to The Peak - a 550m high peak that rises right out of central Hong Kong Island.  Rone and I set off full of enthusiasm and vigour for our "stroll" up to the Peak, but what our friends failed to detail was exactly how steep the path is, and how long it goes on for!  After walking up hill for 10 minutes we were still at the base of many of the buildings that rose 20, 30, 40 stories high.  Maybe even more.  

After another 20 minutes we were finally coming level with the tops of the buildings, and after another 10 minutes we were well above them all.  At some points the path was so steep I was almost going backwards.  However once at the top it was definitely worth it, and the views were spectacular.

The last time I was in Hong Kong I was 16 years old, and with my dad and brother.  I remember us going up to the Peak in the funnicular, and walking the Peak Circuit, just as Rone and I did again now.  So it was a rather special walk down memory lane for me, taking the same path as I had 21 years ago.

My first visit to Hong Kong in 1992

Where's Rone??

To summarize in one last paragraph ... all in all we throughly enjoyed Hong Kong. Don't expect to go anywhere fast (the streets are so packed with people it's impossible to move at any kind of speed) but rest assured it will be a clean and, if you can show patience, pleasurable experience.

Just a few more of our favourite photos ...

Top of the Peak

Street food - backpacker style :)

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