The paradise called Hong Kong

So as I promised, the second part of our adventure in China. :) Since there are almost 2 000 kilometers between Beijing and Hong Kong, we faced a change from foggy autumn to heated summer when we arrived. Personally Hong Kong really surprised me at first: I hadn't realized how big it actually is, how many foreigners are living there, how it contains so much more than only the central city, and how clearly it is a mixture of Chinese and British culture. Just for the information, Hong Kong was a British colony until 1990's, so they still have for example left-side traffic and English as another official language. Well, as you can imagine, the difference to Beijing was quite huge.

Some trams on the streets.

Some bazaar-style market street, and so so many people.

Because of its history as a colony, Hong Kong had a bit less Chinese cultural history than Beijing, but the nature was really beautiful. We spent our first days on Lantau island (where most of the foreigners also lived) about 30 minutes ferry drive away from Hong Kong Island and the center. Of course we had to visit the most well-known attraction of Lantau, the giant Buddha statue of Po Lin Monastery. We could have taken a cable car, but instead we chose a bus to have a ride on the mountains. The statue really was big, and the monastery also had a famous vegetarian restaurant, but unfortunately parts of the monastery were under repair so we couldn't see everything.

Lantau island.

The giant Buddha statue in Po Lin monastery.

Really beautiful sunset from the ferry on the way to Hong Kong Island.

Another attraction on the other side of Lantau island is the small fisherman village called Tai O, and even though we only spent there a few hours, it was certainly the best part of our trip to Hong Kong. The village is one of the last remaining places where you can still see traditional Hong Kongese houses built above water, and even though you can't avoid tourists there either, for me it was still somehow peaceful and so beautiful. Also, this is the place where you can go on a boat ride to see some pink dolphins in the nature - these kinds of dolphins only live in Hong Kong and the Amazon, so we were really lucky to be able to see them (and the boat ride for five persons only cost 8€!). Of course there are many other islands in Hong Kong as well, for example Cheung Chau with its narrow streets, and they are quite easy to reach either from Lantau or the Central. And the beaches are also nice!

Traditional houses in Tai O.

Some shop in Tai O, and as you can see, there are mostly sea products.
Not the perfect picture, but it's a pink dolphin :)

Well, after Lantau we spent rest of the time on Hong Kong Island, which together with Kowloon on the other side of the strait forms the heart of Hong Kong. After Lantau, the city eventually felt crowded, but it's quite easy to get used to it after all. On our first evening we visited the Avenue of stars, on which you can find some hand prints and signatures of Hong Kongese celebrities, and watched the Symphony of lights, a light show played every evening on both sides of the strait. It doesn't matter on which side you're standing, the city looks totally gorgeous during the night when all the lights are on. Another great place to see the night scape of Hong Kong is its highest point, the Victoria Peak. There are several viewing platforms, restaurants and shops, but the best views are from the top of Peak Tower shopping center. If you go to Hong Kong, this is something you need to experience, even though you can surely be prepared for a mass of other tourists as well. And another adventure is the tram ride to the peak, since the tram is being pulled up by one single wire and in such angle that you don't really want to look down.

The view to Hong Kong Island from the other side of the strait.

Hand prints and signature of Jackie Chan :D

Night view to the city from the top of Peak Tower in Victoria Peak.
The peak tram on the way to the top of Victoria Peak.

For someone who loves shopping, Hong Kong is a paradise. They have expensive malls as well as bazaar-style streets with all kinds of small stuff. Most of the bazaars sell quite same kind of things, but for example the night market of Temple Street is worth visiting already because of the feeling. As you could expect, it's crowded, but somehow it's just part of the feeling there. Also the small traditional restaurants give a nice feeling, even though they might look a bit dirty, but the food is delicious and definitely local. The area of Mong Kok is famous for the desserts, so it's also worth visiting!

Entrance to Temple Street.

You can just imagine how this place looked like in the dark with all the neon lights. :)

Then if you go on the southern side of Hong Kong Island, you will find Ocean Park. It's a little bit different from a traditional amusement park, since they also have little zoos and a dolphin pool (and some more pandas! ♥) and it seems that they intend to make people more aware about the different ecosystems where their animals live in the nature. It's divided by a mountain, so you can either take a cable car, which definitely offers great views around, or choose a subway through the mountain. Ocean Park is a nice change for normal amusement parks, even though Hong Kong also has a Disneyland (which we didn't visit).

View to the park from the Ocean Park Tower.

Part of the aquarium in the park.

Even though I said earlier that Hong Kong doesn't have that much Chinese cultural history, there are still some traditional walled villages here and there. The one we visited was called Tsang Tai Uk and was located north in the New Territories. It was quite small, but really well preserved. Inside you could see that it had been there for a long time, but even so, people were still really living there. Also it was located in a way more peaceful area further away from the Central.

Tsang Tai Uk from the outside.

I've talked so much again and I could still go on. Hong Kong is a nice place, the people are friendly and quite good with English, and you can find so many kinds of food there. The price level is quite low as well, and there's a lot to buy for every taste. Also the local massage is awesome - I got a foot massage for the first time in my life and after that my feet were so light that I felt like flying. It was so interesting to see how the two cultures are mixed to something unique in Hong Kong. I was surprised that they put so much effort on celebrating Halloween: from the bars to the streets and even the Ocean Park, everything was decorated to the smallest detail and people had so great costumes. When we walked on the bar street on Halloween night, it was hard to believe that we are actually in China. Well, some people say that Hong Kong is not even a part of China, and it's true that it's special. I'm happy that I was able to see two so different cities during the two weeks I spent in China.


Anyway, that's my story about Hong Kong. The next post is going to be about St. Petersburg of Russia, where I'm going to have a course trip with school. So wait for that! :)

★ Maani