On arrival I took the highly modern Airport Express train from Hong Kong International Airport on Chek Lap Kok (a man made island north of Lantau) to Hong Kong Central. Well, after being on the road for almost twenty four hours, all the plans about being brave and finding my way to the Hotel using public transportation went down the drain and I chose a taxi. Done deal, check in and off I was exploring the neighborhood in urgent need for a beer. My first encounter with the locals revealed, that there must be as many brits living in this city as chinese....

The day waiting until arrival of my friend gave me the opportunity to get used to the heat and the incredible humidity - at least so I thought. But both got worse during the stay in the city - everyday a bit more. I swear!
Hong Kong - this buzzling ultra modern metropolis is breathtaking. Two million people on the Island of which, it seems, everyone is out at the same time. Car after car after taxi after taxi. Busses that heat up the sticky air even more. Jackhammers. Construction sites. Everything in Hong Kong makes noise - even the traffic lights. People talk very loudly. Everywhere. I think it is a habit to overcome the constant noise out in the city streets.

The controversy in this city could not be any greater. Armani next to Rolex next to D&G next the HSBC and other banks and high profile shops here, but turning the corner catapults one back into one of the countless (more or less) traditional, chinese markets and hand craft business streets. Thirty five Hong Kong Dollars buy you a solid meal or a Starbucks Frappuchino. Its your choice.

There are a few historic buildings left nestled in between the skyscrapers. To some of them my hitchhikers guide suggested a visit. Well, we did not bother, since those few leftovers from long gone times do really not play a big role in the city appearance and its pace.

We spent most of the time exploring the markets and the street life in Wan Chai, Central, Sheung Wan and Soho. Luckily we stayed in the Wan Chai district with our hotel fairly centrally located. So everything was pretty much around the corner - although I heard other opinions on that. Wan Chai was definitely my favorite place. A crowded area with a really nice, local market, plenty of bars and clubs and all that comes with it. Central was just a tad to clean for me. Too much modernity, banks and high profile stores.
But strolling through Central rewarded us with ending up Sheung Wan. This area has a certain past time feeling to it with its steep stair streets and street vendors. It is a matter until they will disappear, but for now they are still in place and holding up the fort of a time long gone. There was also the local, well, lets call it a junkyard, where folks brought collected old goods like paper, cans, old AC's, copper pipes and the likes and sold them by weight for some dollars. That explained all the, mostly older, folks in the city with their pull carts roaming the city streets. A steady, never ending stream of people kept us interested in observing for quite some time. There is not much to say about Soho, other than that there is a really cool, super long escalator, some nice bars where we should have spent way more time in, some artsi feel about it, but also bars with blinking devil horns and people wearing those. Maybe that is why we did not return.

Kowloon across Victoria Harbor is easy enough to reach from Central or Wan Chai using the Star Ferry which crosses every 15 minutes. The Tsim Sha Tsui district is the southernmost district of Kowloon and is the tourist ghetto, home of the finest hotels and cheapest guesthouses, many stores from all levels and of course the tourist markets. The Night Market is worth at least one visit. And if you are early enough you will still get a seat in one of the many food stall restaurants before the police removes their illegally setup tables. We spend only a short time on the Jade Market - but does not mean that this one does not deserve more time.
Sitting by the pier of Tsim Sha Tsui reveals the view onto one of the most breathtaking skylines I have ever seen. This view makes one realize how modern Hong Kong really is and how strangely misplaced all the local markets nestled in the streets seem to be. seeing the city from the outside, they don't appear fit, but from the inside they are a vital part of the city life. The Symphony of Light shows a magnificent side of Hong Kong by letting the lights of about twenty skyscrapers dance in the rhythm of music. Unbelievable.

The trip to the peak with the cable car opens the view to the typical Hong Kong Island landscape. It reminded me in a way of Lummerland. Steep hills overgrown with palm trees and forests. Well, there are a few more houses in between the hills than in Lummerland. Annoyingly it was very foggy when we stood on top of the peak, despite the early morning hour. Like I mentioned earlier, the humidity was increadible. Looking down the south side gives a view of Hong Kong from top and the Victoria harbor, separating Hong Kong Island from Kowloon on the main land. Like the city itself, this harbor is happening. A steady stream of ferries, craneships, djunks, fishing boats and everything else that can swim populate the waterway. Walking to the south of the peak overlooks Aberdeen and the incoming gigantic container ships. Again its a steady stream of ships, just like everything else in the city. We never made it to the peak at night. Which upsets me after being home quite a bit. That would have made for some unbelievable night shots.

Some really nice day trips brought us to the 10.000 Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin in the New Territories. There we witnessed the first time some Buddhist ceremony. Meaningless to us. But it was however interesting to watch. Another destination was the Big Buddha statue next to the Po Lin Monastery in Ngong Ping on Lantau Island. This Monastery was reached with a long cable car ride over an amazing landscape. The Big Buddha itself is a gigantic statue which hosts the "bone relic", one of the three relics in Buddhism. Buddhist pilgrimage here and pray on every stair step on the way up to the relic. Because this could take forever, they tend to take two steps at a time.

On two occasions I was brave enough to not bring my camera - for the trip to sleepy Lamma Island and to the visit of the opening race of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. And I really regret it for both instances. But most for the visit of the race course. Oh well, what can I do now?

A longer getaway lead to Macau, the Las Vegas of the east, as it wants to be called. This peninsula about 80 km west of Hong Kong has a long way to go to be even close to Las Vegas, but it is well on its way. This former Portuguese colony is a bizarre mixture of residential, rundown skyscrapers, casinos and of course plenty of historic portuguese buildings. This appearance caused some uncertainty of where I currently was - the mediterranean or China. Bizzar indeed.

Back in Hong Kong, there was only some time left to do some nick nack shopping and have a last beer overlooking this unbelievable skyline one last time. This was indeed a wonderful trip with my friend that I will not forget...

The pictures of the trip are found here.

Tags: Hong Kong, Photography, Photo Shoots