Hong Kong

I have been lucky enough to have been to Hong Kong a number of times.  Mostly for work.  It is an interesting place to visit.

The things I like about Hong Kong include:

The Food – Hong Kong is obviously a great place for Chinese food.  And if you get out of town a bit you can find great restaurants where only the locals go.  But you can also find great Japanese food.  I was too cautious to try the street food but I bet it is great too.

The Star Ferry – this runs between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island on a continuous basis.  While you can get across on the underground, the ferry is much more interesting.  The harbour is just teeming with water craft.

The underground – Hong Kong has a modern and efficient underground network.  And one of the things I really enjoyed was that for the first time in my life I felt quite tall!  (Quite something if you are only 5 foot 4 or so)

Shopping opportunities – Hong Kong is a mecca for those who like to shop.  (Now there's a mixed metaphor…)  I didn't have clothes made up for me but I know lots of people who have done this and have been very pleased with the results.  If you take a favourite item of clothing that might be worn out with you to one of the tailors they can probably whip a replica up for you in a day or so.

Pleasant hotel staff – but watch out for credit card scams.  On one stay my hotel account was charged twice under different names – luckily the amount was an odd one and the accounts department picked it up and the card company made no fuss at all about crediting back the overcharge.

The things I wasn't too keen on were:

The crowds – the locals have a different concept of personal space.  I found it a bit off putting to have people pressing against you and shop keepers putting their hands on you to try to pull you into their shops.

The heat – one day I managed to get myself quite dehydrated.  Best tip I can give you with coping with sticky heat is to drink beer.

The smell – the smell in some of the markets was indescribable – a mix of chickens and manure or worse.