Hong Kong is relentless. It has all kinds of smells, loads of traffic and people. Shops and markets are constantly open. The light-blocking high rises are all around you. Food is on sale everywhere. People smoke like hell and work long hours.
And yet, it works incredibly well. 7 million people, 95% of whom are Chinese, go about their daily business in an incredibly small area thanks to an efficient infrastructure. The transport systems are a good case in point. The Metro system is clean, fast, runs regularly and is cheap, with a 20-minute ride costing 1.50 GBP (you can't go anywhere for that money in London).
We took the metro to Tung Chung, where the Ngong Ping cable car runs up to the Tan Tian Buddha and Po Lin monastery (it's nice to feel the sound of the enigmatic
language in the mouth, although the street called Wan Kee gave us a few laughs...). The cable ride stretched out into the distance and we settled into our seats as a local cheerfully informed us that a car fell off three years ago. Nicki spent the next 25 minutes of the ride trying to understand if the carriages were attached to the cables or just hanging from them, and as the wind got up, we both felt a touch nervous as we swayed from side to side up into the clouds.
When we reached the Buddha – a 216 step journey upward – it was swathed in fast-moving clouds These gave an eerie atmosphere to the huge Buddha statue, suited to the mystic sense that should
surround it. The monastery was stunningly colourful, though again I felt strange to take pictures in a place of worship for the locals. Roger, the guide for our tour the day before, had described the Chinese as superstitious rather than religious – nevertheless, people were praying and carrying out their rituals as we tourists wandered around with our cameras.
In Australia we had met David and Alice, an English couple who had just graduated from University. They had told us about a bar called Cicada with Happy Hour cocktails for 3 GBP. “It's near the
escalators, you'll see it”, they had said. So we headed for the only thing that seemed to match their description – the “travelator” which is the longest escalator in the world, leading up the hill to SoHo. Sure enough, we found it and left a few hours later, having solved the world poverty problem and paid a bill of 50GBP...
The trip came to an end as we nursed hangovers, but we both were happy that our travel agent gave us this option of stopping over in Hong Kong. It is a place neither of us could imagine living in, but it's a fascinating mix of new and old, an insanely intense place.
And yet, it works incredibly well. 7 million people, 95% of whom are Chinese, go about their daily business in an incredibly small area thanks to an efficient infrastructure. The transport systems are a good case in point. The Metro system is clean, fast, runs regularly and is cheap, with a 20-minute ride costing 1.50 GBP (you can't go anywhere for that money in London).
We took the metro to Tung Chung, where the Ngong Ping cable car runs up to the Tan Tian Buddha and Po Lin monastery (it's nice to feel the sound of the enigmatic
language in the mouth, although the street called Wan Kee gave us a few laughs...). The cable ride stretched out into the distance and we settled into our seats as a local cheerfully informed us that a car fell off three years ago. Nicki spent the next 25 minutes of the ride trying to understand if the carriages were attached to the cables or just hanging from them, and as the wind got up, we both felt a touch nervous as we swayed from side to side up into the clouds.When we reached the Buddha – a 216 step journey upward – it was swathed in fast-moving clouds These gave an eerie atmosphere to the huge Buddha statue, suited to the mystic sense that should
surround it. The monastery was stunningly colourful, though again I felt strange to take pictures in a place of worship for the locals. Roger, the guide for our tour the day before, had described the Chinese as superstitious rather than religious – nevertheless, people were praying and carrying out their rituals as we tourists wandered around with our cameras.In Australia we had met David and Alice, an English couple who had just graduated from University. They had told us about a bar called Cicada with Happy Hour cocktails for 3 GBP. “It's near the
escalators, you'll see it”, they had said. So we headed for the only thing that seemed to match their description – the “travelator” which is the longest escalator in the world, leading up the hill to SoHo. Sure enough, we found it and left a few hours later, having solved the world poverty problem and paid a bill of 50GBP...The trip came to an end as we nursed hangovers, but we both were happy that our travel agent gave us this option of stopping over in Hong Kong. It is a place neither of us could imagine living in, but it's a fascinating mix of new and old, an insanely intense place.
