Over the last 20 years or so I have visited Hong Kong five times and
believe it or not I still cannot fully make up my mind as to
whether it is like entering paradise or hell. Equally I have to admit
I hate the place during the day when it seems so grey and the people
are just like like ants scampering around whilst loving it at night when
it seems to me to be visually one of the most colourful and exciting
spots on earth. The view across the harbour is absolutely stunning.
On the plus side this Asian dynamo, once called ’’ A Barren Rock’’, is
ever adaptable and pragmatic. Witness, eg, its smooth transition from
British colony to its SAR identity. Then last year Hong Kong managed
to attract some 10.7 million tourists who spent an estimated HK$1.53
billion- so it really must have a lot going for it. Certainly there is a
great deal to see and do in this vibrant spot.
It has some of the finest and most luxurious hotels in the world, wonderful places like the Grand Old Lady, the Peninsular, The
Shangri-La, the J.W. Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Mandarin and the huge
1, 103 room hotel at the sparkling, highly efficient, airport ,
the Regal Airport Hotel. The airport itself is marvellous and can now handle 45 million passengers a
year and the underground system is superb.Then it really is one of the
finest places on earth to eat out in. The Chinese food is probably the
best in the world, other Asian cuisines such as Thai, Korean, Japanese
, Mongolian, Indian and Indonesian are readily available and if you want
Western food, Hong Kong will not disappoint you.
The urban nightlife is unbelievable with bars, coffee houses, glitzy
night clubs, pubs, karaoke lounges, themed attractions, you name it
Hong Kong has got it ! The frenetic energy can be thoroughly exciting especially if you have just come from some
country backwater. Movies are readily available and this place can
show you over 3, 000 years of Chinese history and culture. It is certainly
never ever dull.
On the negative side, the frenetic pace of life can get very wearing
after a few days. Hong Kong has some of the worst pollution in the
Asia Pacific region and despite having luxury hotels, many tourists will
find the room rates to be very high. You will not easily find a decent
hotel room for much less than US$125 per night.Indeed some
international rankings put Hong Kong as having the third highest cost
of living in Asia after Tokyo and Osaka and it is generally more
expensive than the likes of New York, Singapore and much dearer than India.
There are horrendous traffic jams and many of my Asian friends reckon that the Hong Kong people are the rudest
in Asia.Of course they are polite and rude people in all cities. Money talks in the Asian dynamo.
So you can see why I am really cannot make up my mind whether I love Hong Kong or hate it. There are so many pros and cons. Perhaps you had better pay it a visit and decide for yourself.
The one thing I can assure you- you will not be bored !