I found Hong Kong very impressive. Modern and vertical, it is a testament to men's will and power. With possibly the highest density of people I have ever experienced, slightly more chaotic than the big cities in Korea or Japan, Hong Kong has a characted of its own.
Most of its inhabitants are Chinese, which of course makes sense, but I expected to see more British and overall more expats. Surprisingly though, English speaking is very limited.
Often described as 'a city where east meets west', Hong Kong is a very interesting mix between traditional and modern China. Walking around the city you get to experience the colliding worlds of wealth and luxury faced with dirt-cheap modesty. Big beautiful hotels, expensive cars and fancy stores surrounded by crowded replica stalls, big messy markets and dirty little side streets.
Hong Kong's identity is inevitably linked to money. As you stroll down Hollywood Road you bump into many ambitious young people, most of them working in either finance, shipping or legal firms. A considerable number of them end up in HK due to the lack of jobs in their places of origin.
The art scene seems to be growing with an ever expanding number of galleries and museums all over the city, and there's enough stores and boutiques to drive a girl crazy. You can also get really good food for reasonable prices: we went to possibly the cheapest Michelin Star restaurant in the world called 'Din Tai Fung' and had the best dim sum we have ever tasted.
While in Hong Kong we got a good day view of the city from 'The Peak', a perfect night view of the city sailing on the 'Aqua Luna' and we walked around like crazy. We didn't make it to the Big Buddha, Macau or any of the enchanting fishing villages around the city...but HK is one of those places you just know you will visit again.
For now I will remember it as a city of contrasts, where every lady seems to own a chanel bag. Original or replica, that's beyond the point.
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