Hong Kong-One day in the city-29.12.2009

......Hong Kong. Winter. My second trip here. If you're travelling from Europe, it's better to get a flight that arrives here in the afternoon. So you go to bed and get rid of the jet leg as soon as possible. For a 10-12 hour flight it's better to get a window seat. It might be difficult as there are not too many even if the plane is big. Many people do the check in online. If you have a connection flight and you can't get a window seat from the beginning, when you first land go to the desk of the flight company. They can help. Their system is different from the one in the country of origin.
......Get a good night sleep and on the second day explore the city. Hong Kong SAR has one peninsula, Kowloon, one big island, Hong Kong, and several other several smaller islands, the most important one being Lantau.

......My trip started on the south side of Hong Kong Island, in Repulse Bay. A wide beach and a temple. Not a very good day. And in this time of the year it's too cold for swimming.

......These are not hotels. They are blocks of flats. There's not too much space in Hong Kong. But there are over 7 million people. The buidlings are very high.

......The next stop was the Escalator. Most of the day it goes from the bottom of Victoria Peak to the mid level. It only goes down 4 hours a day, in the morning, to bring the people that live up there to work.
......Some local fast food.

The view from the Escalator

......Soho is an interesting area. It has an European Flavor. The remains of the British colony: pubs, beer, wine

...... Next there was the business district, on the Northern part of the Hong Kong Island. This is the Bank of China Tower. Take the elevator to the 46th floor for a panoramic view of the city. It's free. Only that you have to go during working hours. If the weather is fine, it's even better.

HSBC
IFC 2
Mandarin Oriental Hotel and IFC 2

More banks
Lippo Towers


Again the Bank of China

......This is one of the best stops. I recommend it by day or by night. The view from Victoria Peak is amazing. Take the Peak Tram (36 hong kong dollars for a round trip or 22 dollars if you have an Oyster Card). For an extra 25 dollars you get access to the Sky Terrace. There is a 360 degrees up there.

A proof that I was there :)

Lunch at Bubba Gump. Expensive. American food. Better no.



......Back to the city. More banks. IFC 2 again, but closer. Are you looking for non Asian people? Get closer to one of these buildings and you'll spot them. Smartly dressed, carying laptops.




IFC 2 - the top

......IFC 2 (International Finance Center) - the base. How many storeys does it have? There is also an IFC 1, but smaller. Just 39 floors. The IFC 2 has 88 storeys. See HERE for more details.

......And now some of the real life. Small apartments in high buldings. All have air conditioning and there's laundry hanging at the windows everywhere.
The Police Headquarters

A park

......So this is Hong Kong. There is a worse side, poorer. In Aberdeen, on the Southern side of the island there are some people living on boats. They don't afford a real home.
......
......I have more photos. Coming soon.

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