I only spent 5 days in HK, but I loved it. A different culture from mainland China, and I want to return, maybe for a month.
The city has a rich culture, a myriad of small shops and businesses, and an active outdoor social life. HK is an interesting city to explore. A mix of west and east, impressive architecture, tiny shops, and it is a tourist town.
The subway (MTR) is a great to get around. As usual, I believe making it free and removing the obstacle course of turnstiles etc would greatly increase its efficiency. There is such a thing as an “Octopus” card. This is a prepaid swipe card that can be used on the subway, and in many other retail outlets. Interestingly, it is anonymous. No id needed to buy. You can get one on arrival at the tourist office.
Coincidentally, today, my last day in HK is the 20th anniversary celebration of the reunification of HK with the PRC. I spent the day wandering the city. There is a lot of not entirely happy about the decision. There were in fact lots of protestors in the streets around the Chinese President hotel. The cops were out in force, but they looked sympathetic. From the local HK people in my hostel, few outbursts of happiness. HK has a distinctive culture to mainland China. One which I prefer.
I stayed at the YESinn in Kowloon. I saw many of the local attractions, and found a great veggie restaurant nearby! Kowloon is fun, however, I am contemplating living in HK itself next time. I will check the details and prospects for accommodation.
I have been using hostelworld.com for booking. My first time to use this service, and have found it useful. I will use it again.
The city has a rich culture, a myriad of small shops and businesses, and an active outdoor social life. HK is an interesting city to explore. A mix of west and east, impressive architecture, tiny shops, and it is a tourist town.
The subway (MTR) is a great to get around. As usual, I believe making it free and removing the obstacle course of turnstiles etc would greatly increase its efficiency. There is such a thing as an “Octopus” card. This is a prepaid swipe card that can be used on the subway, and in many other retail outlets. Interestingly, it is anonymous. No id needed to buy. You can get one on arrival at the tourist office.
Coincidentally, today, my last day in HK is the 20th anniversary celebration of the reunification of HK with the PRC. I spent the day wandering the city. There is a lot of not entirely happy about the decision. There were in fact lots of protestors in the streets around the Chinese President hotel. The cops were out in force, but they looked sympathetic. From the local HK people in my hostel, few outbursts of happiness. HK has a distinctive culture to mainland China. One which I prefer.
I stayed at the YESinn in Kowloon. I saw many of the local attractions, and found a great veggie restaurant nearby! Kowloon is fun, however, I am contemplating living in HK itself next time. I will check the details and prospects for accommodation.
I have been using hostelworld.com for booking. My first time to use this service, and have found it useful. I will use it again.
One other good aspect of HK, no vpn needed to access essential services such as google and Facebook. yippee!
As I said before, the culture between mainland and HK differs. The latter is a freer society. As a sign of this, women wore sexier clothes, and a noticeable number of sex shops. Great fun. I hope that HK retains its distinctive character.
On to Shanghai. I hope to meet several students and explore this new city.
As I said before, the culture between mainland and HK differs. The latter is a freer society. As a sign of this, women wore sexier clothes, and a noticeable number of sex shops. Great fun. I hope that HK retains its distinctive character.
On to Shanghai. I hope to meet several students and explore this new city.
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