Hong Kong, Playing Amongst Skyscrapers
3 min readHong Kong will draw you in, dazzle your senses and have you begging for more. It’s fast, vibrant and cutting edge.
The Victoria Harbour. Of the 7 million peoples nhabiting this city most are Chinese but many Pakistanis Indians, Filipinos, Europea their own flavor to the Hong Kong milieu.
In 1997 the British returned Hong Kong to China under the “One Country, Two Systems” framework in which Hong Kong is guaranteed a high level of autonomy for 50 years. Hong Kong’s history that of an Asian city ruled by Europeans -has given it a distinctive temples and the towering skyscrapers, present are side by side in the incense-filled mix of East and West. The past and the densely populated urban areas and in the outlying islands where nature continues her hold over a slower pace of life.
Hong Kong covers an area of a little more than 386 square miles (1,000 km2)and is divided into Hong Kong Island, Kowloon the New Territories and the outlying islands. Hong Kong Island is home to one of the most impressive and recognizable skylines in the world.
In Central, the buildings appear to stretch to the sky while on the ground below a seemingly infinite crowd of people bustle through their day. Hong Kong Island is actually very hilly and walking from Central to the residential mid levels area feels like mountain climbing. Luckily longest escalator -2, 624 feet (800 m) or nearly half a mile long has been constructed here. The Central Escalator starts at the crossing of ral and Queen Victoria Street and has its terminus all the way up at way it passes the So with restaurants and food markets cramped in between high-rises. The frenetic pace of the north side of the island gives way to beaches and leisurely retreats further on.
Kowloon, which faces Hong Kong across the harbor at the tip of the peninsula, is one of the most densely populated areas in the world The buildings here aren’t as glitzy as on the island but nonetheless, it’s a very dynamic commercial area. In the area of Tsim Sha Tsui, there are almost as many camera shoppintores facing the street as there are people in Hong Kong. Inside the buildings, the shopping centers run continuously check out :that has its southern entrance by the Star Ferry terminal. If shopping is your poison, then dose ore watch out for an overdose it can’t get more intense than Nathan Road and its estaurants, shops and bars.the are many lively markets in Kowloon Some of the best, to name a few, are near the Edward MTR station at the northern end of Nathan Road, the Yuen Po Street Bird Market, the Flower Market and Temple Street Night Market.
Amidst all the heady easy to forget that Hong Kong is also rich cal listings for special performan Islands. Many vIS tors are surprised that there s more to Hong Kong than the island and A nice respite from the busy streets is a visit to the New Territories and its outly Kowloon. The rural areas and nature reserves are a world away from the glam and glitter of urban Hong Kong. This is also Hong Kong’s spiritual side; there are plenty of monasteries and temples to.Not far from Tsuen Wan is a beautiful Taoist temple, the Yuen Institute. Nearby is Hong Kong’s highest mountain, the Big Misty Mountain. At 3, 140 feet (957m) it a manageable climb and you’re rewarded with a grand view. Another intriguing monastery is the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island. Next to the temple is the Tian Tan dafu this Buddha’s claim to fame is its size: it’s the world’s largest outdoor bronze Buddha statue. There’s a great view of the surrounding hills after climbing the stairs to reach the Buddha.
