People’s Republic of China

Hong Kong:

After a not-so-bad 14 hour flight I touched down in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong which, after a long standing history as a British overseas territory, was handed back to the authority of China in 1997. Here I was. For the first time in my life I made it to the Asian continent and had a few days to spare in this gem of Asian culture before I was headed to Thailand on working matters. Well, more on that later.

The hostel I chose to stay at goes by the name Urban Pack, a fairly new, boutique hostel. I could have opted to get a shabby room in the Indian run Chungking Mansion for as low as 7 or 8 US$, but I was just not feeling like cockroaches, bedbugs and a bunch of STDs some people left in the bed-sheets. Urban Pack was a good place to meet other travelers and it was conveniently located right there in Central Kowloon close to the ferry terminal and an MTR station with frequent connections to Hong Kong Island.

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of the neon light that split the night

The day after my arrival I spent some time in the Hong Kong Museum of History where I learnt quite a bit about the rise of the city to one of the most important cultural, political and financial hubs of all Asia. It is rather impressive how all this took place in a mere 150 years of British colonialism. Later that day I meandered the Avenue of Stars with views of haze covered Central Hong Kong’s skyline before I ended that day at the famous night market in Kowloon. But the weather that night was particularly… wet. So I went back to the hostel and had a good night’s rest.

Bruce Lee = awesome

Giant rubber duck promoting peace

Night market neighborhoods

The next day was reserved for a hike up to the Victoria Peak. The lofty hill overlooking the Hong Kong Island makes for great views over the bay. To reach the top one can either take the overpriced peak tram or do it the old school way – a bit over an hour hike got me to the top. All sweaty but happy (>30° Celsius and humidity nearing 90% took their toll on me) I marveled at the stunning scenery from atop and rested for a while. This time I opted for the tram down and since I had made arrangements to meet up with an old friend of mine I let time pass at a cozy bohemian coffee place in Central HK's Lan Kwai Fong area.

Victoria Peak view living up to the expectations

Daniel and I have been in contact the past few years, but it was not until that evening that we would see each other for the first time in 3 years. Previously, we shared an apartment while going to uni for a few months in LA where we would also attend a lecture on investment together. At the time, Daniel was working in the sales department at the Hong Kong subsidiary of a Czech company doing fancy light installations and was just about to relocate to their London branch. We met that night for a good talk over dinner and later went for a couple of drinks making plans for the upcoming weekend.

Rooftop bar - $15 well drinks

The next morning, some hostel guests and I decided to see the tallest free standing Buddha statue in the world at 34m height. Rather excited about what we were going to see we decided it was worth it to spend almost two hours on public transport to get to the site on Lantau island. To sum things up: fail. What we got when we reached the ground station was an expensive cable car ride through the fog covered hills and then, once on top, a place that could not be more touristy and overpriced. By the time we reached our destination things were getting lousier and on top of it all rather wet. It started pouring cats and dogs and the visibility was like 3 feet. I could barely make out the Big Buddha’s massive hand reaching out to give a blessing. Good thing though that a free lunch at a soup kitchen was included in the ticket, so we decided to stick it out there while the rain lasted and by the time it cleared up a bit we were at last able to get a quick glimpse of the Buddha statue. I bet this would have been a nice afternoon activity with a bit of sunshine. Luckily, the local Starbucks (a touristy place needs a Strbcks, right?) came equipped with WiFi and I was able to make an important booking for the next day. I will tell you about Macao in a bit.

A gate in the clouds

Big Buddha sends his greetings down to earth

We ended our tour with a dinner at a place called One Dim Sum. Dim Sums are traditional Chinese eateries, where you can choose from a variety of tasty congees, rice that comes in all variations, dumplings, and also more awkward things like chicken feet and the alike. This particular place was a local favorite and had been mentioned in the Michelin Guide for five years in a row. Rumor has it that it used to claim a single star itself, but I doubt it considering the $6 portions that fill you up for two days. Nevertheless, this was a tasty feast.

I made it over that night to Daniel’s apartment in Central HK where a colleague of his had a farewell party, so we spent the evening celebrating her and trying local brews. The next morning I left early for my final Chinese destination – the former Portuguese stronghold of Macao. Daniel initially decided to come along to the Las Vegas of Asia, which, as a matter of fact, has recently overtaken its American sister city in terms of gambling revenue making it the new entertainment capital of the world. And indeed, you will for instance find an exact copy of the Venetian in Macao along with the MGM Grand and a myriad of other casinos and hotels to be found here. It’s a funny coincidence that I would end up there after just having been to Las Vegas a few weeks earlier. Or, is it?

I'm on a boat!

Anyhow, Daniel started lamenting about a bunch of work that he had to do over the weekend and how he was still hung over from the night before, so I left for the Macao ferry alone. Not without telling him that I expect to see him tonight – once he had finished up his work – at the 5-star resort that I had booked the previous day from the Big Buddha Starbucks. At $200 a night this would usually not be covered in my backpacker’s budget, but fortunately I still have a few hotel points that I collected when working in consulting. What followed was a one hour catamaran ride and yet another stamp in the passport (Special Administrative Region Macao). I then took a complimentary shuttle to the Westinn Resort and after a welcome drink, a few pleasant words, and a free WiFi package (after all this SPG gold status is good for something) I lifted a few weights at the gym, kicked back at the sauna and steam room, and then enjoyed the sunset over the resort’s private bay from my hotel room balcony. Soon after that Daniel arrived and we flipped the city around. And as we all know: What happens in Macao…

Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn

Dim Sum dudes

I somehow made it to the airport the next day and boarded a plane to Thailand. One night in Bangkok and the world’s your oyster, isn't that what they say?