The MTR, Hong Kong's subway system, is the most efficient way to get around. Clean, well-designed, escalators, stores, restaurants, and easy payment-card system humbled a New Yorker.
Hong Kong is divided into the Kowloon Peninsula and Hong Kong Island. On the latter, Central is largely a banking and shopping district, home to many of the tallest skyscrapers.We began with dim sum at an old teahouse where you had to scout for your own seats at communal tables. Large bowls of tea were provided for washing your plates, cups, and utensils, and a man would come around regularly to replenish the hot water in your teapot -- and pour it all over the table, as well.


The colorful area is home to shops of every sort, some quite Western (Starbucks, anyone?), others, like the typical outdoor meat market, uniquely Chinese.
Central is also home to Lan Kwai Fong, a popular nightlife district, pictured below at night bustling with people having a loud, fun time. The most popular beers in Hong Kong were definitely Tsingtao and, oddly, Carlsberg from Denmark.
As you move away from the waterfront, I find the hills reminiscent of San Francisco. The Mid-levels Escalator , the "longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world," is handy for commuting to uphill residential areas:
Lots of the architecture is in a cold post-war style, while other buildings display unique flair:
From Central, the escalators take you to Soho, a European district with Italian and French bistros.
Soho quickly segues into the Sheung Wan district, home to old-time Chinese shops of dried seafoods and medicinal goods.
Birds' nests. Very expensive!

***
No comments:
Post a Comment