HONG KONG
We are just returning from a week in Hong Kong. this city is such a contrast to cities in mainland China. Even Shanghai & Beijing are not on thesame level as HK Getting around HK is fast and easy. You get an Octopus smart card for $150(HK) and it can be used for buses, trains, shopping, restaurants, sightseeing, just about everything.
Hong Kong is a very clean city but very crowded and noisy. The air quality is not good, but we had clear days in the mid 70’s all week. The food is amazing, anything you want can be found here. Be aware this is an expensive place to live. Similar to NY price wise. I checked average prices for a condo on HK Island. It runs $30,000 a square foot!
Shopping is about the biggest activity. Mega shopping centers are all over the place, and in between you will find great little specialty shops. I don’t think there is much in the way of bargains, just variety. Electronics are priced like anywhere else, but HK gets the latest gadgets first.
Christmas time here really feels like Christmas, unusual for much of Asia. Lights and decorations all over the city. Leaving the Star Ferry dock, there were Christmas carolers on the open top double decker buses singing as they drove through HK. It’s a big holiday here.
Factoids: More oranges are consumed in HK than any city in the world. 1% of all Rolls Royce’s in the entire world can be found here, mixed in with all the other exotic cars. Benz are a dime a dozen.