5/10/09
Location: Holloway Rd, London, UK
Topic: Hong Kong
From my last travel diary, reading about Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, the underpinning theme was that of people. Travel is all about the people you meet, how people treat you, and your own state of mind. It’s why peoples experiences vary so greatly, why some are touched by a place, and why some rant about areas others find beyond boring. We’re social creatures, influenced by the world around us, and so our experiences vary - tremendously.
These thoughts didn’t enter my head for months until I arrived in Hong Kong. A social city which I felt very lonely. There’s so much to do and see, but everything within the joint British-Chinese culture was based around groups of people. From the funky Soho bars, to shopping, to disneyland, to how food is served - it’s a culture which celebrates people being together, and as an individual there, it felt so much of what makes Hong Kong a great experience for people, was lost on me.
Flying in at night to places is always an odd feeling - from the wall of humidity that slams you from your cabin fever, to the cultural differences and sadness from leaving Australia, I was a bit of a mess arriving into Hong Kong. Moreso when I dumped my suitcase, packed my tripod and selection of lenses and took the “worlds longest covered escalator” down to the harbour. From that point on everyone looked at me - locals and tourists. Blame it on the brightly covered t-shirt, gigantic tripod, thick glasses or I don’t know what, but it was unsettling. I even had people with huge DSLR’s taking photos of me and my gear. What the?
So there I am, being lead by the swarms of crowds down past funky bars, westernised restaurants and neon billboards overhanging streets on impossibly angled mid-levels, into the IFC area and the air conditioned mecca that is hong kong shopping - toward the piers. with most of the area blocked off, I came to where I thought would be an area to board the ferry to Kowloon, only to find out the whole area has been blocked off for the biggest firework display in 15 years. I setup the camera in what turned out to be… the wrong spot. Love hearts and amazing splashes of colour and light filled the sky, and as I left my vantage point for a better one, I noticed that so many areas that would’ve been good for viewing the fireworks, were all blocked off.
It seemed a thing for Hong Kong - where many asian cities are chaotic and people do what they want, it seems the British influence was extreme - late at night, people would wait at lights despite the lack of cars - and as i found in Kowloon the next day - people don’t even walk on the streets, despite the crushing push and pull of bodies along the footpaths.
The next day i wandered confidently down the escalators - a fantastic form of transport, to the harbour and payed my 1.80 Hong Kong dollars for the ferry trip over. There’s something mesmerising watching old boats and new traverse across the skyline, and as i headed across to the cheesy Avenue of Stars, i began taking photos of people - posing with fingers in the “v” shape in front of camera man and jackie chan statues. Cheesy, tacky, sparkles and fakery - but y’know, it felt great, an aspect of asian culture which we always giggle at, but the unbridled joy it brings people is fantastic.
I wandered through the backstreets of Kowloon to Nathan Road and was struck at the difference. Where Hong Kong Island is business, bars, polish, shine, collars, high-heels, cleanliness, malls and air-conditioning, Kowloon is dirty, cramped, chaotic and closer to what i came to love from cities like Hanoi. It’s street food, touts and questionable safety standards. It’s where one can imagine the spirit of the infamous Walled City thriving - although it’s now, sadly, turned into a park.
Getting lost along the streets was brilliant - coming across Tough Jeans stores, weird food and more shops than i can possibly think of - how can so many shops survive? Do people really spend and buy so much here? The clear highlight through was the goldfish market, the garden market and the bird market - in all instances, tiny, caged animals where i felt sorry for them, but thankful i was able to see them. The sheer quantity of animals in one go was mesmerising - lines upon lines of goldfish in plastic bags, swimming like some form of kaleidoscope. The bird market - so far to walk in the heat, was worth it though - peaceful men watching their purchased birds potter around crazily inside beautiful - but tiny - cages. And a parrot who loved to dunk his head in some water, splashing it around to keep cool - and entertained.
I began the long walk back as the day carried on - walking down one of the oldest streets in Kowloon, Shanghai st., stopping at a market stall for impossibly huge red plums and frequent bottles of water. Although it probably took days to get the lost water back into my body, judging by the way my t-shirt peeled off me at 1am that morning back in the hotel room.
Back at the harbour i sighted my first dragon boat - an icon of Hong Kong which is almost like the koala to Australia. Although, really, if Hong Kong has any icon, it’d be a shopping bag.
I caught the ferry across to Hong Kong island again, this time to the Convention Centre and passed through what must have been the real central business district. What appeared to be a transformer-like monster attacking the city was in fact the twin Lippo Towers - architectural oddities, blending perfectly into the Hong Kong skyline.
And then the wait began - 1 hour of mosh-pit madness waiting for the tram cart ride up to Victoria Peak - and the impossible angle it heads up on as you’re pushed back in your chair. Then more waits and lines as I pass through the shopping centre on top of the peak to the viewing platform. And boy is it worth it.
It’s without doubt the most gob-smacking view of a cityscape i’ve seen so far - and arriving just as the sun went down, meant an hour of watching lights flickr on and the city come to life.
And there’s the second beauty of hong kong.
If the first realisation i had was that Hong Kong is a social city, the second is it’s a city which is built for the night. The architects, engineers and planners clearly had an eye for light - and the city escapes its daytime haze for neon, glowing, flickering beauty in all it’s skyscraping glory. Victoria Peak was tripod-shoving busy, but a sight to remember.
And so, nearing 8pm i rushed down and across the harbour to just miss the light show - instead inventing my own music to the dancing lights as i crossed the harbour for the third time. Insanely, after all the walking, i still made it to the Temple Street Night market - which was a somewhat typical asian night market full of surprisingly interesting things - Hong Kong really does have a way of making you want to buy things. But by then, my energy and sanity was spent - i headed back and began the slow climb back up the mid-levels to the hotel, pausing only for some long-exposure shots in the near-empty streets around the IFC at around 1am.
Hong Kong has many aspects similar to many cities - but is none of these. It’s truly unique in it’s own clash of British-Asian history. Not quite a “pearl in the orient”, but definitely a social night-time city. A place to visit with friends for a few days of high-life fun.
And then there’s the outlying islands & the new territories…
… next time
