Eve Notebook - Neko Goes to Hong Kong Chapter 1

I will post pics once I get the cable at home!

People say that Singapore and Hong Kong are very similar. Both are modern Asian cities with a small land mass and relative big population. Both are home to many MNCs and pride themselves on being important business and financial centres. No doubt one would find many big names as one would find in Singapore while shopping but to me, Hong Kong is very different from Singapore and holds its own unique charm.

The first thing that caught my attention on the way to the hotel from the airport was the proliferation of tall and I mean TALL buildings. So much for the fuss when the government wanted to build the Pinnacle at Duxton, there's probably a few of them here next to each other in the same area. At first I thought it was my error in vision but it turns out, many buildings in Hong Kong are bigger and taller to the point of some reaching the clouds. It appears reflective glass is the building material of choice here as many buildings reflect the light with their shiny exteriors.

Old run-down buildings are also a common sight in Hong Kong. It is very common to find extremely modern shops housed on the ground floor in an old building with contrasting poorly maintained housing right on top. Whilst shopping is characterised by big malls in Singapore, there are many small shops tucked in cosy corners here. For the capable curious shopper, this will yield many good unique buys. Hong Kong has your share of big malls but it's the small shops that really make it special.

The city is characterised by a slopey terrain in many areas. I absolutely believe that Hong Kong drivers are competent in driving along slopes. I saw one guy reversing his car on a steep slope and did it with great ease. Thus, it is common to find small stairs along many streets. It was such a terrain that produced the longest escalator in the world. The Mid Level escalators are not meant to transport you from one floor in a mall to another, they are found along the streets for commuters to move along the streets. For one used to using escalators indoor, this was an interesting invention if one could call it one.

Food is many a plenty in Hong Kong. One can find an eatery along any street and many in some. Today, we had Dim Sum at Maxim City Hall. I never quite thought soya beancurd was this delicious! Another notable food was the egg tart we got off a small famous bakery called Tai Chang BIng Jia. The crust was warm and biscuit-like while the egg was soft and warm....yummy! I hear the locals start drinks at6 after work, have dinner and then drinks again! Ah enjoy life keke...

The other thing one would find plenty of would be billboards and signboards. Compared to Singapore where neon lights are not a common sight, the complex picture of multiple signboards and lights was rather refreshing.

Though Hong Kong is not as neat and tidy as Singapore in terms of city layout and cleanliness, the city gave one a greater cosmopolitan feeling than Singapore. It gave the city a certain vibrancy and liveliness that was very different from back home. In fact, I think I could try to live here for a while.