stevenwong.ca

Here’s yet another city I can picture myself living in… Hong Kong is a dirty, crowded place where people don’t seem to care much for one another. At least that’s what my mom thinks of it.

I, however, as befits a career nomad, see the bright side of this city of lights… the gorgeous skyscrapers, the yummy food, the fantabulous MTR metro system, the old school double-decker trams, the cheap electronics… not to mention the loads of friends and family I have there.

Visitors to Hong Kong are invariably attracted to the multitude of shopping opportunities; I mean, there’s not a whole lot to do there otherwise. The history of the “fragrant harbour” starts as a sleepy fishing village before the Brits recognized the possibility of a deepwater port on the doorstep of the world’s most populous nation. Not a whole lot to do there, before or since, as the Chinese work ethic overruled almost any European recreational influence.

Still, there are a few superb sights of the city, though the loss of Kai Tak airport right in the middle of the harbour took away one of the best. The main picture up top is taken from the Victoria Peak observation station, with the breathtaking views, for my money, better at night than when the sun is out.

The other top attraction is the still-insanely-cheap Star Ferry, which dutifully transports people across Victoria Harbour from Hong Kong to Kowloon and back. With the introduction of more and more road tunnels and cross-harbour MTR lines, the only people who seem to take the Star Ferry nowadays are tourists or those with a lot of time on their hands. Which is too bad, because the views are amazing and the ride does evoke a certain romanticism I associate with old school Hong Kong movies.

Luckily for me, Hong Kong will most certainly be a stop on the Steven Wong’s Life Express. Armed with my Hong Kong ID card, I can live and work in the island territory just as easily as I do in my homeland of Canada. Finally, a place where I don’t need to jump through insane work visa hoops! Sweet!