Hong Kong Overview

Hong Kong was an unplanned stop. Had intended to go there, but with my girlfriend and some planning. Unfortunately, my her project got extended and we decided it best I go off by myself. No matter, I had my Lonely PLanet book along with me and Hong Kong should be (so I thought) filled with English speaking people.

After securing a hotel via the train station agency, I got some dim sum and walked around:


Hong Kong is like the San Francisco Bay with a much larger Chinatown. Now, add way more skyscrapers. No, more! Keep adding them. Then, make one of the mountain peaks WAY higher than the others, even taller than those skyscrapers. Make Angel Island and Alcatraz a lot bigger. Cover them with skyscrapers too. Go on, do it. Get rid of the Golden Gate Bridge, and crank the temperature and humidity WAY up. Put an amusement park high up on one of the mountains. No wait, spread it out over two and put a gondola between them.

Good, there you go:






Up next, views from "The Peak!"

Asian, European, Russian & UFO Architecture in Shanghai

Shanghai is the most architecturally diverse city I've ever been to. While Hong Kong's skyscraper-riddled hills and density make it striking, it's the shear whimsy, cosmopolitan feel, and futurism that excited me about Shanghai. That most sections I went to were filled with people even at night made it seem more alive to me than modern-looking American cities like Los Angeles or Dallas.

We start with the view from my hotel:

Nearby, outside the window of a breakfast place, parked bicycles & motor-scooters.

In another section of town, a very clean street (where I ate Peking Duck) reminiscent of streets in California:

But of course, there are still Pagoda-style buildings, especially on Nanking Rd where the tourists gather to shop and eat delicious Shanghai-style dumplings (which unlike Cantonese versions contain hot tasty liquid).

It's Shanghai at night time that blew me away:

The majestic glowing crown-topped building, behind a Russian-built bank along Pudong:

The upscale shopping streets come alive at night, bustling even during the week:

I found this long, skinny restaurant along the street that is one table wide. The waiters have to venture onto the sidewalk to get around:

There's a Minority Report feel to some of the shopping centers:

No skyscraper in Shanghai seems to have a conventional top. I think most have been built in the last 10-15 years and the Shanghaiese seem to like their color, form, and line to be distinctive: