PassPorter Online
PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks
Home Florida - Walt Disney World Caribbean - Disney Cruise Line California - Disneyland Resort Anywhere and Everywhere! Travelers Store Message Boards PassPorter's Club Help!
  About Us  |  Customs Office   |   Register Your Book   |   Book Updates   |  Newsletter  |  Articles  |  Photos  |   Follow Us on
       ARTICLES
Globetrotting Planning Articles
Credit Card 101
Credit Card Crisis
Honey I Shrunk Your Luggage Allowance
Renting A Vacation Home 101
Special Vacation Advice for Families with Special Needs Children
Ten Surprising Things You Should Never Leave Home Without
The 1964 World's Fair
The PassPorter Way
Tips for Traveling
Where In The World?

Globetrotting Traveling Articles
A Real National Treasure
A San Francisco Treat
Adventure to Washington, D.C.
Adventures by Disney
Airline Security
Amish Country
Arlington National Cemetery
Bath, England
Buckingham Palace
Busch Garden Africa's SheiKra
CARES Child Restraint System
Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio
Celebration, Florida
Charleston, South Carolina
Costa Rica Adventures by Disney
Discovering "America's Finest City"
Disney's Vero Beach
Disneyland
Dover Castle
Driving Through The Night
Escape Into Alcatraz
Eurostar
Explore Alaska (From The Comfort of Your RV!)
Explore Alaska (From The Comfort of Your RV!)
Flying with Kids
Fort Sumter
Greeter Programs
Helsinki, Finland
Hong Kong Disneyland
How to Handle A "Bumpy" Flight
I Dream Of Hawaii
In a New York Minute
iPhone, I Travel
Kapalua, Maui
Keeping Kids Happy on Long Car Rides
Kent, England
King Tut and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs
Las Vegas
Las Vegas for Families
London, UK
Los Angeles
Macau
Madison County, New York
Molto Italia
More Than Bridges
My First NASCAR Experience
Nashville, Tennessee
National Aquarium
New Orleans
New York City
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Not Your Average Bus Tour
On the Road to Walt Disney World
Oslo, Norway
Passport Update
Playing the Waiting Game
Port Canaveral, Florida
Redondo Beach, California
Salem, Massachusetts
Southwest and JetBlue
St. Louis
Stockholm, Sweden
Stonehenge
Tahiti
The Amtrak Auto Train
The Globe Theatre
The Grand Canyon
The Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains
The Other Side of the Falls
The Quest for the West
The World's Loveliest Castle
To Rent or Not To Rent
Tokyo DisneySea
Tokyo DisneySea
Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions
Traveling Carry-On to Walt Disney World
Traveling With Extended Family
Universal
Using Orlando's "Other" Airport
Vermont by Bicycle
Viva Italia!
Viva Italia! Part 1
Viva Italia! Part 2
Viva Las Vegas!
Vive la Difference
What To Do While Waiting for a Flight
When to Visit Walt Disney World
Wimbledon
Windsor Castle
Winter Wonderland
Yosemite
Your First Trip to Universal Studios Orlando

Globetrotting Lodging Articles
Disney Vacation Club's Hilton Head Island Resort
Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort
Disney's Vero Beach Resort
Hotel MiraCosta
My Favorite Disney Resort
Tokyo Disney Resort

Globetrotting Touring Articles
Berlin
Blue Horizons
Cruising Alaska
Disneyland Paris In A Day
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Part 2
Legendary Tibet
Marseilles
Monaco
More of the Mediterranean
Nickelodeon Cruise
Pompeii
Rome
SeaWorld Orlando
The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride
Tokyo DisneySea
Universal Orlando
Unlocking the Magic of the Florida Keys
Unlocking The Magic of The Florida Keys
Venice
Zoos of the World

Globetrotting Dining Articles
Dining In New York City
Dining In New York City

Globetrotting Making Magic Articles
Busch Gardens Africa
Disneyland Paris for the Holidays
Epcot DiveQuest
Get Some Sand In Your Shoes
Ice! at the Gaylord Palms Resort
Splash Down at Disney's Water Parks
The El Capitan Theatre
The Making of PassPorter
The Poconos
The Queen Mary

Globetrotting General Travel Articles
Assateague Island National Seashore
Back To Barcelona
Bellagio of Las Vegas
Cape Cod
Chicago
Chincoteague, Virginia
Costa Blanca
Discovery Cove
Disney on Broadway
Disney's Magical Express
Disneyland Paris
Dominica
Eurotunnel
Exploring Chicago's Museums
Flying Premium Economy
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Hersheypark
Hersheypark, Pennsylvania
Hever Castle
Hilton Head Island
Hiroshima, Japan
Hong Kong Disneyland Celebrates
Japan
Kennedy Space Center
Key West
Learning the Language
Managing Memories
Miami, Florida
Mount Fuji & Hakone, Japan
My Quest for the West
New Orleans Revisited
Nikko, Japan
One Place is Never Enough!
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Portsmouth, England
Sardinia
Serendipity 3 in New York City
St. Paul's Cathedral, London
The Green Heart of the Big Apple
Tired, Tried And True
Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo DisneySea
Tokyo, Japan
Traveling the Northern Oregon Coast
Valencia, Spain
Valley of Fire
Viewing Cities From Above
Willcox, Arizona

View all PassPorter articles

PassPorter's
Article Tools
Print Article
Download PDF
View Photos
Visit Forum

Hong Kong: A Gentle Introduction To A New Part of the World

by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Featured Columnist
Last modified 6/12/2008

Cool Tip: Click here to get a FREE PDF version of this article, fully formatted to print and put into your PassPorter Deluxe Binder!


Filed in Articles > International Travel > Touring

It seems amazing that there is a place halfway around the world from the U.K. in a totally different continent that still retains many traces of its British heritage, but that's exactly what's happened in Hong Kong.

Formerly a British colony, the British acquired Hong Kong from China during the Opium Wars of the 19th century. It was returned to the Chinese in 1997, but 10 years later, it's still very much a mix of the two cultures. Everywhere you look, the signs are in both English and Cantonese and everyone you meet has a good grasp of both languages. That makes it a very easy place to visit and a good introduction to the Asian continent. There's no need for expensive courses in what can be difficult languages (trust me, as someone learning Japanese, I speak from experience!).

Hong Kong is divided into two main areas - Hong Kong Island, which as the name suggests, is separated from the Chinese mainland, and Kowloon on the opposite side of the harbor. The things to do and see are roughly divided in half between the two and there's no real advantage to staying in one area over the other. We were on Hong Kong Island, although a little further out from the central area than I would've liked. Unfortunately, the hotel I originally opted for was full at the time we would be there.

The first thing you need to know about Hong Kong is that there is a lot for visitors to see. Most people we met were just there as a stopover to somewhere else, often Australia, but the city is worth so much more than just two or three nights. We were there for a total of seven nights and, even in that time, we didn't get 'round to see everything we wanted, which surprised us, as we packed a lot in.

The second thing you need to know about Hong Kong is that it's literally packed with people - not visitors, but residents. Much of the territory is made up of steep hills, which makes building impossible. That means that less than 25% of the area is actually developed and that area is home to around seven million people. The only way to accommodate that many people in such a small space is to keep building upwards, and that's exactly what's happened over the years. If you think you've seen skyscrapers, perhaps in cities like New York or Los Angeles, Hong Kong will open your eyes. You've never seen so many all crammed together so tightly.

Hong Kong is also home to a huge commercial district and that means yet more skyscrapers. Banks tower into the skyline and famous brand names can be seen on signs at the tops of many of the buildings - lit up in neon at night, but still just as prominent during the day. It all gives the impression of a very bustling and vibrant city.

Some people we know who've visited Hong Kong reported it's a bit overwhelming, but we loved that feeling and, despite all the commercial and residential buildings and the millions of people living and working here, we found it easy enough to escape from the crowds whenever we needed to, as Hong Kong is home to a surprising number of parks, scattered throughout the city. Some, such as Hong Kong Park are hard to miss. Formerly home to the Victoria Barracks, this park is now home to botanical gardens, an aviary, and even a museum of tea ware!

However, there are other, far smaller parks that you can stumble upon completely by accident. We came across a couple that were not mentioned in any of our guidebooks, yet were complete oases surrounded by the office buildings soaring above.

By now, you've probably got the idea that Hong Kong is a growing city and, as you'd expect from any growing city, it's experiencing growing pains. It's fair to say that the air is not as clean as you'd hope for, as pollution is fairly rife in the city, and traffic jams on the roads a daily occurrence.

That's probably why so many people take the MTR system, the city's subway. It's an easy enough way to get around and reasonably priced, but as we found out during our stay, there are times of the day, particularly the evening, when it's full to capacity. And, unlike many subway systems around the world, cell phones seem to work anywhere underground, which makes for some very noisy journeys! It's perhaps clear that, although Hong Kong lies on the other side of the world from England, and is part of China, which I'm sure many of us view as having a very different way of life to our own, actually this is one Chinese city with some remarkable similarities to life in the West. It's got a lot of the same issues and, as you look around, you can't help but think that it's just like a lot of other cities in the world, particularly London with all its British influences.

Heading out to Asia for the first time can be a daunting prospect and it's understandable, as it's a very different culture to our own and almost halfway round the world. However, heading out to Hong Kong as your first experience of Asia, as we did, is a great way to get a feel for the area and yet still feel somewhat at home.

In a future article, Cheryl will be taking a look at some of the specific things to do and see in Hong Kong...


About the Author: Cheryl and husband Mark live in England and love to travel, particularly to Disney, and they have made numerous visits to destinations across America and Europe. They recently completed their tour of every Disney theme park around the world, which culminated in their visit to Japan, including the Tokyo Disney Resort. Click here to view more of Cheryl's articles!

Related Links:


Enjoying the Japan Pavilion at Epcot - A World Showcase Favorite last updated 12/29/2008
Epcot's World Showcase - Pavilions vs. The "Real" World last updated 01/29/2009
Recent Changes to Disneyland - Part 1 last updated 02/12/2009
The Seas With Nemo And Friends - In Love With The Living Seas last updated 4/23/2009
Disney's Single Rider Lines - How to Make the Most of Them last updated 11/16/2008




Reader Comments:

So what do you think? Click here to share your comments, feedback, and experiences on this article and topic!

(Note: You must be a member of our PassPorter Message Board Community to leave comments. Join today for free!)




This article originally appeared in the PassPorter newsletter -- subscribe to our popular newsletter today for free!

Return to PassPorter.com | Ask a Question on the PassPorter Message Boards
 
 

Updated 6/12/2008 - Article #149 



Read additional articles from PassPorter.com

Subscribe to our free e-mail newsletter, PassPorter News, published for nearly 50,000 opt-in subscribers worldwide. As an added bonus for subscribing, you will receive a 20% discount coupon for the PassPorter Store -- no catch!

E-mail Address:

First Name:

E-mail Format:
-Text/Don't Know  

-HTML

 
 

We respect your privacy and never sell or rent our subscriber list. Subscribing will not result in more spam! We guarantee it.

AddThis Social Bookmark Button
Please feel free to link to this page so that other vacationers can find it.

Copyright 1999-2010
by PassPorter Travel Press, an imprint of MediaMarx, Inc.
Publishers of bestselling travel guidebooks and proud recipients of 12 national book awards
~ * ~ Celebrating 11 Years of Making Dreams Come True! ~ * ~
Questions? Concerns? Please e-mail us at feedback@passporter.com or call us at 877-929-3273
We respect your privacy -- please review our Privacy Policy
Read more about PassPorter or advertise with us.

PassPorter.com Recommends
PassPorter Highlights
Learn More With Our Award-Winning Guidebooks
PassPorter's Walt Disney World guidebook

PassPorter's Sidekick for the Walt Disney World Guidebook e-book

PassPorter's Disney Vacation Club Guide

PassPorter's Disney 500: Fast Tips for Walt Disney World Trips e-book

PassPorter's Disney Speed Planner: The Easy Ten Step Program to a Perfect Walt Disney World Vacation e-book

PassPorter's Disney Weddings & Honeymoons

PassPorter's Festivals and Celebrations at Walt Disney World e-book

PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World

PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line guidebook

PassPorter's Disney Cruise Clues: First-Class Tips for Disney Cruise Trips

PassPorter Disneyland Resort and Southern California Attractions guidebook

PassPorter's Open Mouse for Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line guidebook

Sponsored Links
 
RSS General PassPorter Community - Message Boards and Forums - Globetrotting: General Travel Planning
PassPorter Community - Message Boards and Forums - Globetrotting: General Tra...
Planning a trip around the globe, or just away for the weekend? Ask questions and share experiences! Forum Sponsored by CruisingCo.com


Where in the States do you want to go?
by chezp
7 Mar 2010 at 11:00am
We've done this for the whole world before, but where in the States would you most like to visit that you haven't made it to yet? With an...
(click title above to view replies)

How much of America have you visited?
by chezp
7 Mar 2010 at 10:57am
I've been looking through guidebooks, plotting and planning for next year and the year after's vacations, and my goodness, it really does bring it...
(click title above to view replies)

vacation destinations with a 1 year old or 14 month old?
by hall0731
28 Feb 2010 at 9:29pm
What are some good vacation destinations to go to with a 1 year old in the summer time or a 14 month old at Thanksgiving? I don't want any where that...
(click title above to view replies)

Key West
by LBAK
28 Feb 2010 at 9:29am
My DH's 50th is in November. I am thinking of suprising him with a trip to Key West Dec 2nd. Does anyone know how the weather is then. Is there a lot...
(click title above to view replies)

Vegas or Disney for Anniversary - WWYD?
by WeRDisneyFanatics
27 Feb 2010 at 7:13pm
I'll start off by saying I realize the responses may be skewed because we all love WDW so much:D:D:D - but I'd really love some outside perspective...
(click title above to view replies)

Arizona - Where to stay? Where to eat?
by kelleigh1
25 Feb 2010 at 8:43am
This summer, I'll be turning 40 and I want to celebrate. I originally thought about a cruise, but we've decided to put off a cruise for now (for...
(click title above to view replies)

Albuquerque Must Sees
by ilovedisney247
24 Feb 2010 at 3:08pm
I have to go to Albuquerque in May for a wedding. I'm flying out Thursday morning, the wedding is on Saturday and I fly back on Sunday afternoon. ...
(click title above to view replies)

Vegas- Booking via hotel website or discount website?
by Disneydiana
24 Feb 2010 at 10:22am
Have you found better deals booking through the hotel rather than using discount sites like expedia? What about AAA?
(click title above to view replies)

The Redeye east bound!!!
by scottjs
23 Feb 2010 at 6:24pm
I know I asked this before but I lost it. I need to find a flight from San Francisco(SFO) to Orlando(MCO) on Thursday night 9-9-10!!! I can't...
(click title above to view replies)

parking at WDW
by victory082
22 Feb 2010 at 4:38am
HI Everyone. Thanks for all your input. Jack:)
(click title above to view replies)