A TRYST WITH HONG KONG

The melting pot of the Orient. That’s what they call Hong Kong.

One of the world’s oldest Trading Posts, Hong Kong has been world renown as the earlier British controlled and recently having being returned to China. Mysterious, oriental and charming. The flight from Delhi was comfortable and in barely 51/2 hours of flying time, we were already landing. Looking out the window during the descent gives you a sudden fright. Where is the Pilot going? Why aren’t people panicking? We are diving into the sea! Help!

And then we land, the landing strip reaches out into the bay giving you the feeling of landing in water. What a start.

Visas are available at the airport and very soon one is in a taxi cruising towards the city.

The airport is about an hours drive from the city and can be reached by taxi, train or shuttle bus, each a cheaper option to the other.

As one exits from the airport, the air is of a different order, fresh and clear. The view unfolds water pockets and hills, a truly different landscape from India with a smattering of boats on the various bays.

As we near the city, the skyline changes and soon we are driving among skyscrapers. Different shapes and different sizes. The roads begin the meander and enter into a myriad of tunnels, flyovers and undulating stretches. Traffic sense is very strict and movement brisk. We reached Wanchai, a tourist destination and locality known for its streets full of shops and the well known shopping complexes of Times Square, Sogo or the Windsor Market - Streets are narrow, lined with small shops selling trinkets, eatables, electronics and jewels. One wrong turn and we were in the street known for its fresh meats, poultry, vegetables and seafood. Wish I had brought my kitchen along. The hotel was 30 stories high and from the 28^th floor, the world surely looked far away. Space being at a premium, rooms are designed to optimize.

After a hard days work at the office, it was back to the streets. The lights are amazing and truly marvelous. Wonder what the electricity bill would be like. Streets are lit in multi-colour, huge Chinese characters shine out to you and every street looks like a carnival is on. People abound and sidewalks are over crowded till the wee hours of the night. Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, Thai’s, Malays etc., the oriental races dominate. Places to visit in Hong Kong include Kowloon Island for its shopping, Stanley Market the famous night street market and the Peak, from which the view covers the whole island.

Hong Kong is enjoyable for an overall experience where one needs to experience its sights, the night markets (for some bargaining for clothes and bric a brac), the Lan Kwai Fong area for cuisines from the world over and for the first time visitor, a day trip across the bay to Xinseng the China main land.

Weather is normally moderate with chances of light showers, which go as soon as they come but leave behind high humidity.

From India, flights (Air India and Cathay Pacific) fly direct from both Mumbai and Delhi with best time to visit being the winter months and spring.

The Hong Kong Dollar is about one seventh of the US and about INR 7.0 each. Most people speak English and Mandarin.