Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Live<br />
Travel in the 21st century is so<br />
simple that we are often spoiled<br />
for choice when it comes to<br />
picking a destination. Do we<br />
want to shop? Enjoy fine dining? Immerse<br />
ourselves in culture? Get closer to nature?<br />
Relax on the beach?<br />
Hong Kong is perhaps the city that<br />
comes closest to offering all of them in a<br />
single destination.<br />
Since 1997 a Special Administrative<br />
Region of China, Hong Kong has grown<br />
from a simple fishing village to one of the<br />
world’s most important banking and<br />
trading centres.<br />
Hong Kong is made up of four areas:<br />
Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula,<br />
the New Territories and the Outlying<br />
Islands.<br />
Hong Kong Island and Kowloon are<br />
by far the busiest, home to the many<br />
skyscrapers that comprise the city’s<br />
famous skyline. The New Territories<br />
and the Outlying Islands, on the other<br />
hand, are the perfect place to experience<br />
the natural beauty of the area.<br />
For family entertainment Hong Kong<br />
of course boasts Disneyland, but for a<br />
slightly less synthetic experience pay a<br />
visit to Ocean Park. Parts of the park<br />
may be showing their age, especially<br />
some of the rides, but its aquariums and<br />
animal shows are guaranteed to prove a<br />
hit with the kids. You may be able to see<br />
it coming a mile away, but there is<br />
something about watching a man fall<br />
into the water in disgust after<br />
mistakenly kissing a sea lion that will<br />
have you laughing all the way down the<br />
world’s second-longest escalator,<br />
another of the park’s unique features.<br />
Of course no trip to Hong Kong<br />
would be complete without taking<br />
advantage of the enormous array of<br />
shops. The desire to wear nothing but<br />
the most up-to-date fashions means<br />
Hong Kong has a thriving second hand<br />
market as dedicated divas clear space in<br />
their closets for the latest season.<br />
Second hand stores offer a bewildering<br />
choice of clothes, bags, shoes and<br />
watches, many of which have only ever<br />
been worn on a handful of occasions.<br />
For a unique shopping experience<br />
head to one of the city’s many markets,<br />
such as Temple Street in Kowloon or<br />
Stanley on Hong Kong Island.<br />
Entertainers jostle for your attention<br />
alongside vendors selling Chinese silks,<br />
electronics and curios, all watched over<br />
by officials who ensure that everything<br />
is above board. Reassuring though that<br />
60<br />
Bin Hendi
Change language