Hong Kong is towering skyscrapers, colonial relics and ornate temples; it’s also rugged coastline, craggy peaks and beautiful flora. Hong Kong is bubble waffles, yum cha and char siu. Hong Kong is a place I could keep going back to and never tire of.
It was at this point in our trip that Hermione’s Time-Turner would have come in handy: there was so much left to see, but time simply wasn’t on our side. (I’m now treating this as a bona fide reason to return, affordable flights permitting.) After a fruity breakfast of longan (similar to lychee), mango and dragon fruit we set off for Tai Wo to meet Laurence’s aunt for dim sum at Jade Garden. Being a Saturday, it was insanely busy (read: 70 people ahead of us in the queue) so we changed plans and headed elsewhere. Service was slow by Hong Kong standards, but the pineapple buns, barbeque buns, vegetable spring rolls and pan-fried dumplings were sufficiently tasty. All’s well that ends well, as the saying goes. We then wandered round Tai Wo’s market, picking up some fresh mangosteen to eat later.
In bustling Kowloon, there is a market for everything, be it handcrafted jade trinkets, tourist tat, or exotic animals. Experiencing Hong Kong’s thriving street markets is a must; the atmosphere is mesmerising and haggling over cheap curios is rather addictive once you master the art of it.
Lion Rock is by no means the highest peak in Hong Kong, but what it lacks in height it makes up for in stellar views of Kowloon, Hong Kong Island and the New Territories. Though the humidity had crept above 80% and the scorching sun was well over 30°C, this was one of my favourite days in Hong Kong – and the cheeky rhesus macaques weren’t the only reason why!
Hong Kong is everything people said it would be, and more. It’s the physical definition of a cultural melting pot, seamlessly blending both Canton and Western cultures and identities whilst simultaneously teeming with more people than a place of its size should feasibly be able to contain. It’s a place where colossal skyscrapers tower over colonial legacies, where traditional temples and Starbucks sit side by side.
La Grenouille Anglaise 