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| Bubbling with life |
28-Nov-2006 |
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Throw yourself into the
Hong Kong
melting pot of people, shopping and food. B
y Bianca Nogrady
.
YOU can smell it in the intermingled aromas of steamed dumplings and Chanel No 5, hear it in the voices speaking Cantonese, English, Hindi and myriad other tongues and accents, and see it in the dusty noodle shop jostling for customers alongside Hugo Boss, Cartier and Versace stores.
Hong Kong is the ultimate mix of East and West. Chinese and British influences have combined to produce a vibrant, exotic and exciting city that has something for every traveller, from the budget backpacker to the cashed-up fashion devotee.
The city’s most famous feature is its harbour. On the Hong KongIsland side, the shore is densely packed with kilometres of massive, gleaming skyscrapers that sit so close together it’s hard to see how anything could fit between them.
At night, this sight rivals any light display in the world, as each tower competes with its neighbours to claim the prize of most dazzling, most colourful and most impressive.
Rising above them all is the 88-floor TwoIFCTower— the world’s fifth-tallest building (its glamour is slightly reduced by the fact that it looks a bit like a giant nose hair trimmer).
This side of the harbour is also one of the world’s top shopping destinations, especially if you’re in the market for the most exclusive designer labels.
Walking through the air-conditioned, polished shopping malls is like immersing yourself in a Who
’
s Who of fashion.
A short ferry ride across the harbour takes you to the energetic and wonderfully chaotic Kowloon. From the water, this side of the harbour is less impressive than Hong KongIsland and is dominated by the curiously windowless facade of the Hong Kong Museum of Art.
While downtown Kow-loon has its fair share of major department stores, its greatest attraction is the maze of smaller streets where business signs grow out and over the street to create a strangely organic canopy advertising tailors, massage clinics, restaurants, guesthouses, camera shops … anything and everything is for sale here, and almost always at a cheaper price than you’d find anywhere else.
After you’ve blown your budget on digital cameras, iPods and tailored suits, settle into one of the many cramped, steamy and fragrant restaurants with a delicious bowl of noodles and cup of fresh soy milk, which will set you back a mere $A3.
And if all the rampant consumerism is getting to you, hop on the MTR subway and take a ride to one of Hong Kong’s many temples, where residents make their spiritual offerings, receive guidance from professional fortune tellers or just enjoy moments of quiet contemplation in the Zen-like gardens filled with dragonflies and turtles.
FACT FILE
Getting there: Qantas flies return to Hong Kong from $1440 (ex Sydney).
Accommodation: Expect to pay $A80-$A100 a night for a small, air-conditioned double room with bathroom in a budget hotel in Kowloon. More upmarket rooms start at $A200 a night.
Further information:
www.hkta.org; www.tourism.gov.hk
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