Traveller's Tales
I spent 6 nights in Hong Kong in 1996, staying at Tsim-Sha-Tsui in Kowloon. The purpose of the visit was to see the country before it was handed back to China and to catch up with a couple of friends who were working there at the time.
Hong Kong is a mix of eastern and western cultures but the first thing you have to get used to is the vast number of people living/working there. It is so bad that traffic police direct traffic coming out of the car park exits to the plush hotels so that the hoardes of pedestrians can pass. Speaking of plush hotels, the first music I experienced in Hong Kong was in the piano bar at the Hyatt Hotel, where many local businessmen gather.
The blend of east/west can best be seen where the primitive fishing boats forming the water village of Aberdeen are dwarfed by the many skyscrapers standing behind the village.
The western influence has also pervaded the musical tastes of the Hong Kong people. Whilst out eating one night I was informed by one of the waiters that the "Spicey Girls" were due to appear in Hong Kong that week. UK pop music was played in many of the westernised bars which I visited on Hong Kong Island (word of warning - I found taxi drivers very reluctant to take me from the Island to mainland Hong Kong after 12.00 am so if you have to make that journey, make sure you have loads of cash on you since the price you will have to pay for the fare will be way over the normal charge).
Be wary of Chinese food - it is prepared very differently to the Chinese "takeaway" food which many of us are used to. The Chinese are also accustomed to eating many weird and wonderful things which less adventurous cultures may find hard to swallow - many of these things can be found in jars in shops which reminded me of the old fashioned sweet shops which existed many years ago. Hong Kong is definitely worth a visit, but I would not like to stay there long term because I don't think I could adapt to the culture differences!
Author: Dorraine Bennett
©2002 Dors Productions 