20 October, 2004
Hong Kong has many things I love about Asian cities: excitement,
fashion, chaos, beautiful people, extravagant skyscrapers that light
the evening sky, gigantic advertising neon signs and never a dull
moment. The green mountains and ocean bays that engulf Hong Kong
contrast with the urban jungle to make this city one of the most
beautiful in the world. Only San
Fran, Cape
Town, Sydney, Rio and Vancouver can compete. At the same time,
Hong Kong lacks so much of what I cherish about Asia: There are
no street vendors selling quick and steamy delights, many of the
people are too busy making money to be nice, and it ain't cheap.
In fact, Hong Kong ranks the second most expensive city on Earth
behind Tokyo (2004 ranking.) I wish you could have seen the size of my hotel room.
You would not believe it. When I say small, I mean it. In fact,
my door wouldn't even open all the way because it hit the wall on
the other side-- even a custodian would be disappointed had it been
a broom closet. Still, I wouldn't trade my two days here and 70
photos shot for anything. Hong Kong, by all means, is a world-class,
must-see city and it only gets more grand (and taller) with time.
