I’m living in a mansion. The Chung King Mansion to be exact - in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong. Are you impressed? Well, you should be! The pamphlet on the mansion describes itself as one of the most “diverse and populated” areas of Hong Kong. Upon entering the massive entrance you are greeted by a half dozen men looking to sell you a watch, a suit, a good time (not going to go into those details). They will follow you for several minutes as you try to get to your elevator. They wave cards in your face and continue to talk even if you haven’t acknowledged them in the first place. You weave in and out of the corridors that are filled with kiosks with cell phones, cameras, money exchange, junk food. The mansion is extremely massive and is separated into compounds - almost like a cell block. This lucky lady’s hostel was in block D, seventh floor. You wait for awhile for the elevator to finally come, then find yourself jam-packed in with people from all over the world. But do you know what is missing? Chinese people! My friend Johan described the mansion as a living organism. It is filled with so many people, bugs, animals, and who knows what else. The building is old and dirty. The spotted walls hold a certain secret with stories to tell of what has happened within. I will say though that my hostel room was clean, cool, and the water was generally warm. Beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to cheap accommodation in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is very interesting to me. My first impression was when I was riding the metro over from Shenzhen China and I saw some Chinese boys reading English books. When people bumped into me on the train they said “excuse me” in English. Hong Kong is most definitely not China. I would first like to state that I have never seen so many shopping malls in my life. If I was a spoiled rich teenager I would insist that Daddy send me to Hong Kong once a year to get my back to school shopping done. On Hong Kong Island I seriously believe you could walk from mall to mall and never set foot on the street. There are high walk ways connecting the malls and if you crane your neck you can see the skyscrapers loom above you. When you walk into the stores you are always greeted by smiling people. “Hello! Welcome!” they say, and then they leave you alone until you need help - like at home! I’ve given up trying to eat Chinese food here and have spoiled myself with all of the American restaurants that are in abundance. I almost shed a tear when I spotted an Irish pub close to my hostel boasting happy hour from 5-8. After almost a month of horrible Chinese and Mongolia beer I felt complete bliss as that first Guinness hit my lips. The bottom line is that traveling is easy again and while I miss the challenge I have enjoyed relaxing a bit.
Hong Kong has some seriously busy parts. There are fish markets, ladies markets, flower markets, bird markets, and night markets where people swarm the streets. The main road, Nathan, is extremely congested at night as many tourists marvel at the brightly lit advertising signs and go no faster than a crawl down the road. You constantly feel water dripping on your head from all of the air conditioning units above you. There was something I had to get used to again….air conditioning! It is extremely warm in Hong Kong and as you walk the streets you feel the air con blasting you from each open shop. It’s the first air conditioning I have felt since home.
So, perhaps Hong Kong may not seem appealing to you after reading this. I have just described some of my least favorite parts of the city. But I will say that I actually do like it here a lot. Hong Kong has a lot of quiet bits as well where you can just relax and chill out. There are many parks to visit where you can sit with some friends and have a few beers you bought at one of the million 7 Elevens here. You can hang out at the water on the Kowloon side, feel the sun on your face, the breeze in your hair and enjoy the views of Hong Kong island. The place feels a bit like Miami to me in that sense. Palm trees line the walkways and relaxing here makes you feel like you are on holiday. I have discovered quieter apartment complexes on some of the small islands where I could see myself living. There are places you can exercise and run along the water. The skyline is impressive here, but not over the top as Shanghai was. At night you can relax by the water and take in the glow from the city.
Hong Kong was my transition time between China and Australia. I am glad that I came here. It has allowed me to adjust to the Western world again without too much of a culture shock. I don’t know if I would ever come back here, but it is a nice place to visit on the backpacking track. If you do come though - try hard to resist the appeal of staying in a mansion.
