The iconic Victoria harbor skyline glistening in the dark sky,
Hong Kong’s junk can only steal the show.
Tall building, proud brands always propped up
Ready to mesmerize the curious and the bold!

Obvious streaks of Asian culture and life
speaks well of the world’s other side,
truly proclaiming Hong Kong as Asia’s world city
— the past, the present, and the future.
#PerpieInHongKong 2013

That brief stopover in Moscow was a canapé from big mother Russia for me. But on this flight, I expect more to our layover in Hong Kong. A full-day layover, I’d get to have my very first glimpse of this fascinating city.

About Hong Kong

Hong Kong is located in the southern part of China. It was a colony of the British Empire from 1842 until before the Japanese occupation during the Second World War. The British regained control after 1945. The territory was returned to China in 1997 under the Sino-British joint declaration. Under the “one country, two systems” principle, this city is a special administrative region of China. The country retains independent executive, legislative, and judiciary powers, except foreign relations and military defense.

Hong Kong is made up of many islands. The city comprises the Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, and the New Territories. It also includes over 200 offshore or outlying islands. The largest of these islands is Lantau Island. Over 7 million people live in HK. It occupies just a small area, making it one of the world’s most densely populated cities. Due to this lack of space, it also makes this city into the world’s most vertical city full of skyscrapers.

Being the most important trading location in Asia, Hong Kong is one of the busiest harbor cities in the world. After London and New York, this city is also the third biggest international financial center.

That’s Hong Kong for me and you!

The tropical sun lingered in my mind. I playfully imagined the thick layer of snow in front of our house melting away quickly. It would be gone by the time we’re returning. We are indeed excited about spending our holidays in the tropics. We look ahead to leaving the bitter cold weather and snow in Switzerland.

Then the captain’s announcement woke me up from my slumber. He somewhat reminded me that we would be staying in Hong Kong for a while.

We arrived in another sophisticated airport that I must say, would be my next favorite one. Big panoramas and airfield views are impressive. They offer diverse food and drinks. The service quality is excellent, and there is a good retail mix. All these create a sheer sense of the international vibe.

From the airport, we took the metro, which was quite fast and efficient by the way. We then hopped off at the station. There, we met with friends who’d be playing hosts for us on that day. Thanks to their utmost hospitality, we’re able to freshen up, leave some heavier stuff (sayonara for that thick winter jacket and long boots for the meantime), have a warm sumptuous lunch (Asian of course, how I miss you!), and stroll around the buzzing city of Hong Kong.

I wasn’t expecting that much, and it had actually done pretty good for me. Hong Kong made me feel how much I miss this hectic, colorful, diverse, and upbeat city life.

A quick stroll around HKG

We were walking towards the ferry pier. The first noticeable landmark we passed by was the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower in Kowloon.

The Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower is built out of red bricks and granite. It peaks at 44 meters. A 7-meter lightning rod tops it. The top of the tower can be reached by a wooden staircase located within. The interior of Clock Tower had earlier been open for a visit but is presently closed for maintenance.

The clock tower is located near Victoria Harbor at the foot of Salisbury Road. The tower has been listed as a declared monument in Hong Kong since 2000.

Victoria Harbor was formerly known as Hong Kong Harbor. It is a natural land form harbor situated between the islands of Hong Kong and Kowloon. The bay itself is the largest harbor for China, the third largest in the world, and among the world’s busiest.

Victoria Harbor is obviously a crowd favorite. This is due to its panoramic night view and skyline. It also features the permanent light and sound show “The Symphony of Light,” which is the world’s largest.

We’re heading to the city center…

….hoping to see Jackie Chan in live-action as well, what wishful thinking!

And we finally arrived at where the real Hong Kong action is!

Jet lag started to hit me, so we returned back to Kowloon. I promptly dozed off to regain more of waking time for our next shorter flight.

Before that then, I left Hong Kong with a short note. “I’ll surely come up with a better itinerary next time, so I can spend more time exploring. I want to enjoy what this truly modern city has in store.”

Practical Info & FAQs

How we got there

YEAR TRAVELED: 2013

We drove from Switzerland to Belgium to spend Christmas with family and friends over there. Afterward, we flew from Brussels to Moscow and switched for another flight to Hong Kong.

From the airport, we took the most convenient way to reach the city. We used the MTR or the Mass Transit Railway of Hong Kong. I have a geeky infatuation over metros, and this one in Hong Kong is an amaze ball.

We didn’t take the symbolic “junk.” The term formerly applied to traditional Chinese fishing boats now refers to any motorized pleasure vessel. You can also call the remaining one the authentic Dukling. To cross between Hong Kong island and Kowloon, we took the equally charming Star Ferry.