Well-Deserved Hype

If ever there was a city that lives up to its reputation, Hong Kong is surely it. A mind-boggling blend of Eastern and Western cultures, it truly felt like I was in a European city in the midst of Asia. Although the weather was foggy and drizzly, and I was battling a terrible cold throughout my trip, I'm thrilled to have gone and cannot wait to return, albeit under better circumstances. I'll elaborate in the following posts, but here are a few highlights:

• People are generally polite -helpful with directions and not nearly as pushy or assertive as I'd been led to believe; they queue up and don't cut in front of you.
• "Mind the Gap" is alive and well -so much fun to hear one of my favorite British expressions when riding the tube.
• American and British treats are cheap and easy to come by there (if only I'd had more luggage space!)

Contrasts abound in the city, some more extreme than others. Some examples:

The BMW initially seemed out of place next to this pile of junk, but then I started getting used to similar juxtapositionings...

 This particular neighborhood was pretty gritty, yet luxury autos abounded.

The hotel where I stayed:

And the hotel where I'd like to stay next time (The Peninsula in Kowloon):

(The Peninsula has 3 Rolls Royces on hand; my hotel had none, at least none that I saw.)