Meandering About Town

We are beginning to branch out now. Once one has walked around a little bit, used the subway and the Star Ferry you begin to feel a little more comfortable. You also begin to realize how big this place really is and how many people live here. Here are some observations:

1. Forget about New York or London. They are passe. There are 10 times more Rolex stores here than in all of Las Vegas. I have seen so many Bentleys and Mercedes here that it is mind boggling. Years ago you might see some bikes on the street (I think I saw them in one of those Jackie Chan movies a few years ago). There are none now. The business district here is incredible. Every big bank in the world has an office building within a few blocks of where I sit right now and you can almost feel the wealth flowing through here.

2. There is no parking! No-one worries about commuting except the ultra-rich who own those fancy cars. If you lived here you would not have a car. In North America everybody drives but here I would guess 99.9% don't own a vehicle. Everyone takes mass transit. And why not, it is safe, clean and affordable. And for those in the Zegna suits, you are comfortable in these modes of transportation where you might not be in some of the cities in North America.

The Star Ferry is pretty cool, one of the best deals around. The Star Ferry still has two classes of tickets because of course it has 2 decks. The Lower Deck is down by the engine and we were told it is kind of cramped and noisy. The Upper Deck has a view of the water and is a little more open and airy. We paid about thirty cents C$ for Upper Deck tickets. I wonder what the Lower Deck costs?

3. Hong Kong might be the most cosmopolitan city in the world. You see and hear everything here. I have never heard so many languages spoken nor seen so many different races of people in one place mixed together like they are here. Obviously this means you can also get anything that you could possibly ever want to eat.  Within a kilometre of the hotel you can find any type of restaurant you can imagine.

4. We stumbled on one of the coolest things not far from our hotel. I am a typical guy and I like to navigate by feel. Linda doesn't like my "free range mode" but I was born this way. This has gotten me into some racy areas in the past but yesterday I led my lovely wife by chance right on to the  Central-Mid-levels Escalators. As I have indicated before, Hong Kong is built on the side of a mountain? And what has been done to help the zillions of pedestrians in Hong Kong? Get this, they built an 800 metre-long escalator that rises 135 meters from bottom to top crossing a multitude of narrow cross-streets all at different angles  to each other. We stumbled upon this on our way to the Peak Tram and then we went back again last night and found an Aussie restaurant and bar for dinner. (Again we stumbled into the eatery and half way through dinner found it it must have been authentic Aussie because we were surrounded by the Australian National Rugby team who were in town to play in the Sevens World Series Tournament.)

Hong Kong is a must-see place. With the emergence of a middle-class in China, Hong Kong is where it is happening. The power of the wealth creation to the north can be felt here in this port. And that vibe is multiplied many times over by a heavily populated ultra-modern city. It is a humbling experience to be a visitor here.