Reflections on Hong Kong

[Watercooler]

I was on a 2 week business trip to Bangkok and Singapore recently, and during the approach phase of the flight returning to HK, I was struck by just how stunningly beautiful the Hong Kong skyline and Victoria Harbour looks from the air. Bangkok or Singapore, good in their own ways, just can't compare in that respect.

That made me think. Being an expat who have lived in HK for many years, there are many things you just don't notice or take for granted here. It's only after you've been away for a while that you notice this (I was only away for 2 weeks and I already notice this.)

I guess flying over the city 3000 feet up hide many of the "ugly realities" below (which I probably will criticize in future posts-but not this one). But still, my point is that sometimes you have to getaway from your city to see it in a new perspective.

So I am wondering if anyone here shared my view? Or is it "Good grief I'm outta here"? No right or wrong answer, just want to know what you guys think.

[TheBrit]

Have you really lived in Hong Kong for many years? I got the impression you were fresh off the boat.

[Watercooler]

Have you really lived in Hong Kong for many years? I got the impression you were fresh off the boat.

10 years more or less. To be honest, the first few years I didn't really know much about the city (and didn't care to-as I did not intend to stay here long-term), but after marrying a local, things became different.

[Claire ex-ax]

It was back in early 1997. There was the bird flu andthe financial crisis, which among other thing had led to the pull out of the Rugby Sevens sponsor (horrors). The handover was in a few months and people were jittery. The city was at rock bottom.

I was flying back into Hong Kong and looked out across the harbour (sea approach) from the plane. One thought: "I'm home".


I also sometimes get a "wow! what a great city" when taking visitors to TST in the evening and look back at the island.

[TheBrit]

I think the view back across the harbour is a lot more impressive if you don't know what lies behind the scenes. It looks modern, futuristic and impressive but is tarnished if you know the reality of crumbling buildings, abject street design and fact that the central business district is full of septuagenarians collecting cardboard and shin scraping delivery trolleys pulled by topless men.

Great vista, but loses lustre when it's recognized as little more than a shiny facade.

[Skyhook]

Hong Kong looks o.k at night lit up in tacky neon light, it all looks pretty grey and tatty during the day though. Compared to Tokyo it pales by comparison in my opinion. It also looks pretty ordinary compared to Melbourne and Sydney which are much prettier cities during the daylight hours with a real vibe at night with amazing eateries, outdoor concerts, world class sporting events, amazing parks, cycling tracks along the Yarra, and public areas that aren't smothered in hard surfaces ( concrete ).

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Melbourne%20Australia

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&...stralia&m=text

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=Tokyo+&m=text

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&...+parks+&m=text



I miss well kept grassed parks that have proper coin operated BBQ's and municipal picnic tables to enjoy the most of what the city has to offer... HK sucks quite badly in that regard because of too many people and not enough family friendly, barrier free, pristine, outdoor leisure facilities.

If somebody mentions hiking I'll farkin scream !

[pepe77]

Being one of those crazy ppl who as has a completely unnecessary car I get this "WOW" feeling quite often. Especially when driving towards HK Island from various locations. Crossing the new bridge at night from Tsing Yi to Kowloon with the back drop of HK Island skyline is just a magnificient experience - always.
Same kind of wow feeling when taking a 30 minutes travel from anywhere busy, just to see yourself surounded by green mountains and valleys - or taking a junk boat (or hike...Skyhook: scream!) to remote beaches with sand and water that you would normally only see in movies or truly exotic destinations.

No doubt, I get quite a lot of wow feelings for the wrong reasons as well but there is no way around that HK is a fascinating place with a lot of interesting aspects.

Maybe we should just keep this tread positive towards Hong Kong - to balance the forum a bit

[Swannie]

Hong Kong isn't a bad place to live when you factor in the money and low taxes. It has a generally pleasant climate though it's a bit hot at the moment, good selection of asian food at a decent price, access to a lot of western products compared to other asian countries, excellent access to recreational activities and it's very safe.

I think places like Melbourne or Vancouver are far more attractive and livable but very costly. I prefer Hong Kong to Paris, London or New York which don't really do much for me though the access to cultural activities may be better. It depends what floats your boat...

It's funny that some posters here constantly complain about HK. As expats, we certainly have a choice to be here and if one hates the place, one is either stupid or at best greedy to stay here only for the money and be miserable. Mind you there are many expats like that in the Middle East... Personally, I think life is too short to waste time in a place that makes you unhappy.

[Skyhook]

Hong Kong isn't a bad place to live when you factor in the money and low taxes. It has a generally pleasant climate though it's a bit hot at the moment, good selection of asian food at a decent price, access to a lot of western products compared to other asian countries, excellent access to recreational activities and it's very safe.

I think places like Melbourne or Vancouver are far more attractive and liveable but very costly. I prefer Hong Kong to Paris, London or New York which don't really do much for me though the access to cultural activities may be better. It depends what floats your boat...

Paris is an awesome city, that Hong Kong has absolutely nothing in common with. Get real !

Also if income taxation was on parity here with the other cities I mentioned, and I'll include Paris which is one of the worlds best cities to live, would you still feel the same way ?

I love living in Sai Kung, I've worked hard to make my own life here as comfortable as possible, and enjoy the space that I have. But the neon lights of the city aren't appealing to me. The beaches here are awful here compared to what I was used to back in Aus, national parks that make HK's sick looking dull green vegetation littered with discarded bonaqua pet bottles and HK BBQ litter ( forks etc ) look again, pretty ordinary.

When we lived in Aus, I used to love going 4 Wheel driving in the ARB 4WD club of Victoria around the Vic alpine region @ 3000 metres above sea level, experiencing natural beauty that made you feel WOW as if you were the only group there after a full days traversing very hard yakka vertical inclines in low range to reach the top, cutting fallen trees out of the way with chainsaws and negotiating 20 river crossings as you snaked around the mountain in lush unspoilt natural bushland, camping out for a long weekend... thats my idea of enjoying nature, not walking along a dinky hill along a man made bitumen/concrete track lol



And the beaches here are amongst the worst I have experienced in the world, with a sea thats had its reefs destroyed by over fishing and water that is heavilly polluted and full of foreign debris. Something that really shocked me when I first moved here, and to date, I have never gone swimming closer than 3 nautical miles from the HK shore.

I do wonder how bad life must have been for some of you pre Hong Kong, if you rave rave on about HK's " natural beauty " because Mont Blanc, Mt kosciusko or places like Lake Lausanne in Switzerland, it is very far from being...

But hey, whatever floats your boat as you said...

[Watercooler]

Paris is an awesome city, that Hong Kong has absolutely nothing in common with. Get real !

Also if income taxation was on parity here with the other cities I mentioned, and I'll include Paris which is one of the worlds best cities to live, would you still feel the same way ?

I love living in Sai Kung, I've worked hard to make my own life here as comfortable as possible, and enjoy the space that I have. But the neon lights of the city aren't appealing to me. The beaches here are awful here compared to what I was used to back in Aus, national parks that make HK's sick looking dull green vegetation littered with discarded bonaqua pet bottles and HK BBQ litter ( forks etc ).

When we lived in Aus, I used to love going 4 Wheel driving in the ARB 4WD club of Victoria around the Vic alpine region @ 3000 metres above sea level, experiencing natural beauty that made you feel WOW as if you were the only group there after a full days traversing very hard yakka vertical inclines in low range to reach the top, cutting fallen trees out of the way with chainsaws and negotiating 20 river crossings as you snaked around the mountain in lush unspoilt natural bushland, camping out for a long weekend... thats my idea of enjoying nature, not walking along a dinky hill along a man made bitumen/concrete track lol



And the beaches here are amongst the worst I have experienced in the world, with a sea thats had its reefs destroyed by over fishing and water that is heavilly polluted and full of foreign debris. Something that really shocked me when I first moved here, and to date, I have never gone swimming closer than 3 nautical miles from the HK shore.

I do wonder how bad life must have been for some of you pre Hong Kong, if you rave rave on about HK's " natural beauty " because Mont Blanc, Mt Koziosko or lake lausanne it is very far from...

But hey, whatever floats your boat as you said...

I actually prefer HK to Paris honestly, but that's just me.

Australia sucks big time for me, nothing special really . I much prefer Canada. The skiing there puts Thredbo or Perisher Valley at Mt. Koziosko to shame(but I do love the Great barrier reef, only good thing about Aussie land, hehehe-kidding ).

As for beaches in HK, nothing spectacular, but by no means the worse in the world.

I guess for all the unpleasantness and pitfalls of living in HK (which I have mentioned alot), I can also see the good side and benefits (which took me away from HK to realize it). The city is not the hell-hole it is for some expats, nor is it paradise (not by a long shot). It is what it is. I am slowly coming to accept it, even if I still slam the city alot. Admittedly, I'm still struggling with this love-hate relationship, but I suppose it's more realistic view of the city (well at least for me).