Hong Kong is probably best known for quick food and kung fu--not getting dusty and swigging from Nalgene bottles. But with 40 percent of the area protected as parks, hikes in the lush hills outside the city are popular for locals and tourists alike and offer stunning views of the island that shouldn't be missed.
The Dragon's Back trail is one of the better-known among Hong Kongers. This trek along a spine of hills high above the city affords a surreal break from the bustling metropolis below with vistas of outlying islands and the quiet village of Shek O.
The trailhead is accessible via local transport, and you can make this walk as short as you like. If you want to make a proper journey of it, though, it'll take you a good part of a day.
Walking, obviously, is free. You can pick up a trail map from any tourism office, or buy a guidebook from a local book shop. But if you're inclined to go with a professional guide, Walk Hong Kong is a licensed tour operator that can take you along various trails in the region with rates running from $60 to $100 depending on the route.
Hong Kong jewelry company Hang Fung's golden toilet is certainly not the first toilet to become a tourist attraction: New Zealanders even make a contest out of interesting public bathrooms. And we've examined a few of the most beautiful around the world. But Hang Fung's golden toilet is certainly the most valuable toilet you'll ever come across, as it's made out of solid 24-carat gold.
Tourists--especially those visiting from gold-loving mainland China--adore the shiny loo, which is part of Hang Fung's Hall of Gold exhibit featuring a total of six tons of gold artifacts. But with the price of gold creeping ever upwards, Hang Fung is considering melting part of the toilet down if gold prices reach $1,000 per ounce. That'd give them a whole stack of cash they want to use to expand their stores in China.
So it's another "here today, might be gone tomorrow" attraction. Drop by as soon as you can for a gawk at the Hang Fung golden toilet. But remember, like the sign in the photo says, no photos. Yeah, right.
What do you pack for a holiday in Asia? We usually think of a swimsuit and towel, a few light shirts and shorts and probably a few books for the beach or pool. But that's not what a traveler from Thailand to China thought of this week. Only at Hong Kong airport was his unusual luggage discovered.
He tried to make his way through Hong Kong airport with a crocodile, six snakes, 11 flying squirrels and 46 turtles and tortoises in his case.
For a start, we're pretty impressed that any suitcase was big enough to hold this entire menagerie and secondly, does this guy not keep up with the times? If we can't take our toothpaste or perfume on a plane, except in uselessly small quantities, why did he think his reptile collection would escape undetected?
For the record, the animals were rescued unharmed, at least physically, but we can imagine the psychological effect for a cute little tortoise of being trapped in a bag in a plane with a crocodile and six snakes. So take note, all flyers: leave your crocs and flying squirrels at home. Please.
New Yorkers may only turn off their lights when they are faced with the possibility of an electrical outage, but over in Hong Kong they are doing it as a form of protest. Today, at eight o'clock in the evening Hong Kong time, citizens were asked to turn off their lights for three minutes as part of the "Lights Out" campaign.
While saving on electricity costs is a lovely thing no matter where you are, Lights Out intends to draw attention to the horrible pollution in the city, much of it coming from factories in South China. The 8/8 date is important, becuase the number is considered lucky in Chinese culture. The local government declined to take part in the campaign, but won't they be sad when they see their bill from Con Ed! It looks like the Chinese factories won't be shutting down anytime soon, either; those DVDs won't pirate themselves, people.
Move over Bloods and Crips, there's a new gangland feud, and this one's happening in Hong Kong, between Hong Kong and Kowloon Islands. Of course, by gangland feud, we mean healthy competition involving nighttime laser light shows. But it's a throwdown nonetheless!
In 2004, Hong Kong Island launched their "Symphony of Lights"; 21 buildings beaming lasers and lights into the sky in nightly 20-minute display. Kowloon launched their own competing show a year later, but they have a mere 12 buildings equipped with lasers, so it's not a fair competition quite yet.
The show has a theme and narration, which can be heard on the radio or by mobile phone, but unless you're in the Hayden Planetarium, narration to accompany your blinky lights is not necessary for full enjoyment. Could we see this kind of competition between Minneapolis and St. Paul in the near future?
There's not much you can get for a quarter; a local phone call, if you can find a functioning pay phone, and that's about it. Even packs of gum are thirty cents or more these days. But here's something cool that costs just that: the ferry ride between Kowloon and Hong Kong. Sure, the trip between Staten Island and Manhattan is free, but you're in Staten Island after all that--it's pretty much time to turn around and head on home. Bonus--the 80s style background music makes this video feel a bit like time-travel, too. Enjoy.
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by benh
