Hong Kong

By spermkiss at 06,Sep,17 22:50 other posts of spermkiss

Well, I'm counting down the days until my next trip to Hong Kong. One month from today my husband and I leave for my twelfth visit.

By bella! at 06,Sep,17 22:52 other posts of bella!

Your twelfth visit? Does your husband have less?

By spermkiss at 07,Sep,17 15:59 other posts of spermkiss

No, more. He had been there several times before we met. He even lived there for awhile when he was a c-h-I-l-d.

By DJS at 05,Oct,17 11:17 other posts of DJS

Fantastic place

had the opportunity to work there way back.great people great food & amazing sites to see(especially the harbour at night)

By spermkiss at 06,Oct,17 03:15 other posts of spermkiss

It's now 8:15 Thursday evening here in Portland and it's less than twelve hours until departure. The Airport shuttle arrives at 7:55 Friday morning. Back home the evening of Monday, October 16.

By DJS at 06,Oct,17 12:04 other posts of DJS

Enjoy SK

By spermkiss at 18,Oct,17 15:55 other posts of spermkiss

Two days back home and I'm glad to report that Hong Kong is as glamorous and exciting as ever. Next trip is Panama Canal cruise beginning on Friday. Yes, this Friday, October 20.

By spermkiss at 03,Oct,17 19:36 other posts of spermkiss

Three days and counting and we're getting excited. I packed my suitcase this morning.

By bella! at 19,Oct,15 19:16 other posts of bella!

Hong Kongers? You admitted that sometimes when you don't know the answer you *MIGHT* be inclined to make something up, is that what the residents of Hong Kong are actually referred to?

I am not a worldly person and sadly, I've never been anywhere outside the continental United States. I bet you and your partner have amassed a bus load of "frequent flyer miles" points so it's understandable, why let them go to waste!

You should consider having your own cable station travel program and share some of the pictures that you must have taken over the years! Why not pick a couple of pictures of some of your favorite trips and post them on your page?

What is it about Hong Kong that makes that destination your favorite?

Being a DINK seems heavenly......

By spermkiss at 19,Oct,15 20:22 other posts of spermkiss

Hi sweetie. Yes, that's what people who live in Hong Kong call themselves, although it's usually written in one word, as Hongkongers. I have clippings from the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong's English language newspaper to prove this. 'Gotta run now. More later.

By spermkiss at 19,Oct,15 23:56 other posts of spermkiss

Well, yes, my husband and I do travel a lot. Every continent except Antarctica. That's been on our bucket list for years (seventh continent and all that), but I'm beginning to think we'll never make it. One, we're getting to be old farts, and two, it's frightfully expensive. Yes, there are big ship Cape Horn cruises that get within sight of Antarctica that are fairly reasonable. One can look at the continent from the ship. But to do a small group cruise and tour that includes Zodiac landing craft so one can actually set foot on the continent we're talking five figures or close to it. Even we DINKs have our limits.
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What do I like about Hong Kong? The hustle and bustle, the tall buildings, the neon signs (though those mostly are being replaced with LEDs) and the cosmopolitan flavor. Hong Kongers like to say that it's Asia's world city. I'm fond of saying that it's like a Chinese New York.

Hong Kong suits all budgets. If you want five star luxury hotels and gourmet restaurants and have the bucks to pay for them, Hong Kong has them. But there are also very reasonably priced accommodations and every thing in between.

Hong Kong is very user friendly (everything works there) with good transport and you can get by just fine knowing only English. It's very clean and very safe. Litter, graffiti and street crime are virtually non-existent.

By admin at 20,Oct,15 00:24 other posts of admin

Well, you pretty much answered my question in this reply to bella.

By bella! at 20,Oct,15 16:59 other posts of bella!

Thank you, spermkiss!

By spermkiss at 20,Oct,15 19:08 other posts of spermkiss

This topic seems to have generated quite a bit of interest, more than I was anticipating, and even from the Head Honcho here at SYD (hello site administrator) so I'll post some more.

There are so many words that begin with the letter "c" that apply to Hong Kong. Crowded, cosmopolitan, cultured, Chinese, colonial, complex, contrasted, clean, capitalistic, clothing.
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Crowded, of course. The urban areas of Hong Kong are so densely populated that they make Manhattan look suburban by comparison. Twenty stories is a short building in Hong Kong. Most people live in high rise apartment houses forty or fifty stories tall.

Cosmopolitan. People from all over the world visit there. And a substantial number of non-Chinese live there.
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Cultured, and not just Asian culture. The Hong Kong Philharmonic is a fine symphony orchestra that programs mostly western music. I've been several times. Hong Kong Opera was performing Tosca while we were there, but alas I didn't make it.

Chinese, of course. Since the end of the colonial era it's now part of the Peoples Republic of China, but a very special part.
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Colonial. Hong Kongers are very proud of their British colonial heritage and there is evidence of it everywhere. Street and place names, names of schools, hospitals and other institutions. Barristers in court were wigs. The city is officially bilingual, Cantonese and English. A visitor who speaks only English can do just fine there.
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Complex, very complex, but everything works right. They probably have the best airport in the world. Immigration and customs were a breeze and the Airport Express train into the city is fast, efficient and very reasonably priced. Public transport, a huge network of subways, buses, ferries and even streetcars, is very inexpensive, especially for old farts like me who can ride for the senior fare, which is often no fare at all (FREE!!!). But then it is used. A lot. Only about ten percent of the population have cars, so ninety percent rely on the public transport. I cannot stress too strongly how well things work in Hong Kong.
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Contrasted. Yes the urban areas are ultra dense, but 46 percent of the land in Hong Kong is parkland. Get out of the urban areas and there are winding two lane country roads with wooded hillsides as far as the eye can see. With bus service every ten or twelve minutes.

Clean, clean, CLEAN. And very safe. Litter, graffiti and street crime are virtually non-existent.
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Capitalistic. I've already mentioned this several times. It's also the financial center of southeast Asia.

Clothing. You want a custom tailored suit? Well, there are tailors everywhere. You want something that you won't find ready made? Have I made for you in Hong Kong. I had a white silk suit made there several years ago.

By bella! at 21,Oct,15 17:16 other posts of bella!

A white silk suit! I bet you dress to the 9's 90% of the time and turn heads wherever you are!

"Cuz every girl's ( and guy, too ) 'bout a sharp dressed man!"

By #320832 at 21,Oct,15 13:50

Been to HK twice and loved it for all the same reasons that you give. Thinking of going again 2016 and flying 1st Class (bucket list!) for a change. Also been to Antarctica on the Expedition ships you mention, with the Zodiacs, continental & island landings included. Breath taking, stunning, once in a lifetime, marvellous - any term you can think of. Very Expensive (as a solo traveller) as you rightly state but apart from a few bits on board,(plus whatever south American hotels etc that are part of the trip) prior to & after sailing, there is nothing to spend money on, so if its financially affordable or achievable at a stretch my advice ... go for it. Mark Twain said, "20 years from now we will regret the things we didn't do more than we will regret the things that we did do". Would I go again?.... you bet !

By spermkiss at 21,Oct,15 18:19 other posts of spermkiss

A few odds and ends here.

First, see the Antarctica photo I sent you privately.

Ah yes, First Class. My bucket list too. But like Antarctica frightfully expensive. One can easily spend more than the cost of a two week vacation just on the air fare. Hard to justify.

Finally, that Mark Twain quote is one of my favorites (or since you're British would you prefer favourites?). Totally unrelated to travel, but my Big Regret was that I never did porn. For years that was (and still is) a Major Fantasy. To put my body and my sex on public display for the world to see just seemed so satisfying. But I didn't for family and employment reasons. Oh well.

By Blade at 20,Oct,15 02:08 other posts of Blade

I've always admired Hong Kong from afar, but never though I'd go there. If I did make it there, what would I do? What kinds of things do you do there?

By spermkiss at 20,Oct,15 20:03 other posts of spermkiss

Shop, 'til you drop! The Temple Street night market and the Ladies Market (a misnomer because it's not just ladies' things) are must do things. Also the Stanley Market. Stanley is on the south side of Hong Kong Island and perhaps the best part of going there is the bus ride. You leave the Central District of Hong Kong and travel along winding mountain roads with nothing visible but wooded hillsides.
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There is also art and culture. The Hong Kong Philharmonic and Hong Kong Opera. Both mostly perform western music.
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Go, man, you'll be glad you did. I see on your page that you live in the USA, but you don't say where. We here in San Francisco have non-stop flights (14 hours going, 12 hours coming back). All other large west coast cities also do.

But if you live on the east coast, Vancouver, BC, Canada is the best jumping off point for Hong Kong or anywhere else in Asia as it is the large North American city that is closest to Asia. They even have a Fairmont Hotel right in the airport. If you want to break up your travel into two days, you can get off the airplane in Vancouver, spend the night in the hotel and then go to your gate for your trans-Pacific flight without even having to go outdoors.

By Blade at 21,Oct,15 01:51 other posts of Blade

Thanks for your reply. But now I have to ask what kinds of things are you buying? I heard it isn't cheap there is it? I'm on the East coast by the way, so I'd have a longer trip.

By spermkiss at 21,Oct,15 16:47 other posts of spermkiss

Hong Kong suits all budgets. Yes, there are high end shops that sell designer goods. The prices are far from cheap, but still lower that one what one would pay in the USA. The markets I mentioned (Temple Street, Ladies, Stanley) are street markets with vendors selling goods from stalls on the street. Merchandise is priced low (usually) and one can bargain, bargain, bargain. It's often overruns or knock-offs, but hey, who's gonna know.
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Then there are the copies. Do you want a Rolex watch for $30.00? It's impossible to walk down the street without hearing the street touts say "copy Rolex" as you pass. They are not openly displayed as they are in Thailand, but they are available.
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And since you live on the east coast, my mention of making your connection to a trans-Pacific flight in Vancouver would suit you to a T. You'd have what? a five or six hour flight just to get to the west coast and you might not be ready to board a twelve or more hour flight to Asia without some rest first.

By #495558 at 20,Oct,15 05:10

I prefer Singapore....... but Hong Kong is pretty nice

By spermkiss at 20,Oct,15 16:27 other posts of spermkiss

Ah, yes, Singapore. 'Been there, too, four times. But comparing Singapore and Hong Kong is like comparing apples and oranges.

First the similarities. Both are tropical (Hong Kong at the same latitude as Cuba, Singapore virtually on the equator), both are very Anglo friendly (English is the national language in Singapore and is widely spoken in Hong Kong) both are ultra clean and very safe, in both most housing is in high rise apartment houses, both are very capitalistic.
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But there the similarities end. Singapore calls itself the garden city and it truly is. In most parts of the city, even the business districts, there is a space between the sidewalk and the street that is landscaped with beautiful plantings. There are vast expanses of lawn and tree lined streets with the boughs meeting overhead. One can look down a street with gardens on each side and a canopy of tree limbs overhead. It's densely populated but it doesn't feel that way.

Hong Kong, on the other hand, is very urban. Streets are lined with buildings. There are advertising signs attached to the facades of the buildings that extend out over the street so they meet in the middle. One looks down a street and there are buildings on both sides and a canopy of neon signs overhead.

By bella! at 20,Oct,15 17:04 other posts of bella!

You paint a beautiful picture of Singapore and an exciting picture of Hong Kong, it's easy to understand why you've made multiple trips!

May I ask how many trips per year that you take?

By spermkiss at 20,Oct,15 18:57 other posts of spermkiss

Usually three or four, but there have been years with as many as eight.

By #485312 at 20,Oct,15 03:33

has it changed much since it was handed back to china?? *lix*

By spermkiss at 20,Oct,15 16:50 other posts of spermkiss

Not that I can see. I was first there in 1994 when it was still a British colony and it still seems the same today. See my reply to ilovemydick.

By #469642 at 20,Oct,15 16:28

Hong Kong is dying on the hand of the goddamn Chinese communist.

By spermkiss at 20,Oct,15 16:47 other posts of spermkiss

One hears that. During the ten days I was there, almost on a daily basis there were articles in the South China Morning Post claiming that very thing. But it's not something the casual visitor sees.

By admin at 19,Oct,15 21:10 other posts of admin

According to ratings, Hong Kong is one of the last economically liberal places in the world. Not ideal, but close to free market capitalism. I wonder how it feels. But then again, if you were a libertarian, you probably would not like it in California...

By spermkiss at 19,Oct,15 23:41 other posts of spermkiss

I'm not sure where you got your ratings, but I'd say Hong Kong is probably the most capitalistic city in the world. Which makes it kind of ironic that it's now part of China, one of the few remaining communistic nations.

For those old enough the remember the cold war days when the Soviet Union and China were the evil communist empire to the east, there was much concern in the west about creeping socialism. Well, the Soviet Union has fallen apart and China has numerous areas it calls "Special Economic Zones". In these areas private property and free enterprise are not only permitted but encouraged. China doesn't just have creeping capitalism, but rather it's marching right along.

Hong Kong is a "Special Economic Zone", one might even say an "Extra Special Economic Zone" in that it has its own money and its own laws. And United States citizens, and citizens of many other nations, need no visa to enter.

By admin at 20,Oct,15 00:22 other posts of admin

I'm aware of Hong Kong status. It was rented to Britain and was administered by British for a long time. It was returned to China in 1997 and they decided not to change much. As far as I know continental Chinese need visa to enter Hong Kong. It's all quite similar with Macau, only it was administered by Portugal. Both are considered one of the most economically liberal places in the world along with Singapore, New Zealand and couple of other countries (USA is not among them).

I'm rather interested in knowing how it feels, since I've never been there and doubt I will ever be. Knowing about something and experiencing it first hand are very different.

Hong Kong

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