A holiday in Hong Kong needn’t only be about teeming street life, ranks of apartment towers and shopping for designer knock-offs in bustling markets, but it’s a great place to start. There is so much more to Hong Kong than immediately meets the eye, or is mentioned in the tourist brochures.
Hong Kong offers one of the most diverse holiday experiences in the world. Two favourite Hong Kong pursuits are shopping and dining, and happily there are thousands of exciting opportunities to do as the locals do. Did you know that more than 75% of Hong Kong is rural, and there are hundreds of walking trails to experience a side of Hong Kong that many brochures ignore? It makes a pleasant change from the spectacular shopping malls and vast food halls.
Highlights of a Hong Kong vacation include riding the Tram up Victoria Peak for fantastic cityscape views, commuting between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon by Star ferry and sipping cocktails at night anywhere that overlooks the memorable harbour. What about a ride up the world’s longest escalator to the mid-levels, where thousands of affluent locals and ex-pats live on the side of the Peak? How about a cocktail in Lan Kwai Fong, the tiny mid-Central precinct that’s a magnet for the party people? Haggling for the latest in electronics in the markets and stores of Mong Kok is always a buzz, and horseracing in Happy Valley is fun too. Dozens of markets show Cantonese food shopping in all its gory glory – a marked contrast to the sophisticated shopping malls, but a daily activity for the millions who call Hong Kong home.
Hong Kong is not really a beach holiday destination. Repulse and South Bay make up the two best beaches. Hong Kong Island is separated from the Kowloon Peninsula mainland by a natural harbour. There are 235 other islands scattered around, and many are worth a day trip to experience another side of Hong Kong life.
Hong Kong fun facts
Hong Kong translates from Cantonese to “Fragrant Harbour”
The most Rolls Royces per capita can be found in Hong Kong; the Peninsula Hotel alone boasts a fleet of 14 Rolls Royce Phantoms
Tsing Ma Bridge, linking Lantau Island to mainland Hong Kong, is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world
It has a spectacular range of wildlife, flora and fauna that never fails to amaze.
Thailand
Friday 2nd February 2001
Travel Counsellor: Julia Green
If you enjoy being around friendly people, appreciate great food with a bit of spice and have a weakness for nice beaches, then Thailand should be on the list of your favourite destinations!
In 2001 a friend and I booked flights from Frankfurt to Bangkok and from there a one way ticket to Koh Samui, a beautiful island in the Gulf of Thailand, about 35 km from Surat Thani on the mainland.
The flight from Bangkok took about an hour and we arrived at the airport of Koh Samui. Having booked our accommodation for the first 5 days in advance, we caught a taxi to our resort. The cheapest way to get around the island is by songtaew. These are red trucks with 2 long benches. They operate the same way as the tuk-tuks you might know from Bangkok. They drive around the island, and you can hail them and bargain for a price with the driver.
After spending the first 5 days of our holidays exploring the island, we decided to take a ferry to the neighbouring island, called Koh Phangan. We arrived... view full story
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