I can’t believe it! I haven’t heard about Hong Kong for two years, and now, in less than month, I have the opportunity to travel there again. But this time I have special plans with the city. This time I’m going to skip usual tourist sights and will try to find a place that for its photogenic look and originality is quite popular on Instagram, but only few instagram bloggers share its location… And yet, it is quite simple …

 

Choi Hung Estate!

Choi Hung in Cantonese means Rainbow, and Choi Hung Estate is a “warren” for people in optimistic rainbow colors. However, it is a very photogenic place. Hong Kong is one of the most powerful financial centers in the world, but it is also one of the most populated states in the world, and those people who come to work here must live somewhere. However, space is very limited. Apartments of normal human size cost enormous monthly rent. According to Economist, Hong Kong ranks second in the list of cities with the highest living costs. The government therefore had several such blocks built with mini apartments for the public at more affordable prices. Choi Hung has been here since 1964, and it was said that the house was painted in rainbow colors to lift up the mood of its residents… Well… Let’s check how to get there: Take the Kwun Tong MTR line to Choi Hung and then take the exit C3 or C4. And here you are! Choi Hung is basically a complex of about 11 buildings, but the most photogenic place is located on the same rainbow basketball court, which stands right in the middle, but on the roof of the parking house, so it is not visible at first sight. The playground is always busy. Children, for whom the housing estate is home, come here to play. Recently, however, the playground is also full of Instagramers, photographers and bloggers. So far, residents do not complain of interest… 🙂

Montane Mansion

My next stop is another typical and very old housing estate, perhaps one of the oldest in Hong Kong. As far as colors are concerned, it is more sad. However, it still fascinates photographers with its perfect symmetry. The Montane Mansion on Quarry Bay is an example of how Hong Kong ordinary people really live. The legendary place is located at the exact address 1028 King’s Road between Quarry Bay and Tai Koo Station, somewhat closer to Tai Koo Station. In any case, it’s a place where you find out that HongHong is not just fancy bars, clubs, designer boutiques and shiny modern skyscrapers of financial centers… While walking through the real streets of Hong Kong, I have various thoughts. Despite the high density of people, the streets of Hong Kong are clean and tidy, people appreciate even a small piece of green, which they still have in some places. In our country we do not respect nature so much because we still have enough of greens. We believe nature will be here forever. However, if we don’t start to rethink about the way we live, we may all be living like ordinary people in Hong Kong in a while… There are 8 billion people in the world and our planet is not expanding…

 

I was so lucky! My standby, which is usually annoying waiting on the phone, which eventually ends with an even more unpleasant flight that no one wants, has finally been turned into one of the most pleasant destinations – after two years, I get back to Hong Kong!

Hong Kong is a huge city detached from China with independent status. It lies on several relatively mountainous islands sailing off the coast of the South China Sea. This location gives the city a subtropical and eternally humid climate, which means that there is warmth, but the city is most of the time immersed in a characteristic haze. It is said that the most suitable time to visit is autumn – October, November and December, when the common haze give way to sunny weather. When I wake up to a beautiful sunny morning (I couldn’t go anywhere in the evening after arrival), I know straight away where I am going…

 

Victoria Peak

One of the most popular tourist sites is the Victoria Peak, which offers scenic views of the city and its proud skyscrapers. Of course, only if you’re lucky enough and don’t see just thick fog under your feet, or just a few tops of the tallest buildings penetrating the haze. Today, however, it looks like a sample view. There are several routes to Victoria Peak: you can either take the local bus up the steep roads or special sightseeing tram and walk the rest by foot. I choose a comfortable journey by mini bus number 1, which takes me from the relatively hidden garages under the famous IFC Mall in the middle of the city for a few Hong Kong dollars to the very top under The Peak Galleria Mall. (Without Google maps, I wouldn’t be able to find it so easily!) When you get on the minibus, you throw coins into a money-box and go. Forget the change back, no one will check if you throw the exact amount. Here everybody counts on Asian precision and loyalty. Just opposite the Galleria Mall is the building with the famous 360-degree view Sky Terrace 428 on the very top. Admission is 50 Hong Kong Dollars (a combo ticket with a sightseeing tram is $ 90). If the view is not ruined by fog, it is worth it! I have Hong Kong in the palm of my hand…

Hong Kong is a magnificent, modern city, perfect place for all the gourmets. It is full of fine restaurants and posh bars, entertainment places and luxurious boutiques. In the evening it is a city of moving billboards and colorful eye-catchers. A city that separated from China to move forward and grow fast without any limits. Today it is home to a variety of cultures and nationalities, even though Chinese one still dominates…

About a year ago, when I stopped in Hong Kong for a few days, I remember dinner at one of Michelin’s restaurants, where food looked like a piece of art (I ate edible gold!) and wine we had drunk was older than my mom. This time, however, I expect a much more modest trip, but with bigger room for real exploring…

We arrive to Hong Kong in morning hours, after a tiring night flight, so first hours of my layover I just want to spend sleeping in my bed. But in the evening I meet with the complete cockpit crew, my colleague from Russia and another from England. Later on we are sitting in a bus on the way to the city center. We get off at the huge IFC shopping mall. We are surrounded by the skyscrapers and thousands of buildings which are connected by passages, underpasses and overpasses, so man does not even have to go out to breathe smog. The first common goal is a nice traditional and uncrowded restaurant where we can fill up are hungry stomachs, so we are slowly getting lost in narrow and busy streets. You can find everything here, just not what you are looking for. 🙂 Finally, we find some comfy looking place. Although I like to try new dishes, Chinese cuisine is a bit scary for me, so I’m picking from menu very carefully. Finally I end up with fried rice and a duck. After dinner, we walk towards Victoria Harbor – Tsim Tsa Shui, where the laser show should start soon. Skyscrapers are blinking, while on the river are sailing ships with dragons… An amazing view! My attention is also drawn by the fountain, which is decorated in the theme of the new year of the monkey, which according to the Chinese calendar starts these days…

I’m frozen, tired and cold, the weather in Hong Kong is way colder than I expected, but still I manage to get up from my bed on our second day. Together with my girls from flight we want to go to the famous Big Buddha. To get up there we need to take a cable car. The view beneath us is quite scary. A thick fog falls on the city, we barely see the toes of our own shoes. But as we slowly climb up, the fog melts and the sun rises on the sky. As soon as we get off the cable car, Hello Kitty welcomes us together with alley full of souvenir shops. At the end of the alley there is a temple and after hundreds of stairs the majestic Buddha is waving at us. Thanks to the fog, the whole place gets a magical atmosphere. Before the gates we meet two cute dogs. One rolls on his back and plays a dead body, attracting the attention of tourists. As the trick works, the other dog immediately copies, does not want to remain unnoticed. When we are leaving this magical place, it’s already pretty nice outside. I’m glad for getting here so early because the lines for the cable cars look endless now… Thanks to the good timing, we still have a little time to relax before heading back to Abu Dhabi…