Hong Kong is the world's most vertical city, with two hundred and ninety-three buildings higher than five hundred feet -- sixty more than second-place New York City. Here are our tips on getting the most out of this remarkable destination.
Every night Hong Kong's skyline, on both sides of Victoria Harbor, comes alive in a spectacular musical laser light show that the Guinness Book of World Records has proclaimed the world's largest permanent light and sound show.
WATCH:The skyline comes to life!
Since 1976 one of Hong Kong's top attractions has been Jumbo Kingdom, a floating restaurant. Wait, floating? Yes floating, as in a boat moored in the middle of Aberdeen Harbor. It's so impressive that a Queen (as in Elizabeth II), a Duke (as in John Wayne), a Maverick (as in Tom Cruise) and over thirty million other people have all felt the need to see it.
We could certainly see why he is commonly called Big Buddha. He is really, really big, but since Buddhas come sitting, standing or reclining, it is difficult to judge just which one is the largest, still The Tian Tan Buddha is one of the biggest in the world. He stands, oops, sits, one hundred and twelve feet high, and weighs in at a slender 280 tons of bronze.
The trolleys of Hong Kong Island are affectionately known as "ding dings" for the bells they seem to be constantly ringing. A whole fleet of double decker street cars rolls endlessly back and forth along the north shore, which is the most bustling part of the city. Because the fare for these wonderful old trolleys is but a mere pittance, we jumped on and off several times, whenever something caught our eye.
By all accounts, the best place to gaze upon all the skyscrapers is from the top of Victoria Peak. At the top we briefly checked out the Peak Tower and Peak Galleria, before taking a little stroll along the Peak Circle Walk. We think that this trail offered the best views of the incredible cityscape below.
For a just over two Hong Kong dollars -- that's pocket change, about thirty cents U.S. -- we climbed aboard the vintage 1965 Silver Star and enjoyed one of the most spectacular urban views on the planet. No wonder the line's dozen classic old boats carry up to twenty-six million passengers each year.
Des Voeux Road is known as Dried Seafood Street. We were amazed by the offerings, truly works of art, every one. Nearby Tonic Food Street is famous for ancient Chinese medicines, traditional herbal remedies, and tonic foods such as ginseng, deer fetus and bird's nest. With life expectancies in Hong Kong among the highest in the world, who are we to argue?
David and Veronica, GypsyNester.com
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