Hong Kong

I have to admit I haven't had the most enjoyable week in Hong Kong. This city of close on 7 million people is one of the most soul-less places I've ever been but also one of the most visually stunning. The city has quite efficiently squeezed the population into a pretty small area by reaching for the sky. There are highrise appartment blocks and super modern glass fronted skyscrapers packed together to provide for the one thing this city is good at, work. And that seems to be all the HK residents ever do. The people are like worker ants on the streets, suits everywhere, mobiles, PDAs and Financial Times, oblivious to everyone around them (people are so rude on the street, yet so polite face to face). They never seem to stop and this may be the reason for the existence of all the high-end retail shops, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Channel you name it, because in the small amount of time they're not working they have to spend all their earnings somewhere! The city centre shops are all aimed at the high-earners and they lap it up, constant queues outside Louis V, and most people are kitted out in designer wear. So you can imagine it's not for backpackers, like us... Because apart from shopping there's not much else on offer.
The city is stunning though. With all the skyscrapers, which are lit up at night as well, it's an amazing place. We had a few drinks in a bar with a view one night (min US$20pp spend, just under our pre-Hong Kong DAILY budget!), 43rd floor, v swanky, and what a view!! Wow!! Worth every cent. Think the most fun we had was in bars around the city, cos the days were pretty dull. Though we did go to Disneyland for a day which was cool :-) And so we say farewell to Asia, everyone speaks english so this is the first place we didn't learn to say hello, goodbye and thank you in the local shpeak.
Goodbye Asia.