#SmartGirl in Hong Kong

 

They say that New York is the city that never sleeps, but whoever came up with that idea has obviously never visited Asia, or more specifically, Hong Kong. The neon lights in both Cantonese and English that adorn every street corner and skyscraper in the city centre project onto the blackened sky throughout the night.

The taxis and their driver’s honk and shout, creating a familiar, repetitive and somewhat enchanting melody to the local ear. The smells and the sounds of hundreds of cultures, languages and traditions come together in perfect harmony. These are just some of the things that make Hong Kong so unique and I live there.

Being the most populated place on Earth, the city itself sure moves quickly, that is, until you venture out of the tiny back alleys and the bustling main roads and head for the hills (quite literally). When you say Hong Kong, most people only imagine a city packed to the rim, yet most don’t know about the other side of my majestic hometown – the mountainous countryside that makes up about three-quarters of the total landmass. The plant covered slopes and hiking trails enchant even the most indoorsy types and boy, are you treated to some outstanding views if you ever put the time and effort into conquering some of its highest peaks.

It’s a place of innumerable contradictions; historical and new-age, oriental and occidental, natural and man-made, wealth and poverty, every pair of opposites you can imagine. Lavish shopping malls and back street markets, modern high- rises and overcrowded apartment blocks, endless rainforest and tightly squeezed city blocks.

If Hong Kong isn’t already a destination on your bucket list then you’d better get amending it, because you haven’t lived until you’ve explored the wondrous city that I call home.

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