Hong Kong - June 19 2007

Hi,
>>
>>This is my last day here in Hong Kong, I am leaving in about 10 hours.
>>For those of you who are not informed yet, before leaving Asia I decided
>>to
>>visit Tokyo, Hong Kong and Bangkok in June. So for everything has been
>>great, lots of experiences (good and bad) but it is all worth it.
>>
>>I will write again from Thailand.
>>
>>Hong Kong was a great trip in a true World City that bridges East and
>>West.
>>There are Chinese traditions that are kept here like dragon dances, bamboo
>>structures for construction and deliveries are made in bamboo baskets. At
>>the same time, it is very modernized with smart chip technology that is
>>integrated througout the network of trains, ferries, tram and metro. You
>>can pay by flashing your card over the reader and in one second the
>>payment
>>is done, but the greatest thing is that you can use it to pay in
>>convenience
>>stores and vending machines as well.
>>
>>Hong Kong enjoys a duty free status so my friends and I did lots of
>>shopping
>>especially in the night markets where we saw all sorts of items at good
>>prices. And how about Chinese food in Hong Kong? the best! We went to
>>traditional tea drinking and brunch (Yam Cha) at the city hall on Sunday
>>morning and we had to wait 1h to get in because that place is so popular.
>>The specialty of Yam Cha is small finger food that is mostly steamed such
>>as
>>shrimp dumplings and sticky rice cooked in a big leaf. Of course I tried
>>the infamous peking BBQ duck and the rich and tasty treats baked daily in
>>local bakeries all over Hong Kong. I have to say thought that if you go
>>in
>>Chinatown in Montreal you get the same kind of food and the same taste...
>>that means our chinese food in Montreal is authentic! Yesterday we went
>>to
>>Lamma island to try seafood, another specialty of this port city. At a
>>very
>>decent price we ate 6 types of seafood in an open-air restaurant on the
>>seaside.
>>
>>The city of Hong Kong itself is very beautiful and I never grew tired of
>>seeing the skyline of Hong Kong island from the Kowloon peninsula. There
>>is
>>the biggest ongoing laser show on earth in Hong Kong, involving 37
>>buildings
>>and it plays nightly at 8pm... I saw this show at least 3 times from
>>different view points... Spectacular!
>>
>>Hong Kong island during the night also turns into a big party area for
>>busnessmen, locals and tourists alike. They have very nice and varied
>>clubs, pubs and bars... something for everyone's taste. The streets
>>become
>>packed with people there to have a good time and music floods the streets
>>from everywhere... great atmosphere.
>>
>>The surrounding islands of Hong Kong and the great parks (including a free
>>public zoo!) offer an opportunity for the hardworking international
>>community to relax in an oasis of greenery, waterfalls and amazing water
>>fountains.
>>
>>That is my summary of my Hong Kong trip... it got off to a bad start with
>>a
>>hostel situation where I was tricked twice (the hostel advertised on the
>>internet probably does not exist and I was not refunded when I cancelled).
>>But I guess this kind of thing is bound to happen, so I took more
>>precautions for the upcomming Thailand trip.
>>
>>For those of you wondering, I am returning to Canada officially July 13th
>>because of a schedule change. If you have any questions please email
>>me...
>>I cannot check my emails regularly when I am traveling in my suitecase,
>>but
>>I try to check them every 48 hours.
>>
>>Take care to you all and hopefully see you soon
>>
>>
>>Joel