Came back from Hong Kong today - oh man what a place! :happy:

The number of scrapers and highrises are mindbogling for a Dane and I gotta say it really put things in perspective and ehmm highlight just how crazy the NIMBYism in Scandinavia is :ohno:

Anyways since I love to bitch I might as well get that out of the way - and I strangely enough don't have much..

My main beef was with the walking - pick a damn side people - left side.. right side.. I don't care just keep to a damn side!
As entertaining the Braveheart like clashes can be at every intersection when spending a week on foot and having to fight for every meter you advance is damn anoying - and certainly not made better by people walking at 1km/h and still push in front of you at every red light despite being well aware that you walk 6 times faster than them :(
Also what's up with people zig zacking when there is room - here one finally has a chance to overtake a slow walker and the damn bugger starts swirling left and right the second there's a little space - STAY IN YOUR DAMN LANE PEOPLE!!!

Okay now that I got that out of the way ( they really need to pick a side to stick to - there's a reason why it's done with cars and bikes etc ) there's also the Bangladesh or Pakistani - or whatever - guys bugging you in Kowloon about fake Rolexes, suits or drugs... Seriously leave me the f*ck alone!
Being asked once or twice I can live with, but being asked 100 times on a strecth of a km is too much and right in front of the police even - something needs to be done!

Other than that two issues I really didn't have anything and over all the city is absolutely awesome and I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone with even the slightest interest in scrapers or SE Asia :)

Short info about the trip is that I stayed in Wan Chai at the bottom of the Happy Valley right next to Time Square and the Horse Race Course - it was a great location and an executive suite at the 25th floor didn't make it any worse :)

Anyways enough chatter from me, here's the pics..

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Starting out in Central..
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My "hood" in Wan Chai
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My Street
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The South Pacific Hotel ( where I stayed )
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View from my room - south
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View from my room - east
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Exploring the Happy Valley - Happy Valley Race Course
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I absolutely love Highcliff ( 252m )
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Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh *censored* hhhhhh
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Back in Central
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The view from Victoria Peak
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Back down in Central
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'Union Square Phase 7' ( ICC Tower ) going up in Kowloon
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Kowloon
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2IFC - 415m of Mmmmmmmmmm :drool:
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118 floors and 484 meters...
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Wai Chan and theConvention Center
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Central
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Bank of China Tower ( 305m )
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Exploring Kowloon
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Nathan Road
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Langham Place ( 255m )
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Hyatt Regency ( 261m )
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Avenue of the Stars
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Highrise living
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And yes of course the place look amazing at night! :yes:
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Yeah.. that's about it - I hope you liked it, I certainly did and if you haven't already been do your self a favior and visit!

Hong Kong is awesome! :rock:

Hong Kong always appeals to me because it's just unlike anywhere else out there. These are great shots as usual (though I do prefer your Copenhagen pictures as that's more my kind of city).

Keep it up! :)

That's my next dream destination.

Freki, I now you love Tokyo as much as I do; does HongKong "feel" somewhat similar to Tokyo (in terms of sheer urbanity, masses, urban fashion)?

Interesting! Thanks!

Looks like it was really hot (temperature wise). A little smog, but I'm glad it turned out quite nice for you. Great pix! :)

Thanks for the thread, Freki. It's really interesting to see places I have been to captured by others. I see a few less common angles which is even more fascinating :okay:

Hong Kong has done some of the most amazing urbanization anywhere in this world. It's quite amazing what they did with engineering in some situations. It can be a living monument of how humans can make their way through nature and urbanize their surroundings.

I remember back in 2007 when I got off the bus with my mother in Mong Kok (we came from airport... and she had never been to any large city with skyscrapers before)... she got scared by the crowds and abnormally dense and tall buildings all around. She later told me that she thought we came to hell and wanted to get out of there asap... lol :D

A day after she actually started to like it... not the skyscrapers but food and street markets :D

Thanks guys! :cheers1:

Freki, I now you love Tokyo as much as I do; does HongKong "feel" somewhat similar to Tokyo (in terms of sheer urbanity, masses, urban fashion)?
Hmm.. not really, atleast not IMO..

They both have an awesome feel but it is very different.. Hong Kong felt more like Singapore to me - very business oriented in the center and very Chinese in the residential districts..

Despite the density Hong Kong never felt "huge" to me - you could always change direction and in a few meters be half way up a hill or at the sea..

great pics you are a great photographer

Thanks for such a great set of photos!

Well, about sticking to the same lane on the pedestrian pathway, that's something that I would really like to happen in HK too! Everytime I go back to HK, I just hate when people squeezing through if there is any space available on the pathway. But, I don't think sticking to the same lane is practically possible in HK setting. The streets are much narrower than western ones. Even if you ask them to stick to one side, but there are always lots of and lots of people who want to rush in any direction, it will eventually become people everywhere in different direction.

Now, in Australia, where I'm living in, I do pay attention to that pattern on the streets, I can say it is just the same here. But the different thing is the pathways here are wider, but still lots of people are walking in different part of the pathway in same direction. But you don't feel as cramped or disorganised as there is more space and less people.

Great pictures and I hope you enjoyed your trip!

Hong Kong is like a skyscraper fan's dream. As well as a photographer's. :yes:

Looks like it was really hot (temperature wise). A little smog, but I'm glad it turned out quite nice for you. Great pix! :)

Is late August to early September a good time to visit?

I can get an Air Asia return ticket for ~$150 which is really dirt cheap so I thought I might as well drop by :)

I agree with you on the crowds - I tend to barge my way through these days past some of these miscreations that get in people's way. To think I never even had to do that when I was living in New York ...

But I think a major culture shock to visitors is the sheer amount of people on the streets. I'm not a crowd person myself, and get easily frustrated when I can't speed my way down the street.

Now there's a skyscrapercity!

Wow, looks amazing from above but not that much on a street level. It is so dense it looks oppressive, do people do well with the mix of humidity, heat and such tall buildings? I already got stressed just by looking at the pics :nuts:

Okay now that I got that out of the way ( they really need to pick a side to stick to - there's a reason why it's done with cars and bikes etc ) there's also the Bangladesh or Pakistani - or whatever - guys bugging you in Kowloon about fake Rolexes, suits or drugs... Seriously leave me the f*ck alone!
Being asked once or twice I can live with, but being asked 100 times on a strecth of a km is too much and right in front of the police even - something needs to be done!


dude, they really are ANNOYING! :bash:

why the hell authority didn't do anything chasing those bustards away....sigh!

When you arrive, and take a taxi, check taxi drivers. They tends to "push a button" and accelerate counter.
Avoid this one ( though can't be clearly seen there)

6s_0dvx81RU

Well, not the girls, taxi thief.

FREKI does Hong Kong. Can't wait for the movie! :P Excellent shots, dude.

:omg:

Hong Kong is skyscraper fabulicious! :D Great photos, thanks.

Is late August to early September a good time to visit?



August is still really hot. Upper 20s - 30 C with almost 100% humidity everyday with the occasional typhoon. After that, it starts to cool. I would say the best time to visit is around Christmas.

If you think getting around the streets on a sunny day is difficult, try fighting your way when it's raining. The umbrella battles are epic! :banana:

Between traveling around the world, taking photos, drinking, dating, and participating on SSC - when does FREKI work?:lol:

When you arrive, and take a taxi, check taxi drivers. They tends to "push a button" and accelerate counter.
Avoid this one ( though can't be clearly seen there)

6s_0dvx81RU

Well, not the girls, taxi thief.

This is not common in HK nowadays when compared to say 20 years ago. There had been many campaigns against this kind of behaviour years ago.

Your Hong Kong photos FREKI are amazing :cheers:

Very nice pics Freki. You had nice wheather 2! :)

Thanks guys - glad you like the pics! :cheers1:
Between traveling around the world, taking photos, drinking, dating, and participating on SSC - when does FREKI work?:lol::lol:

Well I do work.. not as much as many, but I do work... only got two weeks left of this vacation and it's back to normal :cry:

Great pictures! I really enjoy your travel photos.

^thanks mate! :cheers1:

Great pics mate, as always :)

FREKI do you have more from Hong Kong? :) if not no problem, my friend :)

wow!! Hong Kong looks amazing but your a great photographer! Hong Kong is a skayscrapercity, thanks for the awesome thread :)

Hong Kong is awesome!
The pics are great!

Thanks guys! :cheers1: