Stars in our eyes... in Hong Kong

“Sunset and evening star, and one clear call for me…” The extract from a poem written by Alfred Lord Tennyson that inspired the name of Hong Kong’s Star Ferry. Hong Kong, our last stop before mainland China, had never really meant that much to me, even though this wasn't the case for Isma, who had decided to celebrate his birthday there. Like Singapore, this former British colony had always been, in my mind, comparable to the proverbial boy who sold his soul to the devil. And, unfortunately, as we approached Nathan Street in the urban district of Tsim Sha Tsui I began to think I was right. Banks as big as cinemas next to American franchises scream at you to share the capitalist dream, the familiar golden arches stripping the street of any personality of its own. And just when you start to feel like you’re in a video game - the same shop fronts repeating every few metres as if on a loop - you finally reach the one hostel you can afford, only to be presented with a depressing room that resembles a prison cell. Welcome to Hong Kong! The arrival of our friend, Ricardo, the next morning added a warm glow to the harsh light of day as the three of us strolled through the crowded streets of Kowloon. We marvelled at the bamboo used for scaffolding on construction sites, a reminder that we were actually in Asia, while constantly side-stepping to avoid small puddles on the pavement, caused by dripping air con units attached to soaring skyscrapers. When we reached the bay where we could take a moment to admire the stunning skyline, Isma’s burning desire to visit this island for his birthday, slowly started to make sense. The glowing of the bright lights highlighting the unusual, albeit brash, architecture made for some pretty awesome photos; even more so when we took the famous “Peak Tramway” to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island and stood on the Sky Terrace 428 mesmerised by hundreds of thousands of neon lights, forming logos promoting electric extravagance, as if trying to compensate for the absence of stars. In the end, even though Hong Kong hadn’t been high on my list of places to see it was nice to escape the wilderness of South East Asia for a few days and experience this almost fantastical, parallel universe of luxury and lights. And, more importantly, a 36-year-old boy’s birthday wish came true… Guess what I found out in Hong Kong?

1. The Bank of China Tower, one of the most recognisable skyscrapers in Hong Kong was built to have 88 floors, 8 being a lucky number for the Chinese due to the word sounding like “prosper”. However, the building is actually two floors short of 88, as floors 4 and 14 have been missed out, due to these numbers sounding like “death” and “definite death” in Chinese. 2. The Peak Tramway is the steepest funicular railway, going up to over 400 metres above sea level in under 8 minutes. It was built by the British in 1888. 3. Hong Kong has more Rolls Royce’s per person than any other city in the world as well as the most skyscrapers.