traveloehrs

Hong Kong may be easiest city that I have ever had to navigate.  The subway is fast and efficient.  Free city maps are everywhere.  Roads signs are prominently placed and written in Chinese and English.  Every time we pulled out a map someone would walk up and ask if we needed help…in perfect English.  On nearly every corner a street sign would point out directions and distances to tourist attractions.

It is also a collision of opposites.  We grabbed an $11 beer on the 118^thfloor of the Ritz Carlton and several blocks over found a hole in the wall bar with 75 cent beers.  We passed people bargaining for knock off luxury goods at a street market and others buying the real thing a few streets over.  Giant construction projects were being undertaken and bamboo scaffolding was holding up the workers.  Cheap food stalls lurked on every corner while pompous, high class restaurants lined the avenues.  One time we walked into the subway alongside a crowd of well-dressed businesspeople. Two ancient fishermen in rags joined the fray carrying their daily catch.  The fish stunk up the whole car and dripped profusely onto the ground but from what we could tell no one was even fazed.