I arrived in Hong Kong at night, so when finally I saw the city completely lit up I was quite amazed. The city certainly has its appeal, especially when all the buildings flash their lights together, changing colours and shooting laser beams across the sky. The spectacle is pretty impressive. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so impressed the next day. I went for a tour around the city and couldn’t take clear photos because of the misty air that surrounded the buildings, giving the sky a rather dull colour. I asked whether there was a better or worst time of the day for the mist, thinking that it was due to the humidity, but I was actually told that it was due to the pollution and that it never went away. I must admit, I did find the air rather stuffy but then again people spend most of their time in the super modern and super luxurious air-conditioned skyscraper that dot the various islands, especially Hong Kong and Kowloon.

In fact the State of Hong Kong is made of many islands, the most important one being Hong Kong island. The city is full of people, it’s very busy and very fast with designer fashion shops practically everywhere, all full, and with people queuing in the mornings waiting for the shops to open. The food in Hong Kong is absolutely amazing, so many different delicious dumplings to choose from that one could eat forever and the fish cooked in so many different ways is superb. The menus are completely different from the Chinese restaurants of the European world. Beautiful beaches contrast with the tall skyscrapers and the jungle spreads across the mountains around Hong Kong. The landscape contrast is truly stunning, you may be looking down from your hotel room and you may spot an eagle flying across the sky. Cobras and other interesting beings populate the jungles all around.

The best place to live in Hong Kong, if you are a millionaire is on the Peak, a high hill overlooking the bay, which one can easily reach with a fun old-fashioned cable car. All the wealthiest people live on the Peak. The prices are astronomically high: Hong Kong can be an extremely expensive place. I saw a bottle of wine in a restaurant that cost € 100,000. It is definitely the place to make money and to attempt to become a millionaire. But if you don’t want to work to become a millionaire, you could try winning in one of Macau’s many casinos. Even bigger than Las Vegas, Macau has become the gambling capital of the world and is easily reachable from Hong Kong. There are many reasons why one should visit Hong Kong and one thing is certain: you will never get bored.

The journey continues in 2013: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!