wk 35 – bday, 38 reasons & Hong Kong

To celebrate celebrating another of my birthdays in Hong Kong, I want to share 38 reasons (was going for 21 but fairly sure nobody would believe me!) I keep coming back and…

love HK…!!!!!!!!!!

1. It’s where I was born back in the decade of bell bottoms, fondue & platforms
2. It’s on a most fragrant harbour, admittedly more fragrant in the summer
3. It used to have officially the coolest most amazing runway in the world, Kai Tak
4. It has all imaginable dumplings, and many unimaginable ones, I’m not fussy
5. It unexpectedly houses some amazing natural parks, walks and deserted bays
6. It is possible to practically walk the length of the main island under cover and centres
7. Its buildings are crazily slim, high and often built on reclaimed land
8. Its views are democratic, nobody ever really has one for long
9. It’s the home of the star ferry, if only they kept the original HK side terminal…
10. Its public transport is one of the cheapest & most efficient systems in the world
11. It has teeny tiny narrow trams, my favourite running from happy valley to central
12. Its hair-raising double decker bus ride up to the peak or stanley in the front seat
13. It embraces and celebrates each Chinese New Year, kung hei fat choi, go dragons!
14. Its busy, bizzarre and oh so practical escalators taking you up to mid levels
15. Its junks, from acqua luna to the old traditionals chartered from the public pier
16. Its shops, Shanghai Tang, China prods, sasa, wing-on, G.O.D & Watson’s
17. Its clubs, country, jockey, yacht and for me the amazing pools at the LRC
18. Its schools, KGV and the one with the Glenealy twinkle
19. Its colonial past, what remains of it’s historical buildings, and random rebuilds of the old
20. Its beaches, my favourite was always shek-o with crazy golf, bikes and shallow waters
21. It has Repulse bay, the old pirate ship at McD’s, a water temple and the old/new hotel
22. Its competitive, innovative, bettering, educating, hard-working, fast nature
23. Its custard tarts, pastries, sponges, coconut creams and moon cakes
24. It still has my first two homes standing; chater hall and olympian mansion
25. It makes an architectural art out of airconditioner units and laundry hanging
26. Its love and skill at using lights, lanterns and fireworks to celebrate anything major
27. It has the peak circuit with views if you’re lucky and exercise regardless
28. Its airline Cathay Pacific which had me at 3 years old with it’s kids activity packs
29. Its markets; indoor, outdoor, day, night, live, lively, hectic, colourful, cheap and fun
30. Its birds in intricate wooden cages being taken for walks in the park
31. Its position as a hub and easy flight connection to the rest of the world
32. Its grand hotels, exquisite afternoon ‘tea sets’, and left over or faked colonial grandeur
33. Its ocean park cable cars, rides, llamas, killer whales and giant pandas
34. It hosted my rather merry 30th birthday, not too long ago I like to think
35. Its floating restaurants and junk commutes from Aberdeen
36. It does try to be green, sort of, even when it’s generally a concrete jungle
37. It’s the place I met my oldest friends, you know who you are, over 3 decades now…
38. It’s vibrant, crazy, full of contrasts, full on, and one of my favourite cities in the world!

p.s. For those of you who know my bug-bear with apostrophes, here’s hoping I managed to get them all correct above!!!!!