I will go to Hong Kong in 2016

[Jim Colyer]

HONG KONG, China 2016
http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=402;fa=1

I will go to Hong Kong in 2016 for 4 days and 3 nights. With Globus. Possibly in April. Hong Kong is an island off the China mainland. It was a British colony. There will be a host waiting for me.

I may need to buy an e-ticket at expedia.com. Otherwise, Paublo at Globus may book my flight. I will check in with my airlines at their desk, get boarding passes, note flight numbers and gate numbers.

The British controled Hong Kong 1841-1997, 156 years of colonialism except during Japanese occupation in World War II.

The Opium Wars were fought 1839-1842 and 1856-1860. They involved Anglo-Chinese disputes over China's sovereignty and British trade. Britain wanted to legalize opium and sell it to the Chinese.

Hong Kong became a British colony after the first Opium War and was transferred to the People's Republic of China in 1997. The territory became a "Special Administrative Region" with a degree of autonomy under the idea of "one country, two systems."

The SAR Special Administrative Regions consist of Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories.

Hong Kong is Asia's world city! The skyline with its skyscrapers and glass towers is famous. Its tallest skyscraper is the International Commerce Center at Union Square. There are 108 floors. The HSBC Bank is British. It was founded in Hong Kong in 1865.

Hong Kong is a financial center, and both Chinese and English are spoken. Both are official languages. Road signs are in English. Cars drive on the left side.

Take the Airport Express from the airport into town. The host from Globus will meet me in the airport terminal. She will have on a uniform. Transfer! She will get me to my hotel and back to the airport at the end of my stay.

Buy an Octopus card! It is used on buses, trains, trams and the ferry. It can be used in restaurants and supermarkets. Hong Kongers like to shop and dine. Hong Kong uses the Hong Kong dollar.

MTR (Mass Transit Railway) is the underground railway. Trains run frequently, and there is no timetable.

Writing is an art form in China. The written language consists of characters. There is no alphabet. Literacy in written Chinese requires a knowledge of between 3 and 4 thousand characters. All Chinese use the same characters but pronounce them differently. Cantonese is spoken in Hong Kong. "Lei-ho" is hello.

Chinese put their family name first. Han Suyin, the author of "A Many-Splendored Thing" is an example.


HONG KONG ISLAND & HONG KONG CITY ATTRACTIONS:

Central District - The central business district of Hong Kong is located on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across the harbor from Kowloon.

Victoria Harbor - It lies between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. The harbor's strategic location on the South China Sea was instrumental in Hong Kong becoming a British colony.

Victoria Peak - The Peak is a tourist attraction in Hong Kong, offering spectacular views of the city and its harbor. There are two shopping centers, the Peak Tower and the Peak Galleria. People ride the Peak Tram to the top, Trams are called "ding dongs."

Star Ferry - The Star Ferry is good for crossing Victoria Harbor. It carries passengers across the harbor between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

Soho - An entertainment district located in Central consisting of restaurants, bars, art galleries and antique stores.

Stanley is Southside's destination with its colonial remnants and waterfront restaurants. Stanley Market.

Repulse Bay - A bay in the southern part of the island, located in the Southern District. It got its name because the British navy "repulsed" pirates there. The curved building on the beach is called "The Lily".

Sampan boat ride in Aberdeen - Aberdeen floating village is located at the Aberdeen Harbor in the Southern District. The harbor contains 600 junks, housing 6000 people. The Jumbo Floating Restaurant is a tourist attraction. It is a boat serving Cantonese seafood. The Jumbo Floating Restaurant is filled with tourists and locals who bring their overseas business clients.

Big Buddha on Lantau Island - Tian Tan Buddha is a large bronze statue 112 feet tall. Visitors must climb 268 steps. 21% of Hong Kongers are Buddhists.

Man Mo Temple - Man and Mo are the gods of literature and war. There are several Man Mo Temples, the best known being on Hollywood Road.

Causeway Bay's Times Square - Causeway Bay is a heavily built-up area of Hong Kong, located on Hong Kong Island, and covering parts of Wan Chai and Eastern districts. The rent in the shopping areas of Causeway Bay was ranked as the world's most expensive for the second year in a row.

Hysan Place - Hysan Place is a shopping mall and office building at 500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay.

Wan Chai - Red light district in "The World Of Suzie Wong."

Kowloon across the Harbor - Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon.

Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade in Kowloon

Avenue of Stars - The Avenue of Stars is modelled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is located along the Victoria Harbor waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui and pays tribute to the Hong Kong film industry.

Panda @ Ocean Park

The Admiralty in SoHo - Victoria Park

The Hong Kong archipelago consists of 260 islands. Lintau is the largest and home to Big Buddha.

Macau - Macau was a Portugeuse colony. It is called the "Vegas of the East" and the only place in China where gambling is legal.

The population pf Hong Kong is 7,200,000. It is one of the world's most densely populated areas.

Meridians are longitude lines running from the north pole to the south pole. The prime meridian runs through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England, a London suburb. From Greenwich, east and west longitude lines run 180 degrees around the globe. They meet at the International Date Line.

Hong Kong latitude & longitude:
22°15′N, 114°10′E