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Hong Kong

By Leva Mostaghim

Smog, humidity, curious odours, traffic, 6.7 million people confined to 1,098 square kilometers of space and an insane amount of hustle and bustle.

It may not sound like the ideal holiday destination but Hong Kong’s big city feel goes hand in hand with an excellent transport network, cool and interesting shopping centres, majestic temples and an incredibly fun night life.

It’s true, Hong Kong does have a big city feel and it’s hard not to notice the union and blending together of Asian and Western elements in this Chinese city. Sometimes the union works like around the Causeway Bay area but sometimes the juxtaposing of the old beside the new doesn't’t work so well. Old and dilapidated apartment blocks next to modern new chopping malls, sporty European cars driving alongside a rickshaw and young trendy locals humming some dumb Cantonese pop song while standing beside an elderly local.

It’s easy to feel slightly bewildered by the contradictions evident in Hong Kong but you’ll enjoy your time a great deal more if you allow yourself to relax. Try and savour new tastes, learn to weave through the human and traffic gridlock and discover how slurping your noodles while you eat can make your lunch taste better!

Hong Kong is probably best known for its shopping. They say Hong Kong never sleeps, but you should try to rest if you want to get in a full day of shopping. Shopping in Hong Kong is not always about buying things you need – it’s about bargain-hunting and having fun. For the locals it's a social activity and a way to let go and release all the built up tension and stress after a day’s work and most shopping malls and markets are conveniently open until 10pm.

You know what they say, when in Rome…

The great news is that the shopping in Hong Kong caters for every budget from high end fashion to souvenirs with an abundance of clothing, jewellery and electronics. Visit the new IFC mall for great brand names like Zara, Lacoste, Burberry and MNG or the Ladies Market for bargain knock-offs and souvenirs.

Hong Kong offers every kind of after-dark diversion from opera and theatre to a drinking scene that includes Wan Chai's sleazy hostess bars and the alleyway crawlspaces of Lan Kwai Fong.

This cosmopolitan city offers a multitude of unexpected possibilities.