COMMENT SATURDAY METRO, 23 MAY 2009 M18 COMMENT SATURDAY METRO, 23 MAY 2009 M18

Fond memories of Hong KongCosmopolitan city has not lost its individual charm

By NIKI CHEONGniki@thestar.com.my

I DIDN’T realise it during my trip there late last week but the Hong Kong sky-line at night is amazing.

When I was sitting at the Avenue of Stars in Kowloon with my best friend Adam Ivey watching the biggest light and sound show in the world, it didn’t seem so spec-tacular.

So unimpressed were we that we even walked off halfway through the show, hav-ing taken a couple of the mandatory sou-venir shots.

I only realised how beautiful it was when I compared it with the Kuala Lumpur skyline, mostly sparse between the KL Tower and KLCC Twin Towers, as I sat on the KLIA Express on the way back home.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love KL with all my heart. But what I like about travel-ling is that I get to see what other cities in the world are like and observe the simi-larities and differences there are with the one I call home.

It was strange for me going to Hong Kong for the first time. While I am used to idle chatter in a variety of language on the streets of KL, listening to conversations in mostly Cantonese was slightly disconcert-ing ... even if it was the only Chinese dia-lect I speak.

Still, I think I speak basic enough Cantonese to get around relatively well (enough to pretend to show off to Adam, at least) there.

Getting around, however, is where KL loses out to Hong Kong. The transport sys-tem — from ferries to trains, trams to

buses — is amazing. Then there are the shopping malls.

Granted, I couldn’t afford most of them (it was sale period, darn it!) but choices are abundant, especially many brands that are not available here.

On the other hand, I thought that people in KL are generally nicer.

We encountered a couple of encounters where people were shouting at each other. Oh, there were nice people of course - we had generally little trouble with store-keepers, restaurant staff as well as those standing at street corners whispering, “Copy watches”, “tailored suits very cheap” or “massage?”

I actually didn’t mind the hustle and bustle so much; while I thought that Hong

Kong in general was a bit crowded, it was also a sure sign of an exciting city.

And what I like most about cities like this, and perhaps London and New York that I’ve previously visited, is how cosmo-politan they can be without losing their individual charm.

People are aplenty, and from a variety of nationalitie s.

Food, too, is international - every street corner in Hong Kong has a small Chinese restaurant with char siew, roast duck and steamed chicken hanging by the front win-dow while a short walk in Central to SoHo or Lan Kwai Fong offers an array of Asian, Western and European cuisin e.

Exploring a city like Hong Kong was great for two friends who have not seen

each other in a couple of years because it is foreign enough for us to explore and be adventurous, yet it is cosmopolitan enough for us not to worry too much about culture shock and what surprises may lay in sto re.

It was that mandatory picture we took at the Avenue of Stars - this picture of us standing against the beautiful lights of Hong Kong - that will remind me of all this.

* To view photos from Niki’s trip to Hong Kong, look out for R.AGE in StarTwo on Thursday.

* Niki Cheong blogs at www.nikicheong.com/blog and Twitters at www.twitter.com/nikich eong.

Picturesque setting: Cheong (left) and Ivey against the Hong Kong skyline.

THEBANGSAR

BOY