1. Taste Typhoon Shelter
Crab
Probably the best eating
experience in Hong Kong is in Under Bridge Spicy Crab, modestly situated between strip clubs and sports bars
along Lockhart Road. Simply order the spiciness of “typhoon shelter-style” crab and a large beer. A live crab
will then be hauled out of a pot and returned to your table dismembered, covered in crunchy garlicky piquant
deliciousness. (405 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, 2573 7698) underspicycrab.com
2. Peak
Tramway
Touristy yes, but the
vertiginous funicular offers an insight into Hong Kong’s colonial past. It was completed in 1888 when
residents decided it would be more comfortable to climb the mile-long route to the posh Victoria Peak in a
train rather than in a sedan chair. The peak has the best views over Hong Kong Island.
thepeak.com.hk
3. Chungking
Mansions
Chungking Mansions in Tsim
Sha Tsui are a true microcosm of Hong Kong, if not the world. Within its 17 storeys are restaurants,
electronic stores, brothels, guesthouses and the cheapest residential apartments. The diversity of cultures
co-existing in the tower block is astonishing. It is a seedy and frenetic hive, and essential for
understanding Hong Kong in the 21st century. (36-44 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui)
4.
Causeway Bay Wet Market
Hong Kong has dozens of
markets, each usually specializing in a certain food. Around the corner of Bowrington Road and Tin Lok Lane
in Causeway Bay is made up of fishmongers. There is a bewildering selection of sea creatures that are kept in
water-filled bowls and only killed, usually with a club, when bought. The butchers and grocers hawk equally
bizarre goods.
5. Chi Lin Nunnery
and Nan Lian Garden
Surrounded by the high
rises of Kowloon, the tranquil Buddhist public garden and tearooms are a sanctuary from modern Hong Kong.
Still the site of a nunnery, this 3.5-hectare studiously landscaped park is designed with the Zen aesthetic
of the Tang Dynasty. There is also a restaurant, tearoom and shop. (60 Fung Tak Road, Diamond Hill)
chilin.org
6. HSBC Main
Building
Sir Norman Foster designed
the HSBC headquarters to be taken down and moved to the UK if handover to the Chinese went haywire. It didn’t
and today, the remarkable “exoskeleton” construction symbolizes more than the World Trade Centres, Hong
Kong’s financial might. It juxtaposes with the neo-Classical Legislative Council Building opened in
1912.
7. Lantau
Trail
Although most visitors
remain on Hong Kong Island, there are 1,104 sq. km (426 sq. miles) to explore. Despite being home to Hong
Kong International Airport and Disneyland, Lantau Island has a remote but well-maintained 70-km trail over
the spine of the island that transcends time, through the traditional village of Tai O and past
monasteries.
8. Bars on Lan
Kwai Fong
Hong Kong’s nightlife is
focused around Lan Kwai Fong. Bars and restaurants fill up with a healthy mix of expats and locals for
after-hours drinks. The most refined bar is Feather Boa, a low-lit bar with a decadent fin-de-siècle
speakeasy vibe. Antique furniture, heavy velvet curtains, candles and dry martinis complete the atmosphere.
(38 Staunton Street, 2857 2586)
9. Tram
Tours
The best tour in town
costs on only HK$2 ($0.26CAD). Buy a ticket and hop on a tram heading in any direction. Little changed from
the colonial days of the early 1900’s when they were introduced, these clunking relics offer an atmospheric
tour through the financial downtown, Shau Kei Wan and Kennedy Town. hktramways.com
10. Happy
Valley Horse Racing Track
Horse racing in Hong Kong
elicits the same sort of passion football does in Argentina, or baseball in the U.S. — it could almost
be Hong Kong’s official sport. The Happy Valley Racecourse, run by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, is an immensely
impressive stadium and best visited when floodlit. racecourses.hkjc.com •
Photos by Daniel
Neilson
