China Study Trip ~ Hong Kong...Part 4/4

We flew into Hong Kong from Shanghai on another domestic Chinese carrier by the name of Dragon Air. Once again I was impressed with their domestic airline service. As we pulled into Hong Kong and flew over the mountainous terrain surrounding the city one could see the lit up skyline of Hong Kong. It looked like Manhattan, but with the lights of Vegas. As we landed at the international airport, I remembered all of my friends and family that had told me about the infamous landing approach at the Hong Kong airport. Landing at Hong Kong is quite scary for those that don’t like a bumpy ride due to the positioning of the airport and the local geography. Sure enough as we approached the runway, the plane took a steep dive into an area that appeared to resemble a valley…pretty freaky!

After a 45 minute bus ride into downtown, we reached our Hotel. This hotel was far superior to the dump in Shanghai. I remember being really excited about having landed in Hong Kong and finally having the opportunity to see the city. I love photographing skyscrapers and Hong Kong boasts a skyline that is arguably better than that of New York City. Over the next couple of days I would go nuts with my camera photographing much of the skyscraper architecture present in the city.

Picture: Hong Kong at night

When the day light broke we departed for our first destination, a theme park by the name of Ocean Park. Ocean Park is Hong Kong’s #2 theme park after Disney Land. We met with their Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) who offered a very interesting presentation on how the park has resurrected itself over the years, avoided bankruptcy, and successfully competed against Disney Land. During the presentation, half the class was sneezing and coughing. There were definitely some nasty viruses going around and I had caught it too. By this point I was feeling quite sick. I had picked up a nasty cold and my bronchitis that I had been fighting for the last 4 weeks had come back with a vengeance. After riding a rollercoaster for the first time in ten years (I discovered that I can still handle it), a group of us departed for the Kowloon market which is a ferry ride away off of Hong Kong island. Kowloon is commonly referred to as Hong Kong’s evil twin. It’s run down when compared to the glamour of Hong Kong’s business district, but it offers some fantastic shopping and a really cool cultural experience. The market is busy and fun to walk through (see video below) and there is significantly less bartering which prevents you from having to pop those Tylenol to get rid of those 'market headaches'.

Video: Kowloon Market


After a day in the city I had come to the conclusion that Hong Kong rocks! It’s cosmopolitan and commercial like New York City, hilly and unique like San Francisco, and tropical like Hawaii; three of my favourite places. I think I could easily live in Hong Kong! After taking a couple of cable car rides over the surrounding hills and having ascended the ‘Peak’ (a mountain overlooking the city), I was in love with the views and sights of the city’s beautiful terrain and forest of skyscrapers.

Picture: Hong Kong skyline


On the second day in Hong Kong we visited the Hutchinson Port, which is the third busiest shipping port in the world. We enjoyed a very entertaining presentation from two of the port’s executives. At this point, I was really feeling ill and had a hard time paying attention so I won’t comment too much on this activity other than to say that it was really neat seeing how the port operates and how it is completely computerized. Visiting the control centre was pretty awesome for a techie like me (lots of toys to look at). Did I mention that they were a Nortel customer ;) You knew I had to throw that one in! Anyhow, it was nice seeing a piece of Canadian technology at the centre of their operations (perhaps it will be Chinese technology as Huawei perhaps bids on Nortel in the coming weeks). Hopefully the government will step in soon and save them.

In terms of memorable moments, I will share a funny story with you. I say funny now, but at the time I was pretty peeved ;) I mentioned in part two of my China blog series that this was the first trip that I have taken where I completely relied on others to get around, and to keep schedule. I pretty much just followed the masses to the point that I didn’t even know my own hotel name or where we were supposed to be at any particular point in time. Well it kind of bit me on the butt on one day: A group of us were riding the subway back from the Kowloon market toward the Ivey School of Business (Hong Kong campus) for a presentation. I wasn’t feeling well and it was crowded on the subway. To make a long story short, I somehow wasn’t paying attention and missed our stop and got separated from my classmates. I seriously had no idea of where I was in the city, nor an idea of where to go, or where the hotel was. I think this was the first time in my life where I can say that I was truly lost. Ooops! On top of that I was feeling very ill at the time. As I wandered the streets of Hong Kong, I struggled to remember the name of our hotel; was it ”Nova,” “Intercontinental”? The name “Novotel” finally dawned on me and I was able to find a taxi driver who knew where it was. I got lucky, it was the right hotel. For those planning on doing the China Study Trip in the future, always ensure that you carry a hotel card with you at all times with the name and address of the hotel so you don’t get lost like me!

Probably the most memorable aspect of Hong Kong was the party scene and the night life. The class went pretty crazy in the last couple of nights hitting up lounges, clubs, and ‘Club 711’ often with the many Ivey alumni that inhabit this vibrant city. What’s ‘Club 711’ you ask? Well, 711 convenience stores can be found all over China and in the party district of Hong Kong. Since drinks are very expensive in the clubs, most of us were frequenting the 711 store (which is right outside many of the night clubs), and making our own party on the streets before entering the clubs. The clubs and lounges themselves were quite the experience. Some of them charged $60CDN cover (for men, women get in free) and up to $20CDN for drink…ouch! Not great for that student budget; hence “Club 711” to start things off!

By this point in the trip, everyone was getting pretty tired. There was definitely some excess partying happening, and we were all enjoying life to the fullest (perhaps a bit too much). The last couple of days were filled with ups, downs, and a bit of drama; all events that will make this trip a memorable one! By the end of it I think many of us were ready and happy to go home to our families. Many others were continuing their adventures over the holidays in the Asia Pacific exploring Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.

Well that about sums up the China Study Trip. I hope you enjoyed it!