Ventures Dialogue

This week Carla Kearns is posting a series of observations made during her visit to both Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Forum.

Last night on the way into Hong Kong from the airport the impressive high-speed Airport Express passed an enormous port facility.  Perhaps my mind was addled from a lack of sleep, but it seemed to take a full 5 minutes to pass the docks packed with containers ready to ship.  If you recall the scene from the end of the original Raiders of the Lost Ark, where the ark is placed in a government facility stocked with a seemingly endless number of boxes, you’ll have an idea of the impression it made upon me: it is staggeringly large.  I also wonder what the future holds for this kind of export activity on a day when the financial markets are so much in turmoil – the Hong Kong stock exchange itself lost almost 13% of its value yesterday, and the Japanese stock exchange dropped the greatest amount that it has in 26 years.

I am pleasantly surprised by my hotel – The Eaton Hotel in the Jordon Valley area – small rooms but impeccably clean and updated.  An enormous change from my first trip here when, as a backpacker on my first solo trip abroad, I stayed at the notorious Chungking Mansions.  But in these days of global gentrification, it seems that even that dump has been cleaned up a little.

I spent the day doing typical tourist things – walking along Nathan Road, taking the amazing Star Ferry across the harbour (one of my favourite things in HK) and the double decker bus to Stanley Market on the beautiful southern side of the island.  Unfortunately, what I consider to be a thrilling ride — careening around blind corners and up and down the steep mountain ridge — made my extremely jet lagged travel companion nauseous.

Hong Kong is astoundingly international. Even in my hotel room, it seemed that every kind of electric converter in the world was pre-built into the wall.  However, I have not seen much of a Canadian presence yet, other than a Club Monaco prestigiously located in the Central District across from an enormous Gucci store (but also next to a McDonalds), and a Four Seasons Hotel.  However, I am committed to continuing my shopping quest and keep looking!

Photo by Chi King.