Hong Kong Island

We decided to do a half day tour of Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong consists of 260 islands plus a peninsula of the mainland. All told it is seven million people on 1100 square km. Hong Kong island itself is 1.2 million people in 18 square km. Most of the manufacturing jobs have left Hong Kong for the mainland's cheaper labor. Ninety percent of the jobs now are in the service industries: retail, hotels, finance, etc. Unemployment is only 3.5%.

View from Victoria Peak to Financial District

We took the funicular, built in 1898 to the top of Victoria Peak (554m). From here as you faced north, the finance district was below us with Kowloon across the harbor. Everywhere you look are high rise buildings. But from the other side looking east we see trees in Pok Fu Lam County Park, the South China Sea and a reservoir.
We travelled further to Aberdeen fishing village. What we saw was a town with many high rise buildings. The fishing village is on the water, small fishing boats, a few house boats, and many fishing trawlers. Most of the people have been moved to the high rises over time, but at one point four thousand people lived on their boats. Now, however, because of land reclamation, the harbor is much smaller. We tour the harbor on a motorized Sampan to see the boats and the two large floating restaurants.

Floating Restaurant at Aberdeen

After the obligatory jewelery shop stop, we went to the Stanley market. Lots of booths selling about everything, but it seemed more touristy than yesterday's markets. On this side of the island there are quite a few beaches and a few mansions belonging to the richest men in Hong Kong. The landscape is full of contrasts: forested areas in the hills followed by towns with lots of high rises.
In the evening we watch the laser and light show on forty building along the harbor. No Disney spectacular, but it was different!