Our last day in HK is a free day and we take a trolley, a subway and a tram out to Lantau Island to see the giant bronze Buddha. The tram is about 30 minutes and goes over two small mountains, with views of the ocean and surrounding jungles. We can see the Buddha from about a mile away before we reach the village. We climb about 100 steps to the base of this giant sculpture and can see for miles. The statue was built just a few decades ago but is still a very impressive site.
We have lunch in the tourist village and then head back to the city. We were hoping to head to the beach but the trip to the island took nearly 4 hours and we are short on daylight. We opt to grab some beers and head to the rooftop pool for some much needed downtime. We spend several hours drinking beers, chatting and sunbathing before heading to a nearby Thai restaurant for dinner. The service was terrible, but the food was excellence and the night was a great ending to an amazing trip.
Showing posts with label Hong Kong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hong Kong. Show all posts
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Day Eleven Hong Kong
On our way to Victoria Peak Calvin gives us some history about Hong Kong, it's British roots and the changes since the handover. We learn that the one child policy is not effective in HK and that they still have alternate form of governments – they call it a one government, two rule system. The property prices and taxes in HK are very low, making it a very appealing place for expats. The max income tax is 15%, and that is for people that make millions.
Hong Kong is the financial hub of the country, but is quickly being gained on by Shanghai. Currently BofA, HSBC, AIG and JP Morgan all have headquarters there, among others. There is also no sales tax in HK, but there are very extreme luxury taxes on items such as booze, cars and cigarettes. The tax for an automobile is more than 40% making it very hard for people to own, leading to a much better public transportation systems and cleaner air. Gas also runs about $13US per gallon.
Calvin tells us that a 20 year mortgage on $200kUS runs about $800US per month, as the interest rate is about 2% and there is no real estate tax. There are no pension plans offered by the companies in HK but because the income tax is so low, it's easy to sock money away into plans.
Victoria Peak gives us a bird’s eye view of the entire city and the quay. It's nestled up in the mountain in a lush forest area. HK is surrounded by parks, with 100's of acres dedicated as city parks – it's really quite incredible. We head next for Aberdeen harbor where we take a boat tour and see the world's largest floating restaurant and are able to take some photos of the fishing boats.
Afterwards we make a quick stop at Stanley Beach and Market where we have a few moments to stick our toes in the South China Sea. In the evening we head across the harbor and watch a laser light show before doing more wandering in the night market. The area is packed full of people but is much more multi-cultural than all the other areas we've visited.
Hong Kong is the financial hub of the country, but is quickly being gained on by Shanghai. Currently BofA, HSBC, AIG and JP Morgan all have headquarters there, among others. There is also no sales tax in HK, but there are very extreme luxury taxes on items such as booze, cars and cigarettes. The tax for an automobile is more than 40% making it very hard for people to own, leading to a much better public transportation systems and cleaner air. Gas also runs about $13US per gallon.
Calvin tells us that a 20 year mortgage on $200kUS runs about $800US per month, as the interest rate is about 2% and there is no real estate tax. There are no pension plans offered by the companies in HK but because the income tax is so low, it's easy to sock money away into plans.
Victoria Peak gives us a bird’s eye view of the entire city and the quay. It's nestled up in the mountain in a lush forest area. HK is surrounded by parks, with 100's of acres dedicated as city parks – it's really quite incredible. We head next for Aberdeen harbor where we take a boat tour and see the world's largest floating restaurant and are able to take some photos of the fishing boats.
Afterwards we make a quick stop at Stanley Beach and Market where we have a few moments to stick our toes in the South China Sea. In the evening we head across the harbor and watch a laser light show before doing more wandering in the night market. The area is packed full of people but is much more multi-cultural than all the other areas we've visited.
Day Ten Hong Kong
We get to sleep in until 830, which is so awesome!! Shawn takes us to the airport and 7 of us head to Hong Kong, where we meet our new guide, Calvin. He is wearing a face mask and explains that his wife is 5 months pregnant so he is very careful about germs and wears it at all times. After the SARS epidemic, the Chinese are very worried about any sort of virus and the swine flu has the country nervous.
The drive into the city is so beautiful and very different. All of the sudden, signs are in English and the traffic is completely smooth. They drive on the left hand side, a throwback to English days, and the giant metropolitan city is surrounded by lush green hills. I am instantly smitten. During hotel check-in Calvin teaches a few Cantonese words to get us by, and breaks them into simple American words which is so helpful for our pronunciation. "Joe Sun" is good morning and "Door Chair" is thank you, etc.
We take a trolley out to “Times Square” where we have Sushi for dinner. It was nice to be part of a small group and to have a relaxed time. We walked through the markets afterwards, seeing more merchants, checking out the fashions and eating gelato. We stop on the way back in the central district, a popular drinking area. It seems to be mostly expats, so we are a little disappointed.
The drive into the city is so beautiful and very different. All of the sudden, signs are in English and the traffic is completely smooth. They drive on the left hand side, a throwback to English days, and the giant metropolitan city is surrounded by lush green hills. I am instantly smitten. During hotel check-in Calvin teaches a few Cantonese words to get us by, and breaks them into simple American words which is so helpful for our pronunciation. "Joe Sun" is good morning and "Door Chair" is thank you, etc.
We take a trolley out to “Times Square” where we have Sushi for dinner. It was nice to be part of a small group and to have a relaxed time. We walked through the markets afterwards, seeing more merchants, checking out the fashions and eating gelato. We stop on the way back in the central district, a popular drinking area. It seems to be mostly expats, so we are a little disappointed.
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