10 Things I Love About HK

The other day, someone asked me what I liked so much about living in Hong Kong. It was a great question!

I think that the main reason I really like living here is my work. If I was doing something else, I wouldn't be nearly so keen to be living here.

But given that I am here, I may as well enjoy it!

Here are 10 things I love about HK, in no particular order.

1. Culture. The number of different cultures/faces/ languages that there are here. HK is truly multicultural; Australia has just a shadow of multiculturalism in comparison. I have learnt so much about different nations since I came here through interacting with people from all over the world.
   
2. Comfort. The ease with which I can stick with my comfort zone, if I want to - eat/buy foods I know and recognise, get cooking ingredients I know what to do with, speak English, find books/movies, etc...it's not a tough life! On the other hand, I also really like the fact that things are different, I can eat only Chinese foods if I want and immerse myself in places that are 'foreign' to me when I feel like it
3. Beauty. It's always been my aim when visitors come to show them how gorgeous the nature of HK is. There are beaches, islands, waterfalls, mountains, and hills that rise directly out of the ocean. I think HK is something like 70% Country Park, so it's not really all a concrete jungle as the popular opinion probably thinks.
4. Airport. The airport here is awesome, and I love visiting it to pick people up, drop them off or, of course, passing through it myself. It has won International Airport of the Year for 5 years in a row now, I think.
5. Buildings. Some of HK's city towers really are astounding.
6. Harbour. OK, so HK's harbour isn't like Sydney Harbour, but I still really like it, and all the activity that happens on it.
7. Markets. You can find almost anything you need in one of HK's markets. The prices are cheap (ridiculously so!) and variety is amazing. I am able to shop more confidently , creatively and comprehensively in HK than any other place I've lived.
8. Proximity. HK isn't far from anywhere and, as a stop-over city, it's a great place to live to get visits from travellers on their way to somewhere else!
9. ID card. As a HK resident, I get an ID card that allows me to sail through Immigration at this end when visitors have to queue up. The card allows me access to public health services, public libraries, and all sorts of other things.
   
10. Octopus card. HK's Octopus card is just awesome. It's a rechargeable card that can be used on all forms of public transport (bus, subway, rail, ferry, tram, mini-bus), can buy snacks at 7-11, pay for groceries at the supermarket...and loads more. London's Oyster card has nothing on the Octopus!
11. Public transport. Public transport is brilliant. It's thorough, and covers most of the territory. The parts are interconnected. It's fast. It's reliable. And it's cheap! (So there's more than 10...I couldn't leave this one out!)

Here are a couple of photos from the harbour last weekend. Perfect illustrations of why HK is a great place to live!