Goodbye Hong Kong

Hong Kong is great.  The buildings in Central are beautiful, shiny and new.  The streets are filled with a vibe and a buzz that can be attributed partly to the frantic suit-clad men and women bustling about and partly to the old Chinese hawkers going about their business in a calm and methodical manner.  The young and the old. The frenetic and the composed.  The wealthy and the happy?

There are many things about Hong Kong that the Turtle family will miss:

• The constant bustle.
• The view of Victoria Harbour at night.
• The Star Ferry (Myrtle's favourite mode of transport).
• The tram between Central and Happy Valley (Myrtle's second favourite mode of transport).
• The rapid fire of Cantonese, especially by the taxi drivers and even the Canto-pop blaring from their car radios.
• Dim sum (yum cha).
• Our view of Stanley Bay from our apartment window.
• Friends.
• The friendly "Jo Sa-a-an" (good morning) from the security "sook-sook" (uncle) everyday as we left our apartment building.
• The way you can see the rain racing towards land over the sea and, within minutes, being enveloped by a cloud of water.

But, as with all cities, towns and villages across the world, Hong Kong has its downside.  Here are some things we won't miss:

• The pollution.  For the first time since our arrival 8 months ago, Myrtle has developed a cough that arrived with the autumn pollution.  Who knows what the effect of all the smog will be on Tiny's 22 month old lungs?
• The over-the-top rent. Ouch!
• Some of the smug expats.
• The cursed sandflies that frequent the beaches and playgrounds across Hong Kong.

Overall:  a fantastic 8 months.  Goodbye Fragrant Harbour! See ya later!

View without pollution:

View, two weeks later, with pollution: