Hong Kong
Many Asian cities claim to be where East meets West, the former British Crown Colony is probably the closest the world comes to the genuine article.
Scratch the cosmopolitan, high-tech surface and you'll discover vestiges of ancient China in Hong Kong's culture. Residents invariably live in two worlds: skyscrapers and enormous shopping malls adjoin narrow alleys crowded with traditional vendors' stalls. Business people use mobile ‘phones to consult fortune-tellers before making important decisions. Only a few kilometres away, farmers in sleepy walled villages in the New Territories tend their crops as they have for generations.
Geographically speaking, there are many levels to Hong Kong. Victoria Peak, on Hong Kong Island, is where mansions of the super-rich look out over the high-rise apartments of the merely affluent. Farther down the mountain are old tenements and lastly, living on the water are Hong Kong's boat people.
Across the harbour on the mainland are Kowloon and the suburban New Territories, which were once Hong Kong's vegetable garden and now host Hong Kong Disneyland.
Nowadays, Hong Kong has become a popular shopping destination for mainland Chinese visitors on a weekend jaunt or en route to or from Southeast Asia.
WHEN TO TRAVEL to Hong Kong
Hong Kong sits in range of the South China Seas typhoon alley and these occur in summer and early autumn. In winter and early spring, the climate can be mild and fresh but, in May, the ever-present humidity skyrockets and summer is both hot and frequently wet.
Macau
Although its population is primarily ethnic Chinese, Macau—because it was a Portuguese territory for so long—has a distinctly Mediterranean flavour: a languorous pace, balconied, pastel buildings and open squares. It is 60 kms west of Hong Kong.
After centuries of administration by Portugal, Macau was returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1999. For now, Macau is a wonderful place to stroll: if you're feeling energetic, you could walk to almost all of its sights in a day as it covers only 28 sq km. The most famous landmark is the Church of Sao Paulo. All that remains is the façade but it's worth climbing an imposing set of stairs to view the ruins up close, especially at night when you can see the lights of the city below.
Macau has long been a gambler's destination of choice, and in recent years, world-famous casinos such as the Sands have opened huge venues there.
On weekends and holidays, Macau is filled to capacity with Hong Kong residents, who go for the gambling and the slower, more relaxed pace of life. So we highly recommend that you visit during the week.
WHEN TO TRAVEL to Macau
The climate in Macau is similar to that of Hong Kong. The humidity is quite high throughout the year. During the summer months, from July to September, the temperature soars. Winters are nippy.
The most pleasant time to visit is in autumn, from October to December and in spring from March until May. Then the temperature remains pleasantly moderate with an average of 20-25C.
