Sepia Dreams in Hong Kong

During my last trip to Asia (in May 2014), I spent 2 days and 1 night in Hong Kong. I was staying at the Sheraton Hotel in Kowloon and was lucky enough to get a harbor view room. I arrived in Hong Kong a bit later than planned on a Saturday (don't recommend driving across the border from China to Hong Kong on a holiday weekend... ridiculous traffic!!)... and did not get a chance to enjoy the room that day (wanted to get out and do some shopping/eating!). When I finally did get back to my room on Saturday evening, I was too tired to even close the shades and passed out. The next morning I awoke to the sunrise. I had been out late the previous evening and was planning to sleep in... so I got out of my bed to close the shades. However, when I got to the window, I could see that the lighting on the city was spectacular. The sun had just peaked above the horizon and it was hitting the buildings at a nice angle. Therefore, I decided to take a few photos from my room before going back to sleep. As I look closer at these photos, I can't help but be amazed at the apartments and townhouses situated on Victoria Peak (the mountain behind Hong Kong City). If you're lucky enough to have 50+ million dollars lying around, you can put your name in the queue to try purchasing one.

The Glow of the Metropolis

Looking down on the metropolis of Hong Kong as it glows in the night sky. 

Behind Open Windows

A lone man waits in the Star Ferry terminal as the metropolis of Hong Kong towers over him in the background. 

The Metropolis - II

In my previous post, I showed some images of Hong Kong from the rooftops. The images in this post were taken over the same couple of days... but from a different perspective (at sea level). All of the shots were taken while on the Star Ferry or while waiting to board the Star Ferry. Looking back at these images, I'm still shocked to see how crisp/clean the air is. There will be days when you can barely see across the harbour.

Tourist Photos at Victoria Peak

Victoria Peak is probably one of the most popular tourist attractions in Hong Kong... and it's kind of easy to see why. The view is ridiculous. On one of my first trips to Hong Kong, I thought I would go up for a quick afternoon tour (ended up staying for 5+ hours just staring out into the vast cityscape). I had not gone back since... however, I was out with a friend and we decided to take a late night trip up the escalators in Soho (Hong Kong island is built on levels and there is actually an escalator system that will take you up... longest covered outdoor escalator system in the world). There were signs that kept directing us up to Victoria Peak... and we  decided to keep on going until we reached the top. However, eventually the escalators stopped and we would have had to continue walking up a steep trail (didn't seem too fun since it was hot and we had a bit to drink). That's when I hailed a taxi! The main observation deck was closed when we finally arrived (it was quite late)... but we managed to sneak onto another observation deck that had also been closed. These are a few of the photos I took before the security guards asked us to kindly leave (think they came out pretty good since I didn't have a tripod). Enjoy!

"3 Days in Hong Kong" - Torrential Rain, Glorious Sunshine, and Giant Rubber Ducks

During my last trip to Asia, I was lucky enough to spend a few extra days in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is an awesome city. I've been coming here for about 10 years... and have had some great times and have met some awesome people. However, whenever I go back, I seem to fall into the same routine (hit the same shops, restaurants, and sites). This time I wanted to try something different and walk away with some new experiences... I purchased my first tailored suit, ate at new restaurants, stayed in a new hotel, explored different parts of the city, and experienced my first "sunny day" in the city!! (reference the 2nd photo) It was a great trip... more photos and stories to come later.

July 3, 2011

Getting vertigo at the Peak (in Hong Kong).
Wanted to see if I could create a "vertigo effect" for a city scape. I think this came out pretty good!

April 11, 2011

A picture that's been taken a million times before... now you can make it a million + 1. This a view of Hong Kong as seen from the top of Victoria Peak. In the foreground is Hong Kong Island... and in the back, you can see Kowloon.  It's a breathtaking view... it makes you marvel at what people can do.

Unfortunately, the air in Hong Kong is always rather smoggy... so I did my best to embrace the smog in this shot. It gives it an old/retro effect.