Hong Kong & Macau - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 117

Introduction
An extraordinary, vibrant and crowded territory of more than seven million
people, Hong Kong is undoubtedly one of the world's great cities. The view
of Hong Kong Island's skyscrapers from across the harbour is one of the most
stunning urban panoramas on earth, and this insomniac metropolis buzzes
with a contagious energy day and night. Varied and dynamic, Hong Kong is
many places to many people: traditional temples with smouldering incense
and fortune-tellers; rugged rural escapism with waterfalls and pristine
beaches; and a vibrant eating and drinking scene, from streetside noodle
shacks to Michelin-starred haute cuisine. Its compact size and enviably
e cient transport system make it perfect for a brief stopoff, but there's more
than enough to keep you hooked for weeks. Tiny Macau offers similar
contrasts, with a unique fusion of Portuguese and Chinese architecture and
traditions firmly resisting the ever-increasing number of glitzy casinos.

3

Since their handover to China, in 1997
for Hong Kong and 1999 for Macau,
the people of both cities have found
themselves in a unique position: subject
to the ultimate rule of Beijing, they live
in a semi-democratic capitalist enclave
- a “Special Administrative Region (SAR)
of China”. Hong Kong's per capita GNP
doubled in the first decade of Chinese
rule yet the inequality of incomes is
staggering: the conspicuous consumption
of the few hundred super-rich (all
Cantonese), for which Hong Kong is
famous, tends to mask the fact that most
people work long hours and live in
crowded, tiny apartments. here is a
lot of wealth, but Hong Kong is also
vastly more expensive than its Southeast
Asian neighbours.
Sixty kilometres west from Hong Kong
across the Pearl River Delta, the tiny
former Portuguese trading enclave of
Macau may seem a geographic and
economic midget compared to its
high-rise cousin but it's catching up
quickly. Macau is booming like never
before - thanks largely to a recent, rapid
and vast expansion of gambling in the
territory. Development has already
changed the character of this formerly
sleepy colonial backwater beyond
recognition (and construction of a land

link to Hong Kong - a series of bridges
and tunnels - due to be completed in
2016, is well under way), but old Macau
is still very much in evidence and the
historic centre boasts UNESCO World
Heritage status. With a colonial past
pre-dating that of Hong Kong by nearly
three hundred years, Macau's historic
buildings - from old fortresses to
Baroque churches to faded mansion
houses - are plentiful, and almost every

WHEN TO GO
Hong Kong and Macau's climate is
subtropical. The best time to visit is
between October and April, when the
weather is cooler, humidity levels drop
and the flowers are in bloom. Between
December and February, it can get quite
cool but the skies are generally clear. The
temperature and humidity start to pick up
in mid-April, and between late June and
early September readings of 30°C and 95
percent humidity or more are the norm.
During typhoon season, from May to
September, ferry and airline timetables
can be disrupted by bad weather. If a
category T8 typhoon is on its way, o ces
and shops will close and public transport
will shut down. Fortunately, typhoons
usually don't last too long.