Reaping the Hong Kong whirlwind

When we booked our round-the-world plane tickets (at Airtreks.com - a really cool website), we had the opportunity to spend a layover in Hong Kong. Since our travels began in the most expensive city in the world - London - on our way to Africa, we figured it was only logical to book-end our Africa/Asia travel in another wallet buster.

But only for two days.

And so we had a whirlwind visit to one of the great cities in the world. From the beginning, Hong Kong was amazing. As we took the speeding train directly from the airport to the city's shiny subway system, which took us to within a block of our hotel, we could tell we were in a city that works.

If there was one downside of our arrival, it was that I was loaded like a pack mule, carrying the extra clothes - seemingly a closet-full - we purchased in Vietnam. Nothing like a full body sweat to endear the other riders on the crowded subway to me.

Working her magic, Erin was able to get us a bargain hotel room ($80/nt) and for some reason (pity, perhaps, on sight of my excessive perspiration at check-in), they upgraded us to a suite. Other than a bit of a musty smell in the room, it was perfect.

And so we set off to explore the city. Upon arrival, I had a singular purpose: Purchase a cheap laptop to bring with us to South America.

On our big day in Hong Kong, I woke early (and quietly, careful not to disturb Sleeping Beauty next to me) to head to the Wan Chai Computer Center - Mecca for geeks the world over. Four stories filled with hundreds of computer stores awaited me in Wan Chai. To say the least, it was a bit overwhelming. Luckily many people spoke English, since my Mandarin was non-existent.

After visiting about forty high-tech outlets, I started to sense a pattern. Prices were good, but not ridiculous. There's no tax or duty in Hong Kong, and among global brands this explains most of the price difference. In the end, I left the mall with a brand-new Acer laptop for $600, guessing I saved about $150 over US prices. Not bad in my mind.

Upon returning to the hotel room around noon, I found Erin ready, waiting and hungry. So off to lunch we went in Soho. As an aside, it seems almost every big city has a Soho. In Hong Kong, it stands for "South of Hollywood," a street filled with rows of antique stores.

After lunch, we went to the Hong Kong Art Museum, a beautiful building rivaling the MOMA in New York. Wucius Woo - a name I love to repeat ad nauseum - was on special exhibit. His pencil and watercolor art was really cool, reminding me a bit of Chuck Close, one of my favorites. And while I still prefer Chuck's art, I prefer Wucius' name by a long shot.

Our day ended with a walk along the riverfront, where Erin met a bronze statue of one of her childhood heroes - Bruce Lee. Demonstrating her knowledge of Martial Arts, she instinctively dropped into a battle-ready pose, mirroring the master.

Overall, Hong Kong was a real treat, as we left the city wanting more. Which is a good thing, since China is definitely on our travel radar. But alas, that will have to wait for another day.