Ever had that unnerving feeling when you arrive somewhere and it’s much more empty than you’re expecting? A sudden wave of doubt that you’re in the right place, at the right time…or worse, the sense that there’s been some terrible incident and you’re the only one who hasn’t clued in?
Just the usual traveller’s paranoia? Perhaps. But it is an eery feeling to land in this enormous complex and find it completely empty. A whole row of passport guys idle, more customs officials than customers and no-one elso in my Airport Express carriage. Later, I found out it was Ching Ming – the public holiday that allows everyone to go home and care for their ancestors grave. Apparently, they all left the night before!
Did I tell you already how much I love Airport Express – not just because it makes the trip from the airport to town so easy – but because as you pull out of the concrete and come out into the open you get the essential Hong Kong view: dramatically steep green hillsides rising straight out of the sea. At 6am, it was all blue-grey and misty. It’s this little glimpse, before you hit the wall of skyscraper apartments, that reminds me of the reality. That about 75% of the Island is wild scrubby wilderness. I suspect my knees are not up to exploring most of it – but the idea of it marks the contrast with my very urban experience of this place.
