
My favorite city in Asia
Everything about Hong Kong is to me is what an international city should be. While I have enjoyed living in Bangkok and Singapore, should Unilever ever open up an office in Hong Kong, I’d be there in a flash!
There are some very clear contrasts between the HK, SIN anf BKK…
Work environment and ethic
- HK: strong and intense, NY-style, investment bankers galore, intensely achievement oriented
- SIN: more Chinese style, hard working but sometimes it seems earning money is really about buying status objects and less about achievement
- BKK: mai pen rai, Thai for “whatever, never mind, who cares”
Energy level
- HK: high and contagious
- SIN: Orchard Road retail frenzy, lah
- BKK: again mai pen rai
Activities
- HK: wide and varied from high-end shopping to rich cultural pursuits, posh / lux restaurants and a vibrant nightlife with lots of live music
- SIN: shopping, eating, expensive taxi ride to different mall, then more shopping, more eating…while one can go to see the opera or ballet here (unlike BKK), it seems many choose not to
- BKK: haggling in the markets or paying for overpriced Prada in malls, eating street food or fine dining, but a marked lack of anything cultural (e.g. music, performing arts)…if it doesn’t involve food or shopping most Thai’s simply aren’t interested
Historical Awareness
- HK: a wide awareness and knowledge about the British colonial period balanced with a very Chinese culture, everyone from taxi drivers to the average sales clerk can tell you something new and different about HK
- SIN: A relatively new city whose history museum’s exhibits from the 1940’s are considered historic…new is preferred in SIN, but to be fair they have done a good job or retaining and refurbishing some of the old historic neighborhoods to preserve a feeling of the [recent] history
- BKK: no interest in history whatsoever, if it is new and trendy then it captures attention – in fact there are really no antiques or historic old buildings in Thailand (outside of temples), because old = bad, run down, dirty AND new = desirable, attractive
Expat Community
Well, one must view a country based on its local people, but being an expat in Asia I did notice a distinct difference in the expats between these cities.
- HK: highly educated professionals (many single) with an international mindset, who often blend with their local coworkers and end up staying and becoming long-term residents
- SIN: Also well educated expats (more families than singles), but it seems there is less inclination to blend with the locals – with expats choosing large gated apartment communities..maybe because it feels like an American suburb people choose to live like they are in an American suburb
- BKK: some professionals, but largely sex-pats who come to “party” in a unique way that only Thailand can offer…did I ever mention the bar Baccarat which features a clear glass second floor on which girls with no underwear dance to entertain the patrons below on the first floor? This was about 2 blocks from my apartment in Bangkok – classy.
Having spent a good amount of time in all 3 cities, I would say there is a certain vibrancy in Hong Kong that is almost indescribable – a sense of constant movement and progress. A sense of adventure of never knowing what lies around the next corner. And it seems I am no longer alone in my fondness of Hong Kong – Paul’s question upon returning from his first trip recently was, “when can we move?”
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11 comments
Marc Lamothe says:
May 28, 2009
Hear Hear. Great rundown. I was just there on Wednesday and remembered why I love it so much. I think it’s next on my cities-to-live list too.
Paul says:
May 28, 2009
Yeah, it’s really bizarre… I mean on paper most of the shops, restaurants, etc are all things you’ll find in Singapore or Bangkok…but there’s just this feeling you get there immediately on the street. Add to that the cabs aren’t as ludicrously expensive as they are in Singapore 😉
kitty says:
May 28, 2009
Yeah I love Hong Kong too. People are not as stuck up as Singaporeans. And really it’s time I left this hell whole I call Bangkok.
Nicole says:
May 28, 2009
I couldn’t have summarized my very own feelings about Singapore and Hong Kong better. Singapore is so limiting in everything, it gets to you and your sanity.
Lara says:
May 28, 2009
Paul, I am jealous that you can take such wonderful photos of HK. Whenever I try, I just don’t seem to be able to do it justice. I do love the place ….also helps if you have really good friends there…and like Joanna, I would move there in a flash……by the way, I went to some great places in Mumbai recently…made me think quite differently about the place…
TR says:
May 28, 2009
I could not disagree with you more on Bangkok …The things you say are missing in Bangkok are there. You just need to dig for it and see past the malls and sex shows cliche … Hong Kong is so obvious …. you have to earn Bangkok,
Paul says:
May 28, 2009
I lived in Bangkok for four years and dug through the junk to get what I would consider a fuller picture…it’s a good city for sure, much more on offer than first glance. I worked with Issarn girls for the first year and half and did the “rural” and poor Thai thing, also did the relief and development scene, and finally the higher end expat scene….so I think I know what Bangkok has to offer (of course there are still other niche scenes to discover…just last visit I discovered the underground farang music scene which was very nice).
But most of the observations are spot on…the quality level of expats, the general work level, etc. I’m first to admit that I was more successful because I was in Bangkok…standards are lower. If you do something well there usually it’s good for Thailand, Laos, etc. If you do something well in HK it’s an international market.
There are of course a few differences and everyone has a their own experience. I still refer to Bangkok as home accidentally when talking about it, so it left it’s mark… but there’s a reason large multi-nationals are fleeing the city…and tax breaks are only part of the story
TR says:
May 28, 2009
point taken …. but i was solely referring to the “urban life” side of your comparison … not denying HK is a regional economic center .. thats a fact … opening a business in HK or Singapore costs peanuts compared to doing that in Thailand.
Paul says:
May 29, 2009
Yeah, the “urban life” of Bangkok can be really varied. For the shortness of the article we dealt more in generalities. I’d say generally expats are up to what we talked about and that’s what the city is known for…off the beaten path there are wine tastings, live music, jazz clubs, and more on offer…but it’s not the number one reason “most” people live or visit there
For example in my group of friends almost all farangs dated farangs, never went to girly bars and had house parties a lot… same as any other city… I think Joanna ran with a rougher crowd 😉
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