Hong Kong | a name that resonates the Hollywood of the East, its entertainment industry is somehow what many would have in mind when hearing this vastly spoken country. It may be unfair to solely associate Hong Kong with a Hollywood icon, its rich and versatile cultures of the East do offer you many other memorable values to take home even for a short trip. You will find yourself in a wrong place if you are in search for solitude, Hong Kong is a bustle place that actively demands your full attention at all times. It is a city that never sleeps. With its generous offer of mouth-watering foods, endless shopping experiences, congested buildings, tightly packed people, night markets that run 24 by 7, and the energetic nightlife, Hong Kong vigorously grabs your every breath and leave you in thrill for days and weeks. With a limited space I have here, it is impossible to introduce the aplenty wealth of attractions in Hong Kong - Victoria Peak, Tsim Sha Tsui, Victoria Harbor, Kowloon, Repulse Bay, Yau Ma Tei, Stanley, Aberdeen Harbour, etc… the list goes on endlessly.

If you have enough of city hustle, the short-distant Sunset Peak in Lautau Island is not too bad an option for a refreshing break. While you are here, don't forget to pay a visit to Cheung Sha beach, Po Lin Monastery and the tranquil Tai O fishing village. Cheung Chau, Peng Chau, Poi Toi and the uninhabited Tung Lung Chau are some other outlying islands that worth to set your footprints on. With the long-awaited Disneyland that is in the pipeline of making its debut this September, Hong Kong is surely moving itself fast to become a brighter shining star in the East.

Unknown to many, even the local, an hour drive from city will lead one to a less touristy township in the north of New Territories known as Mai Po Marsh. Being a stopover for bird migration route is what makes this small town a remarkable place to visit. It's vital to have a long zoom lens to narrow your gap with the thousand species of birds here for closer nature shot.

Many wonder if cameras a good deal in Hong Kong. It surely a good buy for the West due to the currency advantage, but coming from the East, one may not see much benefit gain for getting the gears in Hong Kong. If not equally priced, they may come with slightly discounted tags. Not to despair, some camera accessories like batteries, underwater casings, lens filters and Lowerpro bags, in contrary, may save one a great deal of monies.

For lower priced reused camera and lenses, 2nd hand equipment shops are aplenty. Just to conveniently name a few, Stanley Street of Central District, Champagne Court at Tsim Sha Tsui are some of many places that worth allocating significant amount of time on for camera shopping. Pre-work is recommended like checking the net for prices before embarking on a bargain journey.

I didn't have the luxury of months to indulge myself in the colorful and vibrant cultures of Hong Kong, with the short 9-day business trip, I barely managed to squeeze out a few days for my personal travel. Nevertheless, this pathetically few hours didn't stop me from being a city photography enthusiast, especially this was the very first time of giving my newly acquired Canon 20D a serious test for outdoor and travel shot.

Without coupling by good lenses, I had to rely solely on the EF-S 18-55mm kit lens, and a conveniently old EF 70-210mm lens for extended zooming. Lacking of sound equipment was never an excuse for me to capture beautiful pictures. Like many other great cities in the world, Hong Kong offers endless photographic opportunities from daytime till night fall, with a great pair of observant eyes and attentive heart, one will never short of wonderful subject to shoot at. City photography encompasses the essence of architecture, local culture, people, food, daily and nightlife, with all these elements in mind, an album full of colorful pictures can be captured and neatly compiled into a travelogue adorned with some short and sweet captions.


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