Hong Hong or Singapore stop?
Mar 24th, 2005, 07:05 AM
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Hong Hong or Singapore stop?
Would you recommend a three night stop-over to Hong Kong or Singapore coming home from a trip to Bali? What has the most interesting sights?
Thank you,
Lucretia
Thank you,
Lucretia
Mar 24th, 2005, 08:51 AM
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I enjoyed both..I am sure you would be happy with either..Singapore has the Night Safari that we enjoyed as well as the Jurong Bird Park (which Bali has as well if i remember correctly)..and great restaurants, decent shopping, Mt. Faber, (taking the cable car across to Sentosa Island was fun..)...To me it had a more tropical feel to it than HKG...Although I really liked HKG, we were really tired after a 15 day tour through India and didn't have alot of energy left, but we still managed to do the Peak Tram, Stanley Market, Bird Park, Temple Night Market, etc..We stayed at the Salisbury YMCA with a great view of the harbour..and that made it worth while alone..But if i had to pick between the 2, I think I would go with Singpaore, but you will see that there will be various opinions..all depends on you..No 2 people seem to like the same things and it just depends on the experiences you have when you get there that determines how much you will like it.
Mar 27th, 2005, 07:17 PM
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I live in Singapore and while there are many things to do I'd say go to HK. HK is more "Asia", Singapore is like Silicon Valley or Orlando.Having said that if you hv questions on Singapore I'd be happy to help. 
Mar 27th, 2005, 11:32 PM
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Both are cosmopolitan and westernized. HK is more Chinese though. Singapore has sizeable Malay and India communities which makes for a more varied cultural experience. From Bali Sinapore would be a shorter flight.
Mar 28th, 2005, 06:33 AM
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KMLoke has finally pointed one of the most significant difference between Singapore and Hong Kong - the make up of the population. Hong Kong is about 95% Chinese.
Local landscape is also very different, in addition to the climate that Walter_Walltotti mentioned. Hong Kong has larger total area (about 400sq miles vs 260sq miles), but a lot of it is mountainous, and there are lots of small uninhabited islands. Along with the higher population (7million vs 3), it's more crowded - more highrise apartments. Tallest peak in Hong Kong is over 3,000 ft vs ~500ft in Singapore.
You know with more land area, more hills, a natural harbor, there are more geographical sites in Hong Kong. But culturally, Hong Kong is very homogenous, and not that interesting, in my opinion.
Local landscape is also very different, in addition to the climate that Walter_Walltotti mentioned. Hong Kong has larger total area (about 400sq miles vs 260sq miles), but a lot of it is mountainous, and there are lots of small uninhabited islands. Along with the higher population (7million vs 3), it's more crowded - more highrise apartments. Tallest peak in Hong Kong is over 3,000 ft vs ~500ft in Singapore.
You know with more land area, more hills, a natural harbor, there are more geographical sites in Hong Kong. But culturally, Hong Kong is very homogenous, and not that interesting, in my opinion.
Mar 29th, 2005, 12:43 AM
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Having lived in both, I don’t think you could go wrong with either. Hong Kong has more of a wow factor because it has the mountains and the sea, Singapore has preserved a good bit of its colonial architecture and has some excellent museums. Hong Kong has the Peak and the harbour. Both have good restaurants, but I have to give the edge to Singapore for having a better variety of Asian restaurants, esp Malay, Straights Singapore/Nonya and Indian.
I know from your other posts that your trip is in August. The one drawback to Hong Kong in August is that it is brutally hot and humid and is typhoon season. The heat and humidity can sap your strength a bit and make walking around to see the sights exhausting. The real shame would be to get there and have a typhoon which means you could be stuck in your hotel for a day or more depending on the severity. Even if it is not a severe one, you will get heavy rain. Take a look at weatherbase.com and worldclimate.com.
IMO, people who think Singapore is westernized compared to Hong Kong have not taken a good look beneath the veneer of the shopping malls in Singapore. Get out to the housing estates, ask people if they planned their wedding dates based on lucky months and numbers. Compare the birth rates in good/lucky years versus not so lucky years. Plan a visit around Thaipusam (generally February) to see every day “westernized” Hindus in a trance walking barefoot from temple to temple with heavy headdresses skewered into their faces and bodies. . .
I know from your other posts that your trip is in August. The one drawback to Hong Kong in August is that it is brutally hot and humid and is typhoon season. The heat and humidity can sap your strength a bit and make walking around to see the sights exhausting. The real shame would be to get there and have a typhoon which means you could be stuck in your hotel for a day or more depending on the severity. Even if it is not a severe one, you will get heavy rain. Take a look at weatherbase.com and worldclimate.com.
IMO, people who think Singapore is westernized compared to Hong Kong have not taken a good look beneath the veneer of the shopping malls in Singapore. Get out to the housing estates, ask people if they planned their wedding dates based on lucky months and numbers. Compare the birth rates in good/lucky years versus not so lucky years. Plan a visit around Thaipusam (generally February) to see every day “westernized” Hindus in a trance walking barefoot from temple to temple with heavy headdresses skewered into their faces and bodies. . .
