21/2 - Bangkok vs. Hong Kong

I like scoring things. It’s usually pointless, but I like doing it anyway. So I’m going to score Bangkok and Hong Kong. This is especially pointless, as you should see them both when you get the chance, but I’ll do it because I feel like it.


Culture: Bangkok

Bangkok is a dream for every culture lover. The city is hundreds of years old, and has many sights that look absolutely unearthly at times. The temples are something out of a dream if you’re a silly westerner like me who’s never been to Asia.

Hong Kong is a relatively new town. There is modern culture like opera and theater, but as far as history, there isns’t much of that. The city does have very atmospheric old quarters, but very few must-see locations.


Scenic: Hong Kong

Bangkok offers the visitor a sprawling urban jungle, dozens of square miles large, and that’s just the city centre. However, apart from the historic sites it’s a bit of a mess. It’s not a pretty town in any way. Interesting, impressive, yes. Beautiful, no.

Hong Kong on the other hand has two major locations that anyone should see when they get the chance the view of the Hong Kong Island skyline from Kowloon, and the view from Peak Victoria. Breathtaking. Some of the skyscrapers are masterpieces of architecture (although most of them are ugly).




Shopping: Bangkok

Shopping in Bangkok is insane. The prices are rock bottom, the venues are so diverse you have to dress differently depending on where you go, and there’s A LOT of it. Fantastic. Get the largest suitcase you can get when you visit.

Hong Kong is very different. Bargains can definitely be had, but not on the scale of Chachutak or the Night Bazaar (in all fairness, I didn’t visit Temple St Market, HKs night bazaar). There are more shopping centers, and they have all the upscale brands you can find in Bangkok, probably in more locations too, but for the budget conscious shopper (aren’t we all?), it’s just a lot more expensive.


Eating: Tie

I feel I’ve missed out a bit on eating in both towns. Perhaps I didn’t try hard enough to find good spots. Bottom line: You can eat cheap, can you eat good as well as cheap? Probably yes, if you know the addresses.


Climate: Hong Kong

Bangkok is sweltering hot, always. It’s easily 35 degrees on a regular day, although I didn’t have so much problems with thee humidity. I guess I was lucky I wasn’t there on a rainy day.

Hong Kong is very nice when it comes to temperature; it was around 23 degrees during my stay. The fog is a problem though. I figure that if you pick your season right, you can have clear skies as well as a good temperature. That would be cool ;) Pick it wrong, and you could end up in the same kinds of temperatures as Bangkok though.


Transport: Tie

Transport is cheap in Bangkok. It needs to be, because things are much further apart. It take you longer to get to places, but since it doesn’t cost anything (2 euros for a thirty minute taxi ride), it’s not a huge issue.

Hong Kong is the other way round. Most touristy locations are on HK Island and Tsim Sha Tsiu, the northern part of Kowloon. The tram is a very cheap way to get around, but there’s only one line. Taxi rides will set you back about 5 euros in general, but it will never take you more than 15-20 minutes to get somewhere, whatever mode of transportation you choose.



X-factor (gut feeling or whatever)

So, incredibly, it’s up to the X-factor to decide. Who’s the winner? I’ll have to go with Bangkok. The city is so completely different from anything I’ve ever seen. The people, the heat, the almost alien architecture of it’s historic sites, the smells, sights and sounds of the streets, it’s incredible. I can’t describe it, it has to be seen to be believed.