The island of Hong Kong offers not only traces of the old colony - from English place names to ancient trams trundling along the shore - but also superb modern architecture and bizarre cityscapes of towering buildings teetering up impossible slopes, as well as unexpected opportunities for hiking and even bathing on the beaches of its southern shore. Kowloon, in particular its southernmost tip, Tsimshatsui , is where many visitors end up staying. This is not only the budget accommodation centre of Hong Kong, but also the most cosmopolitan area of perhaps any Chinese city, with a substantial population of immigrants from the Indian subcontinent. And as the territory's principal tourist trap, it boasts more shops offering a greater variety of goods per square kilometre than anywhere in the world (not necessarily at reasonable prices, though). North of Tsimshatsui, Kowloon stretches away into the New Territories, an area of so-called New Towns as well as ancient villages, secluded beaches and rural tranquillity. In addition, there are the offshore islands , which are well worth a visit for their fish restaurants, scenery and, if nothing else, for the experience of chugging about on the inter-island ferries . The islands of Lamma and Lantau , in particular, offer a relatively rural and traffic-free contrast to the hubbub of downtown Hong Kong.
Some visitors dislike the speed, the obsessive materialism and the addiction to shopping, money and brand names in Hong Kong. As in many a Western city, the locals are reserved towards strangers, and, with its perennial massive engineering projects (something else which hasn't been changed by the handover), downtown is certainly not a place to recover from a headache. On the other hand, it's hard not to enjoy the sheer energy of its street- and commercial life, which continues despite the uncertainties over the long-term future of the city
