Please mind the gap! Laugh if you like, but these were the best words I had heard in two weeks of travel. I was immediately out of China and into London, almost. I am not big on cities, but Hong Kong is a world-class, first class city. While you can't condone how the Brits came to acquire the place (Opium Wars), I have to tip my cap to them because they did a bang up job! Similar to how England is not European. Hong Kong is not Chinese. There are subtle as well as not so subtle differences everywhere. While there are not as many as I would have thought (hoped), the museums that Hong Kong has are first rate. In addition to being about to scoot around the city on mass transportation very easily, you can also get out into the burbs and greenery in no time at all. The downsides of Hong Kong are the costs (often equal to American), the great pedestrian traffic dilemma (see below), and the pollution (Houston has crystal blue skies in comparison). Unfortunately none of these things are getting better and with the rise of the Chinese economy (especially the two port cities near Hong Kong) all will likely get worse. While I stayed in Hong Kong a bit longer than I would have liked, I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. I would love to come here when I am not on a traveler's budget. With all the high end restaurants and shops I could really do some damage to the old pocket book. Here are a few observations. Some but not all are in comparison to China..... 1. Pure, unadulterated capitalism is definitely here, and as an added bonus, I did not see anyone urinating in public. 2. Please mind the gap! The subway system is clean, fast, and efficient. 3. As opposed to bum rushing the entry or cutting in front of anyone and everyone, people actually queue in lines here. This is absolutely unheard of in China. I was shocked when I saw it the first time. 4. The darn Brits made everyone drive on the wrong side of the darn road. This is fine, but I've noticed that while the auto traffic is problem free, the pedestrian traffic is all confused because people don't know which way to break when they approach one another in crowds. It is annoying as hell, and it took all of my strength not to give someone a forearm shiver in the chest in retaliation for bumping into me. 5. Much, much, much higher prices 3 to 4 times that of mainland China 6. The British politeness is definitely alive and well. Everyone is willing to try to help a stupid tourist, and no one wanted to rub my belly! 7. Almost everyone speaks English and all signs are not only well marked, but also plentiful. 8. While I have no idea what is said in Chinese papers, the local papers here definitely take shots at the government, and like every other foreign paper that I have ever read, it is always America's fault no matter what the issue is. A trip to the local history museum would do some of these journalists a bit of good. 9. Unlike mainland China, it is not a contest to see who can yell the loudest on either their cell phones or in small places. 10. No Chinese tour groups! In China you could throw a feather and hit at least three group leaders of a large and loud Chinese tour group each with a matching shirt or gap.