Hong Kong offers an amazing amount of sensory detail, from the beautiful vistas of Victoria Peak, to the trams of Hong Kong Island, to the well known Star Ferry, on its way across the harbor. You’ll feel as though you’ve just fallen into a fantastic historical drama. The past and the present are intertwined here, from the small wooden boats that make their way between modern ocean liners in the harbor to the antique buildings that squat by the side of shining new skyscrapers.

In the market, vendors will sell traditional and unusual items, including chicken feet, squid, and even live animals, all while talking on their brand new cell phones. Older people still push their wheelbarrows in the street, while limousines and luxury cars pass. Luxury hotels are backed by alleys that might have come from the Hong Kong of a century ago. This city is interweaves many different apparent contradictions to create a fascinating tapestry.

There’s a combination of things that seem very exotic to foreign visitors with things that are incredibly familiar. Technological advancement and traditional ways stand side by side. While you’ll see as many or more bright modern buildings of steel and glass as you would at home, you may be surprised to see the old fashioned bamboo scaffoldings that surround them while they’re under construction or repair. Feng shui principles are used to build them, too.

Central hosts historic trams that seems like they’ve fallen out of a movie, but just below the ground is one of the world’s most efficient subway systems. Using the first rail pass to feature a microchip, this system allows you to wave your wallet or purse by the scanner and board the train, with no need to stop and rummage for your pass.

Street food stalls selling traditional food on the go are present, along side some of the world’s most sophisticated upscale eateries, and one of the largest shopping malls in the world doesn’t prevent the existence of energetic street markets where ever you may go. The drama of Hong Kong is one of seemingly contradictory elements blending together to create a fascinating whole.