How do seven million people live in a small place?

Hongkong has tall financial headquarters buildings, but the most striking set of tall buildings houses the seven million mostly middle-income residents. Elsewhere, there are two types of shopping places for daily life - short narrow streets of traditional shopping and modern shopping centers.

The city skyline is best seen lit at night, when the lights show through the smog that daytime views reveal. The wind of the northeast monsoon brings the pollution from mainland China this time of year.

A walk down the length of Nathan Street, the main street of Kowloon, the mainland peninsula part of Hongkong, started in an "old" area near the flower and bird markets, with five and six story aged buildings and an equally aged population. As we progressed the area got younger and more affluent. Midway, we happened on a large traditional street market. We ended at the historic Peninsula Hotel whose bottom two floors and basement are a super luxury shopping emporium - Tiffany, Prada and their kin.

When I went to a camera shop to replace the one taken in Ho Chi Minh City, I encountered two thirty-something Chinese salesmen who were flabbergasted by my lack of interest in getting the very latest, most advanced technology for the sake of being the most with it person.But they did succeed in talking me into a one step upgrade to replace my old model in the same series.