When I tell people who have never been there that Hong Kong has to be one of my favorite places, well, they tend to look at me askance. What's so great about a place like that? It's just tall skyscrapers and extremely crowded streets. Which is the general perception of what Hong Kong is like, and it isn't totally untrue. The Central district certainly answers that description. Here's a photo from my second trip, taken in late December (hence the Santa signs in the background of the shot):


But I've been to the city and its surrounding towns and districts twice, for several weeks on each occasion, and can assure you there's a lot more to Hong Kong than simply modern buildings and dense crowds.

There are older districts, much less busy:


You'll find tiny little temples in a couple of them, occupying sometimes just a single room and only reached by climbing up a fire escape. Much larger temples in the city include the Che Kung and the Wong Tai Sin. And there are a good couple dozen of those.



The best one to my mind, though, is the 'Poor People's Temple,' the Man Mo on Hollywood Road, crammed full of statues of the Daoist gods and always filled with incense smoke.


But there are places in Hong Kong where you can genuinely chill out and not be jostled for a single moment. Victoria Peak is an obvious spot, reached by the famous Peak Tram -- in reality a funicular railway.


Not only is it peaceful up there but the views are just spectacular ... and rather atmospheric when a mist comes rolling in from the South China Sea.



And nearby to the Peak Tram there's the green and very pleasant Victoria Park, a fine place to relax after a tough day in the city.


If you don't just want to chill out but actually sprawl out, Hong Kong even has some largely man-made beaches, like this one at Repulse Bay.


There's a Chinese garden at one end of it, full of large plaster statues inspired by the local mythology. A little tacky maybe, but it provides you with some decent photo opportunities. (That's me, leaning on a lion).


But the quiet, calm place I love the best is in an altogether surprising location, surrounded by high skyscrapers and by some very busy streets. The Chi Lin nunnery -- easily reached by the subway system -- is a place of true tranquility, with a series of temple halls where Buddhist chanting goes on behind screens. There are beautifully-kept gardens and lily-pad filled pools. You'd never believe that you were almost at the heart of one of the most populated cities in the world.


Hong Kong is not just a location of huge towers and bustling sidewalks after all. It's one of the most diverse and fascinating places that I've ever been to. And I haven't even properly got started yet. There's plenty more to tell about this former British colony.

But is it any wonder that I chose to set my seventh Sherlock Holmes adventure -- 'A Shadow in the Harbor' -- in Hong Kong?