… to vibrant, exciting Hong Kong!

An overnight in Hong Kong – so much to do, so much to see! Hong Kong, the maker of trinkets. The most crowded place on earth. The hub of electronics. The heart of Asia. British – and Chinese. For a good intro, we booked an 8 hour excursion, the Best of Hong Kong. By luck we got Patrick, a tour guide/stand-up comedian. One sample: “My mother speaks nothing but Chinese. My wife speaks no Chinese. It’s the perfect set-up! I get to translate for both of them! They’ve never had a cross word!” He told us his father got a bird so that he would have someone to talk to – who wouldn’t talk back. Now his father takes the bird in its cage to the park for a walk – and some man-to-man and bird-to-bird interaction. He says he sees his future when he looks at the men in the park…

     

In the Bird Market we saw the men for ourselves. Some had more than one bird. The market sold all kinds of accessories for birds, too, including live grasshoppers and crickets, which you keep in the refrigerator until your bird is hungry.

The Bird Market is across the street from the Mong Kok Flower Market, our next stop. Nothing is grown in Hong Kong, so all the flowers sold are flown in from somewhere. Tulips, lilies and many other varieties come from the Netherlands. Roses, including American Beauty, come from Ecuador. The exotic varieties from South Africa and South America were breathtaking.

 

A short bus ride brought us to the Jade Market, our next stop. This market has fascinating things by day, including pearls, jade, coins, beads, watches, etc. and the prices are quite low (as is the quality of most of the things). It would have been fun to browse at length if it weren’t for the incredibly pushy salespeople.

 

All of these markets are on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong where the ship was docked. There are officially three parts to Hong Kong: Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, and the New Territories. Hong Kong and Kowloon are across the harbor from one another, and can only be reached by going through an underwater auto tunnel or taking the White Star Ferry. The bus took the tunnel and dropped us at the Victoria Peak Tram Railway, a funicular which climbs the extremely steep grade to the top. It was as hair raising as a roller-coaster! At the top, we had a wonderful lunch at the Café Deco, sitting by the window overlooking the stunning city skyline.

 

We had a little free time to shop the large Peak Mall before heading off in the bus to Stanley, called “Caucasian Town” by Patrick. Stanley Market was really fun. A great mix of all types of stuff for sale, reasonable prices and friendly sellers. There are also many great restaurants, although we didn’t have time to explore them. Truly something for everyone; Frank finally found the wooden fish temple bell he has been looking for since our last trip to China in 2005 (photo below right, in the middle)!

 

The biggest recreation area in Hong Kong is Repulse Bay, a pretty beach area with safety netting to keep out sharks. Patrick reassured us by citing the current statistics for shark deaths vs. deaths from falling coconuts, which are 10 times more frequent. Something to remember when visiting tropical places!

   

We climbed on a traditional sampan in Aberdeen for a quick ride around the harbor, ogling the rows of multi-million dollar yachts, which contrasted dramatically with the shabby old houseboats used by fishermen as homes.

   

The last stop on the tour was the Aberdeen Jewelry Factory, with a brief tour of the backroom area, and a much longer stay in the “showroom.” After a quick trip back to the ship to drop off our packages, we headed off the ship into the cruise terminal – which is also an immense upscale mall with more than 450 stores and 100 restaurants. Such a good idea! Although it adjoins the terminal, most of the shoppers are residents, and it was packed for a Sunday night. There was an amazing supermarket (City Super), a huge bookstore (Page One), and entire shopping neighborhoods arranged by the types of things sold. There was a “street” for upscale baby and child clothes and accessories; another for cosmetics; one for electronics; and even one for watches! It was mind-boggling! We ate dinner at Pizza Hut, which had some of the standard items, plus a few new ones. Strange menu choices: French Fries with Thousand Island Tuna Sauce, and the Thousand Island Sauce Series pizzas! Below, imaginative seating in the kids’ area, The Library Café, romaine artfully arranged in the cold case, and upscale clothing display.

 

 

On our second day, we ran some errands, and then ate lunch at the Jumbo Floating Restaurant, the largest floating restaurant in the world - and part of the “Jumbo Kingdom.” The food was great, and the restaurant amazingly ornate. We took another sampan ride with friends, and then went back to the Harbor Mall to look for a few specific items. We hopped back on the ship just in time for the life boat drill.

   

Farewell, Hong Kong!