We fly
in after dark and are whisked off through the light-filled city to our
hotel, the Four Seasons Regent on the tip of Kowloon. This has got to be the best
hotel we’ve ever stayed in. We
could not think of one thing lacking in the service of this amazing
hostelry. The view from our window across the harbor looking towards the
island of Hong Kong with the Star Ferries shuttling back and forth is breathtaking, especially at night. The city is just
a wild and wonderful place. Nothing can prepare one for the energy, the crowds,
the excitement. This is one crazy fun-filled shop-till-you-drop
metropolis.
Next
day, with a guide and car we take a tour of the island, across the bay. We
visit the heights of Victoria Peak, looking back across the skyscrapers towards
Kowloon. Then, off to Aberdeen with its waterborne residential neighborhoods of
floating sampans. The visit ends at the famous Stanley Market with some serious shopping. We
are choking on the car pollution.
In the
late afternoon we stroll down Nathan Street and its vicinity, seen here. People seem to pour out
of their offices at the end of the day to go and spend their money on
consumer goods and food. The array of places to shop is staggering and
endless it seems. There is so much crowded into so little space
here. The average 2 person apartment can be as little as 200 sq. feet we
are told.
After dark, night markets spring up where vendors just put up their stalls on
the sidewalk and sell, sell, sell. It’s a blast, with one new experience
after another. Eating dim sum is
fabulous but the lack of language and alphabet is more of a challenge than we
had expected, especially in restaurants with Joyce being a non
meat eater. Still, we get by.
One
morning, w
e awake early to check out people doing their early morning aerobic
and Tai Chi exercises in Kowloon Park.
Many people are there but it seems more exercise than art. However, the really
good practioners like the man at left are really fascinating to watch.
Another day, we’re off to the bird market where scores of birds are
bought and sold. We jump onto the Star
Ferry and head across to the island and towards Hollywood Road. We spend a
long afternoon exploring the area around Thai Ping Shan street and its
working temples where people might drop in for a few minutes to pay respect to
their favorite Buddhist or Taoist gods while on their lunch break.
What is Hong Kong? It’s not really a country; no longer British but certainly with a strong veneer of old England. It’s not really Chinese either although the government in Beijing would certainly disagree. Hong Kong people are part of an incredible commercial enterprise that was started in 1842 yet they have never had any form of democracy. However, they are certainly better off than many of their countrymen in the rest of China. Hong Kong is quite a unique phenomenon.
Aberdeen Stanley Market Hong Kong from Kowloon Star Ferry