Hong Kong

Our time in Hong Kong was divided into two distinct sections, a few leisurely days up to and including Christmas and a few hurried days afterwards trying to see everything. This was, no doubt, not the correct way to see Hong Kong but how could you expect us to leave an apartment with a view like this. (Thank you John and Carol!)


Our first day, though it didn't start until almost the evening, we took a Star Line ferry across the harbour from Central Hong Kong to Kowloon where we saw Nathan Road, Temple Street Night Market, and a stunning view of the city skyline. Nathan Road is ba famous shopping street like almost any other in big cities, it is filled with neon lights, high end stores, and shoppers. The road was closed, however, as it was Christmas eve so festive locals, people buying last minute Christmas gifts, and more tourists than you could count packed the street. A few blocks away we found the less crowded but far more interesting Temple Street Night Market. This monument to intellectual property piracy stretches on for nearly a kilometer through back alleys with vendors selling anything you could imagine except food and weapons. We picked up a cheap binoculars that we hope will survive until Africa.

Before heading home we stopped by the Avenue of the Stars which is, in short, a sidewalk built into Victoria Harbour. The view of the Hong Kong skyline from here is legendary at any time of the year but even more spectacular around Christmas. Many buildings leave their interior lights on at night and some even decorate the outside with festive lights and messages. The result is an astounding cityscape.

We spent Christmas day lounging around the apartment, talking to family and loved ones, and enjoying a few very welcome care packages from home. We spent the evening wandering around Old Town and Lan Kwai Fong (pictured below). Despite its name, Old Town didn't seem very old - there was no interesting architecture, cultural relics or religious sites as you might expect. We did, however, find a few bustling back alleys and shops selling dried food notably lizard, octopus, and squid. Lan Kwai Fong is a small, one block area known for its nightlife - on Christmas day though it is teeming with expats who were unable to get home for the holidays. We spent a few hours making friends and celebrating with festive wassailers.

The next day we visited Victoria Peak and took a ferry out to Lamma Island for dinner. In colonial times important British families lived on top of Victoria peak and rode sedan chairs to and from work down in the city. Today wealthy people still live on Victoria peak but thousands of visitors are carried up every day in the ultratouristy Peak Tram. The view from Victoria Peak:

Later that day we took a 20 minute ferry ride out to Lamma Island located south west of Hong Kong Island. Buildings higher than three storeys and automobiles are prohibited on the island and the laid back atmosphere belies it's proximity to the city.

The myriad seaside restaurants will let you literally pick your meal of choice out of a tank. I was not brave enough to try the Geoduck, a shellfish that looks like a bloated clam with a tail. If you click on the following picture you can see the geoducks in the centre of the middle row.

We took a quick trip to Macau and caught tea at The Peninsula hotel on our last day in Hong Kong. By the time we bought ferry tickets, travelled to Macau and cleared customs, we only had about an hour and a half to explore the former Portuguese colony. Our first stop, on the run, was the iconic ruins of the Cathedral of Saint Paul. The cathedral was built in the early 1600s by Jesuits and Japanese Christians in exile, today all that remains is the facade.

From the cathedral we ran to the old town center Largo do Senado. The town square, which is actually shaped like a triangle, is notable for its black and white mosaic street and brightly colored, stucco buildings. The area has a European / Mediterranean feel and if it weren't for all the Chinese writing and people, you might forget you were in Asia.

As it is the only spot in China that allows gambling, no stop in Macau would be complete without stopping by a Casino. Since we didn't have a lot of time, we decided to skip the modern, western styled Venetian, MGM Grand and Wynn casinos in favor of the homegrown, Casino Lisboa. Although it's been recently remodeled to keep up with the competition, Casnio Lisboa with its small rooms and charmingly garish lights looks nothing like a Vegas casino. Although you may have never heard of it, in 2006 gambling revenues from Macau's casinos surpassed those from casinos on the Vegas strip - watch out!

After our whirlwind tour through Macau we had to rush back to Kowloon for tea at the Peninsula Hotel. A proper English tea service was a welcome break from not truly knowing what I've been eating for the past two months.

Please excuse, again, a hastily written post.