HONG KONG, SAR China Mar 7/8 2011

Modern skyscrapers backed by a towering mountain, anarchistic traffic patterns in the harbor, modern upscale shopping malls, ancient street markets, cars and people everywhere – this is Hong Kong today. There have been lots of changes since our last visit here just before the English handed over control to the Chinese, and they appear to have been positive ones.

We docked right next to the Star Ferry terminal in a cruise port that can only be described as transportation center meets shopping mall on steroids. The view out our stateroom window is of the Hong Kong skyline from Kowloon. A hotel room with this view would have to cost $600 a night. Getting out to the street from the ship takes at least twenty minutes of wandering through the shopping mall ( I guess that’s the idea). Marks & Spencer, Aquascutum, Burberry, Escada, Armani, etc. You get the picture. And the weird part is that all these stores are busy with customers! One good thing about the terminal was unlimited wi-fi for free.

We spent most of the first day shopping, buying nothing. Nathan Road is the main drag here having a very nice escape from the craziness of the city in an area called Kowloon Park. Set on a hill above the mayhem below, it offers a sometimes needed respite. We then walked forever to an area of town called Hung Hom in search of a guide book recommended dining establishment called Whampoa Gourmet Place. Well, we never found it even though we did find the Whampoa area. NOBODY spoke English and our Mandarin is non-existent. We had lunch with the locals in a small (16 seat) restaurant. Soup, a small salad and rice with chicken satay for two, one beer and one juice for around $10, tip included. The walk back to the ship took over an hour.

That evening we enjoyed the Hong Kong light and sound show from the ship looking across the harbor. Lasers from the tops of the skyscrapers and musically coordinated lights in each building display for 15 minutes. We could not hear the music which diminished the effect. All in all, I prefer Bellagio’s water show.

Day two we took the Star Ferry over to Hong Kong Island, walked to the bus terminal (poorly marked directions) and took a 45 minute bus ride to Stanley Market. The route passes homes of the rich and famous built into the sides of mountains overlooking bays and beaches. Stanley Market itself was one of the most civilized markets we’ve seen. One small street closed to traffic, maybe 50 yards long, with a small rabbit warren of alleys veering off to the left and right. We made some purchases and then sought out tranquility as a tour bus arrived with 40 or 50 ravenous cruise passengers descending upon the market. We stumbled upon a beachfront promenade lined with restaurants. While strolling the promenade, we happened upon a group of school children, maybe third graders. Their teacher asked us if we had a few minutes to be interviewed by the children who were learning English. How do you decline that invitation? The kids broke up into groups of 6 to eight, each having his/her own clipboard. In unison they asked questions from their list, recording the answers in listed categories on their paper. As an aside, these kids were dressed uniformly, bringing to mind the way our kids dress for school.

After a dissatisfying lunch at one of said restaurants (at three times the price of the local’s restaurant), we mosied over to the bus stop for the express bus home (no ferry). Now I know I shouldn’t say the following, but it is SO indicative of the passenger-type on this ship that it cannot go without mention. While waiting at the bus stop, one of our fellow passengers asked us, “ where were the bags for all our purchases?” He then proceeded to show us what he had purchased and dared us to guess how much he spent. He had four of those ubiquitous plastic bags, each filled with a very heavy woolen suit. The jacket was cut in the manner of a tuxedo with one button, the pants uncuffed and neither component lined. The one he showed us was a garish purple with a large green and orange embroidery on the back of the jacket. He admitted that none of his purchases would fit either he or his wife, but how could he pass up that value at $3.00 per suit?????? Oh my achin’ bacon! Keep in mind these have to fit in a suitcase to get home. I will make no more comments on my fellow travellers.

Joe Wagg