Hong Kong

The food, the people, the view from the Peak, Stanley Market, Landtau Island, the subway system. Everything was awesome there. Try to visit as many shops and places as possible. Electronics shopping in Kowloon can be interesting as well. Also, check out the Lan Kwai Fong party on weekend nights.

Quick Tips:

With just a few words of Chinese, you can do fine. Many people speak English. ATMs are everywhere, so traveler's checks are not necessary. There are tons of places to get a good suit made, I found Tony's in the Fleet Arcade to be great.

Best Way To Get Around:

Taxis are cheap and the buses run frequently. As a Westerner (slang is gwhy-lo spelled phonetically), you can walk anywhere at any time in Hong Kong (not too sure about Kowloon) and feel pretty safe. The MTR (Mass Transit Railway) is a great way to get from place to place. You must also try the Star Ferry across the harbor for some incredible views.

The LA Cafe. What a great place when, and I know I shouldn't say this, you are sick of Chinese food. The waitstaff was awesome (you can hang out with the waitresses down the road in Wanchai on Sunday nights) and friendly. We hung out there a lot. The food was good and it really is nice to just take a quick break and feel a little at home when you're so far away.

This was a great experience. We had a small group together for some local cuisine. I had the duck, which needed to be ordered in advance. My friend Leslie called a couple of hours ahead of time and made the necessary reservations and duck orders. This was one of the most authentic meals I had during my trip.

Kublai's is a Mongolian Grille. Basically, it's a big salad bar of beef, lamb, pork, squid, fish, and toppings that you put in a big bowl and set on the kitchen's windowsill for them to cook up. There is so much there and it all looks so good that I ate a lot of things that I would not normally touch, like fried tofu. Who would've know that it tasted that good? Well, anytime I see a Mongolian Grille now, I always stop, but it's never the same. I even stole a set of the chopsticks! It also has a great view of some of the more popular bars in Wanchai, which can be very entertaining.

The Big Buddha is a pretty amazing sight to see. He is about 50 feet tall and sits atop a large hill. There are stairs leading up to it. There is even a restaurant inside of him. We walked up the stairs in amazement. All along the outside of him are smaller (about 15 foot tall) statues of goddesses making offerings. People attempt to throw coins into their outstretched hands. All around the bottom of the hill are sights to see as well. There are temples and arches and many places to take pictures. We also found a small pathway that led around that portion of the island and offered a view of the new airport, Chek Lap Kok.

From the park outside the Governer's Mansion, you can take a ride up the Peak Tram to the Peak. The cost is about $10. It's about a 30 minute wait and a 10 minute ride up the hill all the way to the top. From there you can dine in some really nice outdoors restaurants or just hang around and look at the views of the city and Kowloon. You can even see Green Island at the entrance to the harbor. There is also a little mall in the visitor's center. We ate at a nearby restaurant and then took a walk around the pathway that extends from the Peak. It was about a 45 minute walk or so that led to the Midlevels, where the nicer apartments are. Along the path are some amazing views and some of the much much nicer homes that overlook the harbor.

At the Stanley Market, anything goes. The first thing that I saw were rows upon rows of Banana Republic, Eddie Bauer, Gap, Polo, everything... Once you walk into a shop, it can take a long time to leave. Essentially what happens is many of the clothes that we purchase in the US are made in China or Hong Kong or somewhere nearby there and shipped through Hong Kong. I am certainly not one to ask, but it is just assumed that these are factory seconds (yeah right). Although some are, many are just like new. I purchased several shirts, jeans, and even a really great jacket at more than 75% off what I would have paid at my local mall.

The bus to get over there takes about a half hour through some windy roads, but once there, it is amazing to see how the other side of the island lives. You would never know that one of the world's most crowded cities was just over the hill. In addition to the awesome clothes, there are also a lot of local wares. I brought back around 20 of those cards with my friend's and coworker's names written in Chinese for cheesy gifts. Definitely not worth missing, even if you are not a shopper...

The Wong Tai Sin Monastery is a great place to spend a couple of hours. One of the best parts about it is the proximity to the enormous buildings around it, but the feeling that you are out in the middle of nowhere. It has amazing gardens filled with turtles (they're good luck) and all sorts of fountains. There is also an altar where you can find many people burning incense and shaking cans of sticks (I think they are called jaw sticks) in order to discern their fortunes. A cultural place that should not be missed.

We went for a friend's birthday. That meant a table in the front. Actually 3 tables, but we knew the owner and the band, so we were lucky to get them. Just to give you an idea on the drink prices, for a table, you must buy a bottle. We decided on vodka. A bottle of Absolut and a pitcher (small) of cranberry juice...over $225 US!!! I couldn't believe it. But, the band was great, the people were nice and we had a blast. Definitely a younger crowd, but well worth checking out one night. For a cheaper night, head down to the main drag in Wanchai. Definitely fun too...

I went to Hong Kong for a couple of reasons, to visit friends, experience a new culture, and to come home with a tailored suit. Once I got there, I had the fortune of a really good referal by my friend that lived there. We went down to the Fleet Arcade on Fenwick Pier in Wanchai and talked with Tony. He is a really nice gentleman in his early 40's. After a couple of minutes, we got down to business. We picked out a good fabric and did a little measuring. I was happy that last part went quick. Within a week, he called me to come back for a fitting and within a day, there it was, my first tailored suit. It really did turn out great. And, you can't beat the price. For less than what a tailored shirt would cost in the US, I had a great suit and a shirt as well. Remember though, over there they wear the collars tight. Tell him to make it loose or you'll regret it... Always the entrepreneur, he has also opened a wine and cigar shop. Definitely worth the visit next time you're in Hong Kong. Telephone: 2511-2312.

The MTR is the best subway I have ever been on. It is relatively cheap, well marked and very clean. You can travel from one end of Hong Kong to the other in just minutes. The stops are all clearly stated in advance, so you can know if it's time to get off the train or not. Very unlike Boston, where unless you are from that city, you cannot understand a word the conductor says! One stop you can be at the horse race track. Just a few seconds later you'll be buried in a mass of electronics stores or just steps away from an old monastery. Another great thing is the cellular antennas inside the train passages. No matter what it might look like on the outside, this is a very modern city. And they can't live without their mobile phones. The MTR is the best way to get around the city and even to and from the airport. One thing to remember about Hong Kong that is very important, if you need to travel from one side of the harbor to the other, this is about the only way, short of the Star Ferry. Good luck getting a cabbie to go across without charging you a small fortune.

During one day, we took a side trip to Macau. This is an amazing place. It has approximately the same history as Hong Kong, but instead of being under British rule, it was under the Portuguese. Macau was handed back to the Chinese government in 1999, around a year after Hong Kong was returned. We visited the Museu de Macau, which has a fascinating exhibit on the parallels of Eastern and Western societies. It was only $15 in Macau dollars to get in per person. The museum was all about the culture of the area and how Macau came to be what it is today. The building is an old fort and you can walk around on top around the old walls and around cannons and turrets. A great side trip from Macau was to Zhuhai, Mainland China. This was one of the most interesting things I've ever seen. It was extremely third world, with carcasses of animals hanging in the streets for sale and other really strange caged animals and snakes that the local restaurant would kill and cook right there...way outta my league! The people were somewhat friendly, although always trying to make a buck. There are some bargains to be had, but you must haggle and be ready to just walk away. Remember that you need a special visa (more expensive for Americans too!) before you even try to get in. Once back in Macau, we shopped a little and wandered the streets. Everyone there is on mopeds it seems. You have to watch out for them. One of the last things we did before leaving was to wander around an old cemetary. There were many graves of US Navy personnel that died there in the 1800's. Very interesting to read the headstones. To get home, I suggest taking the TurboCat. A little more expensive, but you'll be happy you did.