Dim Sum, Prada, and My Octopus Card

I love Hong Kong and if I had to choose between visiting Paris, Hong Kong or New York I would choose... Paris. But Hong Kong only loses because I have a thing for French men and their accents. Shallow but a valid reason none the less.

But all three cities have the same key criteria:
- Energy and excitement (the bustle and flow of New York without all of the jaywalking)
- Great shopping (the shopping of Paris but where you can find Prada at a 20% discount or 99% discount if you frequent the night markets)
- Amazing food (the only Dim Sum to beat Vancouver's)

Quick Tips:

When sightseeing in Hong Kong (in the city and especially in the outskirts) I would suggest you carry the following:

1. Water - it's hot pretty much all year round and if you're not used to it you are going to sweat. Even when it's raining it's hot and you won't see your sweat for the rain. I've seen grown men faint in the heat - keep hydrated.

2. Damp face cloth or handkerchief - speaking of sweat you are going to want to wipe your brow many many times and the damp cloth will have a cooling affect. If you look around you will see many locals beating the heat this way. I usually swipe one from the hotel (returning it at the end of the day, of course).

3. Napkin - if you used your handkerchief for the above you are going to want to bring a napkin too (also easily swiped from the hotel). Some restaurants do not provide napkins and do you really want to use that sweaty old thing to wipe your mouth?

4. Toilet paper - the washrooms in many of the 'authentic' tourist sites do not have TP in the stalls. It is usually on a big roll by the door but you aren't going to remember to grab some so put a few spare squares in your bag. Or you can cheat with paper napkins and cover point 3 & 4 in one go!

5. An Octopus card (see below).

6. An umbrella - if it's rainy you need one and if it's sunny you need one. Just have one!

7. A sweater. The air conditioning in some restaurants, ferries, taxis, shops and movie theatres is set to 'icy'.

Best Way To Get Around:

The minute you get off the plane buy your Octopus card.

This is your ticket to transportation anywhere. Taxis are cheap but you'll find that sometime the ferry or the MTR (subway) is just easier and faster. The Octopus card means no fumbling with change and you can use it to buy water, chocolate bars, and other little things.

Even McDonald's and Seven Eleven accept Octopus (don't laugh at me because I go to McDonald's - in every country I visit one because I want to know what they have for me to dip my fries in - in Hong Kong it's sweet chili hot sauce).

Octopus means skipping the line ups at the Star Ferry and not having to work out where you are and where you’re going (you pay your fare based on distance). Just slam your card on the reader and you’re off. Local’s don’t even take their cards out of their wallet or purse – they just slide the appropriate body part along the scanner and keep on walking.

There are three Marco Polo hotels along Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui—the Marco Polo Gateway (first on the road), the Marco Polo Prince (has an amazing Asian Buffet) and the Marco Polo Hong Kong.

The clientele is a mix of business and tourist, a mix of Asian and European, and a mix of the comfortable and the confused. The room rate is standard for the area but the rooms themselves are a bit larger than most in the area (e.g. the Langham)and I think just that little bit better.

To a business traveller who thinks all rooms look alike the smallest things can make a difference:
- Fresh fruit in the room (the peaches were delicious)
- A separate dressing room with lots and lots of hangers
- Economical mini bar (a beer only $3CDN where in a US mini bar it would be 6 or 7)

The lobby bar makes a mean Mohito and I recommend getting the classic first and then the frozen second. The frozen Mohito does look like a big mint Margarita but after a long day shopping it hits the spot.

The hotel is linked up to a series of malls so you can shop and eat without ever leaving the comfort of air conditioning. But you’re going to have to go outside eventually!

Sitting right next to the Star Ferry the hotel is perfect for companies with business in Central Hong Kong who don’t want to pay Central prices (e.g. the Ritz).

I had visited Hong Kong many times before but each time something came up and my trip to the Tian Tan Buddha was cancelled. I’m sure there is some kind of parable in that experience but just as I am a bad vegetarian, I am also a bad Buddhist.

The bus (No 2) trip to the top has a few scenic points along the way with views of the ocean and not so scenic points of the sewage plant and a prison. The location of the prison was a bit cruel – on the hill next to the ocean with Hong Kong in the distance so that sitting in your cell looking at beauty and freedom would be hell.

I stepped off the bus and wondered if I should ask someone where the Big Buddha was. Luckily I looked to the right before asking. Damn, that’s a big Buddha. Twenty six meters (85 feet) high on top of a three story building at the top of the peak the Buddha is unmissable (and the world’s largest sitting Buddha).

I stopped and admired the style of his pose. His curly hair signifies wisdom and long ear lobes happiness. The right hand with the palm forward is to indicate the end of human suffering and the left hand in his lap facing upwards is to show that all humans deserve happiness.

Up the stairs, fourteen at a time with a rest in between only when required. The view from the top is quite beautiful and I only wished that the location wasn’t so ‘touristy’ as I felt I should have stopped for a quiet moment of contemplation. No luck with kids from about sixteen different cultures running around. Now I’m sure there’s another parable there…

If you choose to pay admission, you can go inside the statue to view the wood prints, a huge engraved bell and the relic of Sakyamuni (otherwise known as Buddha) which is said to be a piece of his cremated remains.

The relic is the size of grain of rice and is so protected that you can’t even see it. You can only ‘view’ the relic through an enlarged photo. I couldn’t help laughing (great big Buddha, little piece of Buddha).

The highest balcony offers the best views and brings you above the noise of the crowds. I couldn’t quite manage contemplation but I did get about seven seconds of reflection.

After walking down the stairs to the Po Lin monastery I visited the tea garden and what felt like a hundred temples each with its own statue of Buddha. I encourage you to explore because just when I thought I had gone to the edge of the monastery I found another chapel and another Buddha.

I couldn’t find the "Wisdom Path" (the last lesson I’m sure I missed) which leads to a very large Heart Sutra wooden inscription to symbolize infinity. But I wasn’t too heart broken as I know I will return again.

1. Scream loudly and run back to the taxi stand.

2. Phone taxi dispatch and offer a reward for your purse.

3. Realize that your passport is in the bottom of your purse and scream loudly again.

4. Reflect on your stupidity.

5. Phone taxi dispatch again and raise reward.

6. Contact your hotel and tell them about the taxi, purse, reward and stupidity.

7. Realize you are in the right town to buy another purse. Note personal preference (I suggest Prada).

8. Cancel all credit cards.

9. Order new credit cards.

10. Call Canadian consulate and admit stupidity. Remember: Credit cards before consulate - bad men can rack up a lot of debt before they can use your passport to plan terrorist activities.

11. Report purse loss to police - if you are in a 'nice' hotel they will do this for you. Keep copy of police report. You will need it to show to consulate and to Chinese immigration to get out of country.

12. Go to sleep reviewing stupidity over and over again in brain. Eventually fall asleep to dreams of Prada.

13. Get new passport pictures. The only way to get out of the country is get a new passport and that requires new pictures. If you want your photos to pass inspection think mean and try to look like a spy. Friendly happy Canadians get their pictures rejected.

14. Phone friends back home to confirm they will confirm you are Canadian (get cell phone number and addresses) when consulate calls. Note: Extremely difficult to do on Canadian holiday weekend and sixteen hours ahead with friends ‘celebrating’ the end of summer.

15. Show up at consulate and get in line to admit stupidity again. Consulate staff love admissions of guilt and stupidity. Consulate staff do not love obnoxious, rude Canadians who believe that they should not have to prove who they are.

16. Fill out many, many forms. Sign many, many forms. Get in line again.

17. Pay about two hundred dollars Canadian for two passports (one blue, one white).

18. Agree to swap white for blue upon return to Canada.

19. Go home to hotel. Admit stupidity to business colleagues.

20. Force colleagues to buy you dinner and Mohitos as you have no credit cards.

21. Try to convince colleagues to buy you Prada as you have no credit cards.

22. Admit that new credit cards are coming.

23. Accept dinner and Mohitos.

24. Eat weight in seafood and drink eight Mohitos.

25. Sleep.

26. Phone consulate to confirm that drunken friends confirmed you are Canadian.

27. Apologize for drunken friend. Assure consulate that you are not a drunk (no mention of eight Mohitos) and are a good Canadian.

28. Go to consultant and get in line again.

29. Get white temporary passport.

30. Be glad you are a Canadian.