Lost in Hong Kong

If China is the yin then Hong Kong is the yang. Although in name they are now the same country they couldn’t be more worlds apart. Skyscrapers line the skyline of main island of Hong Kong, businessmen run from building to building, and no one followed me through the streets begging for money. Don’t be fooled by outward appearances. Residents of Hong Kong are deeply influenced by Confucius, live by the way of Fung Shui, will pay up to ,000 USD for a license plate with a lucky number on it, and a short boat ride out of Kawloon is the world’s largest outside sitting Buddha and Disneyland.
Arriving in Kawloon from Beijing I was taken back. How could this chain of 236 islands, nothing more then a dot on the map, be one of the freest markets in the world? Not only that how could something so close to its parent country, China, be so remarkably different?
The answer isn’t as cut and dry. The history of the two countries lie intertwined. The Opium Wars plagued them, the end of the Ching Dynasty saw a flood of refugees enter Hong Kong, and for centuries no one questioned if Hong Kong was a separated country all of its one: Hong Kong was China. It wasn’t until the British made their presence in China that Hong Kong was taken for the crown, treaties were forced to be signed, and Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region, (SAR). Hong Kong was now an open port for trade and able to promote its economy, and also evaded the raise of Communism when Chairman Mao came to power, but benefited from the Shanghai business men who ran from Mao only to seek refuge in Hong Kong, which embraced capitalism.
Prior to entering Hong Kong my Chinese hosts including many travel agents in China told me that everything is the same from the weather to the money, but I found all this to be inconsistent. The mainland uses Yuan as their currency. Don’t try to use it in Hong Kong. I easily traded my Yuan as well as US dollars and Yen into the Hong Kong Dollar. Banks are open from 9am- 4:30 Monday through Friday and 9am-12:30 on the weekend. The ATMs are endless and Traveler’s checks are easily

Quick Tips:

First and fore most don’t do Hong Kong like I did; two days isn’t enough. My list of things I still want to see outweigh what I got to do. First go to the night markets. They offer everything from knockoff designer bags to kitschy souvenirs. The night market is located along the lanes of Yau Ma Tesi’s Temple Street. It’s easy to get lost finding the place and even easier to get lost leaving it, but if you get lost beyond help find a taxi to take you back. Getting lost is easy, that is why tourist stands throughout Kowloon sell shirts that say “Lost in Hong Kong.”
Travel to other islands. There are a few ferries to choose from, which travel at different speeds and cost different prices. In one direction take the Star Ferry. It might be the slowest form of transportation, but it gives you beautiful views of the ocean, Kowloon, and lush, green islands as you bypass them.
Visit Lantau Island for beautiful beaches and hiking trails. The biggest attraction on this sparsely populated island is the Buddhist Monastery where the World’s Largest Outside Bronze Buddha can be found.

Best Way To Get Around:

Traveling around Hong Kong is a breeze, especially when in Kowloon. There is a common misconception that Hong Kong is an island, but it’s much more. It actually consists of 236 islands, with Kowloon as the urban center that is actually on the mainland. Taxis are easy to find in Kowloon and ferries to other islands depart hourly. Red Taxis are reasonably priced, but there are surcharges for luggage and any toll roads/tunnels.
Along the harbor about 110 yards from the mall/the Ocean Terminal docks is the gateway to the Star Ferry. The Star Ferry prices range depending on where you are going, but for a few dollars more there is a faster ferry that leaves from the same dock and cuts travel time in half.
Throughout Hong Kong it is common to see signs that say “Octopus welcome here.” No this isn’t a welcome to the aquatic life that lives in the harbor or a trendy pet for the Chinese (which were my favorite guesses), but rather a card that travelers can use on the buses, ferries, and trams. The cards are loaded with money and can even be used at some local stores. There is a special card for tourists that allow anywhere from 1-3 days of unlimited use.
Near the Star Ferry office in Kowloon is the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA). Open Monday-Friday 8am-6pm and 8am-1pm on the weekends. There is another office located at The Center on 99 Queens Roads. Here there is a plethora of pamphlets on tours and help can be found on setting up excursions. The HKTA’s Official Guide to Hong Kong is a free publication that is offered at the office and is the next best thing to actually going to having the office near by. There phone number is 852-2-5081234.

Corrupted from the original name gau lungmeaning nine dragons, Kowloon was named for the peaks of the land that was said by emperor Di Ping to each hold a dragon. Although Chinese traditions remain strong the fact that Hong Kong was once a British colony still remains evident. Tsim Sha Tsui stands as the most popular tourist shopping area located along the waterfront. The glitz and glam of the area make it feel more like Vegas then China, but the views from the waterfront are amazing. My ship was docked at the Ocean Terminal were we got to disembarked the ship and walk into a mall that sold designer clothing. One local told me that the view I get from my porthole people pay $500 a night for at the Peninsula Hotel.
Not far from the Ocean Terminal is Nathan Road. A walk down this street is necessary just to see the grandeur of the Kowloon. The streets are lined with banyan trees and are crammed with stores. However stay away from shopping here. They are overpriced, and if you are larger then a size 6 you will be made to feel like your blubber butt is to big to get through the front door. At one shop they even remarked on how my size 4 friend needed an extra large skirt, which they didn’t think that they would be able to squeeze her into. The shops are beautiful, but customer service could make anyone feel sick. Further down Nathan Road is the Peninsula hotel, which was opened in 1928 and has made its name as one of Asia’s premier hotels. Stop by to see what luxuary is suppose to look like.
Just off of Nathan Road are several cross streets with more shopping. One cross street, Kimberley Road is chock full of clothing shops, and unlike Nathan Road’s over priced and rude customer service, you’ll find rock bottom prices and no customer service. Oh, and don’t expect to be allowed to try anything on either. Few places will allow customers to try on pants, but shirts are a huge NO-NO. Don’t even ask and don’t try to return either. Most stores have a no return policy. Hankow road is the place to find electronics, but again buyer beware. Hong Kong is considered one of the freest markets in the world, and although this sounds great to the consumer it does have major draw back, such as the government interferes on nothing. There are no set prices, and a camera in one shop can cost significantly less then in the shop next door (keep in mind all sales are final and all deals are off once you walk away; meaning that you can’t shop around). In this situation know what you want and know the prices that you are one willing to pay; and two the market value of the item you are looking to purchase. I hate to use the cliché, but as the saying goes knowledge is power.

Straying away from the posh shops that line the waterfront and Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei presents another side of Hong Kong. Although the waterfront might have the best shopping and all of the great tourist attractions Yau Ma Tei is where all of the action happens. From crowed streets and markets to cheap motels and the cities red-light district this isn’t the place most tourists would venture to unless to shop at the famous Temple Street Night Market. Sidewalks packed for almost a mile with vendors and shoppers pushing there way from stall to stall line Temple Street. The bazaar like market sets up around 5pm and runs until midnight the activity really doesn’t pick up until 8pm and dies arouind10pm. The market stretched from Man Ming Lane to Ning Po Street and attracts locals and tourists alike. Everything from knock off designer bags to CD’s as well as souvenirs can be found here.
Although the shopping is fun and cheap the real attraction is in the people who are drawn to the night market. Amateur Chinese Opera performers sing on every corner and fortunetellers lure passerby with the temptation to read their future. Small restaurants set up on the side streets to allow overwhelmed shoppers the opportunity to leave the hustle of the market and take a seat to eat and drink, while watching the everyone else go about their business. The restaurants are mainly open-air. All of the food, which usually consists of oysters, prawns, claims, lobster, and fish are placed on top of ice in full view of the shoppers nearby.
Unlike Mainland China’s markets bargaining can be done here but not in the same manner. It isn’t as intense, loud, or as dramatic, and usually only last no more then a few minutes. When bargaining remain respectful. The shopkeeper will offer a price usually on a calculator and you can give a counter offer. This can go on a few more times until a price is agreed on.
If you are looking for more specialty items veer off of Temple Street to Kansu and Battery Streets for the jade market. Buyer beware not everything that is sold here is what the shopkeeper claims. A pamphlet on jade can be found at the Hong Kong Tourist Board center that will give you the basic info on jade and what to look for when shopping.
Carry cash when shopping here. I didn’t encounter a single place that took credit cards, traveler’s checks, USD or Euro like many of the markets that I’ve encountered before. Stop at one of the ATM’s that are found everywhere in Hong Kong and get Hong Kong Dollars before heading off to the night market.

Arriving at Lantau is like stepping back in time; comparing the old China to the new Hong Kong. The villages at the pier where the Star Ferry docks are run down, but somehow they enhance the rugged beauty of the land. Nearby the docks is a bus station that takes passangers to the Po Lin Monastery. It’s not uncommon for the bus to be almost empty and include at least one monk. The bumpy ride takes about an hour (on bus 2 and 23), but is worth every minute. The views of the interior of the island are breathtaking, and just like a great novel it leaves anyone wanting to see more.
The great attaction to the monestary is the seated outside Buddha, which is the largest of its type. The steps of the Buddha are only a few yards from the monetary where tickets to go up into the statute can be purchased for HK$23. The tickets allow access into the museum or for lunch. It’s free of charge to walk around.
The Tian Tan Buddha itself sits on top of a podium with a number of stairs to get to it. It’s backdrop it the Lantau mountain range making a striking impression upon me. The Buddha seamlessly fit into the scenery leaving me to wonder if this was Nirvana that I found. Around the base of the Buddha, on the platform are several smaller, kneeling statutes that only add to the tranquil nature of the place.
The museum inside the Buddha tell the story of Siddhartha Gautama, the first Buddha. It follows his path to enlightenment as he sheds his worldly passions as a prince and seeks the path to nirvana.
Below the Buddha (there are signs guiding tourists to the star of the trail) is the Wisdom Path. It takes about 5 minutes to walk and reflect. Along the way are Chinese symbols. Don’t worry, they aren’t caution signs rather they are signs that make up the Heart Sutra. This is a prayer, which expresses the doctrine of emptiness.
A whole day should be left to explore the grounds. All though a half a day can suffice, it will undoubtedly be rushed and in the end defeat the purpose of trying to understand the path to enlightenment.

Hong Kong is a land trapped between two worlds, the east and the west. Originally a product of China later to be taken over by the British, and then given back to the PRC only to become a SAR (Special Administrative Region).

My arrival in Hong Kong was perplexing at best. Prior to my arrival I spent several days traveling through Shanghai and Beijing. Each city very different in there own right, but distinctly Chinese. Even though there was a busting city the ideals of Communism still lingered and the remains of the third world still could be seen on the streets. On the bus ride to the airport my tour guide explained that since the handover of Hong Kong the two countries were now one. They used a common currency, the spoke the same language, they ran on the same political system. Someone asked him if he had ever been to Hong Kong. He admitted that he had never been; he couldn’t afford the visa in.

My flight into Hong Kong was smooth (no near death experience as I had on the flight from Shanghai to Beijing). I was also relieved to hear the rules (such as no more then 15 pairs of underwear could be brought into the mainland) no longer applied. Once off the plane the difference could be seen immediately. Outside the doors was an unmistakably westernized city. Kowloon was the Chinese answer to New York. As my bus took me to where I was staying I watched the sights along the road. There were no motorcycles carrying entire families, chickens, ladders, and other goods like I saw on the mainland. The streets were lined with shops of designers like D&G, Louie Vuitton, and Prada. My mind was spinning. This is not what I was prepared to see. This was not the Hong Kong that I was told about in the PRC. About half way through the bus ride I realized that the tour guide was talking; apparently several of my fellow tour group members were just as confused. Our guide politely explained that Hong Kong and the mainland were still two worlds that share a united past, had parted ways, and were now trying to become one again. The currency and political system were different, although all final political matters for Hong Kong are finalized in Beijing, but the majority of those living in Hong Kong are Chinese and may or may not identify with that.

A few days later I met up with the CEO and CFO of Circle K in Hong Kong. They talked about the direction of the company as well as future expansion. My group eagerly brought up the topic of international growth. The CEO smiled and began on their plans for their entry into the foreign market of China. He talked about the laws in the mainland which did nothing to protect intellectual property rights as they do in the western worlds; price controls, which are not seen in Hong Kong; and testing out the tastes of the Chinese customer. From a business standpoint the countries are as similar as night and day. Hong Kong is the freest market in the world; the government dose little to intervene allowing free competition. However the mainland struggles to find the balance between its former communist command society ways and those of the private sector of a free market.

I cannot pretend to fully understand China or Hong Kong. My knowledge of the culture is admittingly limited. My views are clearly western in the sense that I’m constantly trying to make things black and white when there should be shades of grey.

In the end I left China knowing less then I did when I arrived; much more confused but in love the world that I stumbled onto. My time in Hong Kong reconfirmed the two worlds, one country sentiment.