I recently had the opportunity to show a couple of first time visitors around Hong Kong. They were connecting to a cruise and only had a day and a half. Additionally, the weather was hot and extremely muggy, a condition they were not used to.…Read More

I recently had the opportunity to show a couple of first time visitors around Hong Kong. They were connecting to a cruise and only had a day and a half. Additionally, the weather was hot and extremely muggy, a condition they were not used to. What to do? What to do?

Since they were staying in Hung Hom on the Kowloon side, the first leg was easy. Take the Star Ferry to Central where we could meet up easily (I live in Central). Since I had just arrived that morning after an all-night 14 hour flight from the U.S., I set up a 2:00pm meeting and they used the late morning and early afternoon to wander around and have a light lunch.

I first walked them through the IFC Mall. They aren't shoppers but malls, whether we, who live here, like it or not, are a significant part of the "Hong Kong experience." They were interested in what a Hong Kong Supermarket was like so we toured City Super, which with its Japanese flavor and ethnically diverse product offerings is surprisingly interesting to visitors.

Next we rode the escalator up to Hollywood Road, sometimes called "Antique Street." New visitors are fascinated and often awed by the escalator. I'm still slightly in awe of it after 14 years. From there, it's an easy stroll past the antique shops to the Man Mo Temple with its hundreds of burning incense offerings and praying visitors. It may not be fancy or famous but it is inherently intriguing. It’s the oldest continuously operating temple in Hong Kong. You can find a review of it elsewhere in this journal.

We continued down Hollywood Road, to Wing Lok Street, referred to as Bird's Nest Street or Ginseng Street. I tried and failed to explain why someone would pay $650 for a small container of swallows' nests. The only parallel I had was spending $100 and up for a bowl of Shark's Fin Soup. It is supposedly healthy and also gives the consumer status.

We next walked to Des Voeux Road West where many shops sell exotic dried seafood. We were on our way to the Sheung Wan Wet Market. My guests were leery of interacting with live chickens so we passed, but I still think for someone who is new to Hong Kong that visiting a wet market is worthwhile and relatively risk-free.

We then entered the Western Market which, for reasons I 'm not entirely clear about, since it has all the makings of a tourist trap, I like to visit. It’s an Edwardian-style building originally called the Harbour Office, was built in 1906 and later became a food market before closing in 1988. Two years later, it was declared a historical monument, renovated and then re-opened as the Western Market in 1991. We ordered Lemon Iced Teas at the German Bistro just inside the main entrance and I believe this helped revive my guests.

After the tea break we boarded the Hong Kong Tramways streetcar on our way to Exchange Square. The Tram is also one of those inexpensive (HK$2.00), historically interesting, and fun things to do. I sometimes take visitors all across Hong Kong Island on the Shaukeiwan Tram. We got off at Exchange Square to catch the #15 bus to Victoria Peak. Many tourists believe the Peak Tram is a must-do activity. I don't. It's expensive, crowded and offers very poor views of the Island. It's far better to take the #15 bus (HK$9.60), sit in the front row on the upper deck and enjoy the views and thrills of negotiating the narrow roads up to the Peak.

After arriving on the Peak, we strolled on Lugard Road which runs from a point Southwest of the Peak viewing platform to Harlech Road, which will take you back to the Peak viewing area. Don’t miss the Harlech Road turn-off though or you’ll end up walking all the way down Mount Kellet to Aberdeen. It's a level, one hour walk and most relaxing. If you have time and are a flora enthusiast, you can take a detour to the Peak Gardens. Along the way there are signs with detailed information on the abundant plant life here and the history of the area. There are also awesome views of both the western and southern sides of the Island.

Because of our schedule, we didn't walk all around the peak but strolled in relative solitude for 20 minutes and then walked briskly back to the Galleria Mall for an early dinner at the Two-tiered Cafe Deco Restaurant. Cafe Deco answers the question, "When is a tourist oriented restaurant not a tourist trap?" My wife, Pam, and I love it and invariably find excuses to eat there with friends, business associates and visitors.

Its menu is eclectic, offering Southeast Asian, Indian, Japanese, Continental, and American dishes at reasonable prices—given the location, the view and the quality of the food. They feature a huge fresh oyster bar with offerings from around the world. They have an extensive wine list with price points for any budget. One of my favorite attractions there is the band that plays swing-time music from 9:00 PM as well as on Sunday afternoons. They have also collected a number of Art Deco artifacts which are on display throughout the restaurant. You will find a detailed review of this fine restaurant elsewhere in the journal.

After dinner, we grabbed a taxi to drop us off at our flat and carry our visitors to the Star Ferry. I suggested they take the ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui and walk along the promenade to their hotel in order to catch the laser light show, called the "Symphony of Light" put on every night featuring Hong Kong Island's fabulous skyline architecture. I guess they were too jet-lagged, though, and instead boarded the Hung Hom ferry which deposited them less than a 5 minute walk from their hotel, the Harbour Plaza.

I'm a museum nut so I suggested we visit the Hong Kong Museum of History Saturday morning. They had only the morning available as they had to check out and board their cruise ship early in the afternoon. They had heard so much about Nathan Road that they wanted to see it but being too polite to gainsay my suggestion they agreed to visiting the museum. I love this museum and have visited it numerous times, always learning something new on each visit.

The special exhibit at this time featured the seven 15th century voyages of Admiral Zheng He to India, Africa and points in between. Most Westerners have not heard of Zheng He and his exploits which overshadowed anything Vasco Da Gama, Columbus or Magellan did 100-125 years later. It is a mind expanding exhibit but unfortunately closes May 21.

My guests absolutely loved the museum and the Zheng He exhibit, spending more time than budgeted in both exhibit areas. They said they'd walk over to Nathan Road after they boarded their cruise liner.

We said goodbye around 1:15pm. They were happy to have seen so much in such a short time. I was a little surprised myself that we were able to cover as much ground as we did in such a limited time. I think they really got a sense of the many faces of Hong Kong and an appreciation of its history, variety and ethnic diversity. Hong Kong's compactness makes it possible to cover a lot of ground in a short time.

I can hardly wait for my next opportunity to be a tour guide.

It felt like we were advancing through levels of street markets in Mong Kok like Super Mario advances through game stages. Once you hit the Ladies Market at the corner of Dundas and Tung Choi Road, you’ll plunge into a veritable canyon of stalls that…Read More

It felt like we were advancing through levels of street markets in Mong Kok like Super Mario advances through game stages. Once you hit the Ladies Market at the corner of Dundas and Tung Choi Road, you’ll plunge into a veritable canyon of stalls that pretty much stretches all the way up to the old Kowloon–China border. No guidebook that I’ve read successfully conveys what an incredible experience it is to wander these streets, even if you aren’t intent on making lots of purchases. It’s pretty hard not to, though—the prices are just ridiculous.

Make Mong Kok your first stop in Kowloon, and once you’re ready to check out the markets, go ahead and start at the Ladies Market. With stalls lining both sides of the already narrow street, we were immediately swept up into the action, unprepared for the sensory overload that seemed to increase the deeper you ventured in. Bags, toys, clothing, clocks, wristbands, towels, shoes—the merchandise offered here was like a "what’s what" of products available in the 21st century.

The Ladies Market ends at Argyle Street, but just a few short blocks up begins the Goldfish Market. On our first visit up here, we didn’t understand why this market held that name. We didn’t see any goldfish—but then, the Ladies Market didn’t cater to women, so we chalked it up as having symbolic meaning. We found more of the same bargains and interesting knick-knacks along Fa Yuen Street, and afterwards headed for the Flower Market. It was on my second visit, however, that I discovered the street next to Fa Yuen; this is where you’ll find store after store peddling all kinds of exotic fish. You could put together a pretty hip-looking aquarium if you bought your residents here.

Feeling a little worn down from all the activity in the markets and the accompanying humidity, we soldiered on up Sai Yee Street and walked through the Flower Market. Together, the flowers freshened the air like a thousand cans of Wizard, and it would have smelled even better if it hadn’t been located across the street from Mong Kok Stadium and a sewer emanating the worst stench ever.

You’ll hear birds chirping as you walk past the Flower Market, and right around the way you’ll hit the Bird Market. We didn’t spend too much time going from stall to stall. We just relaxed on some steps, guzzling water and listening to old men jabbering back and forth with the soothing sound of the birds in the background. This is actually in a pretty neat little area, and it’s surely worth a visit.

Back down in Yau Ma Tei are the other major markets of Kowloon. The much-ballyhooed Temple Street Night Market isn’t all it’s cracked up to be as far as what’s being sold, but maybe we were just spoiled by Mong Kok earlier in the day. You’ll see a lot of dollar store-type stuff here—batteries, flashlights, hats—but there are also a few booths stocked with rarities, such as a Chairman Mao–era wristwatch. Still, with all the paper lanterns lit up and a small park breaking up the area, this market is quite charming.

One other thing about the Temple Street Night Market that you won’t read in a guidebook: this street/area might as well be the site of the Porn Market too. Nowhere else in the city will you find this many porn stores all clustered together in one area. So if you’re hunting for some rare issue of "Asian Girls Gone Wild" from 1998 (you get the idea), this is the place to go.

You’ll find the Jade Market close by too. We didn’t go through it the first day, but I did take a quick look on my second visit. One thing’s for sure—there is a lot of jade here. Going south on Reclamation Street, you’ll also hit a lively produce market, and we discovered yet another street market in the area as well—it was a lot like the ones in Mong Kok.

Don’t forget that there are stores lining these streets too, behind the stalls. It’s easy to miss them, but we found a lot of great deals on sneakers and clothes at a few of these places. What else can I say? Working these street markets was completely amazing. You can’t say you’ve visited Hong Kong until you’ve gone over to Kowloon to see what I mean.

#1 - I love the crosswalks in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon! Not only are the pedestrian signals equipped with the normal lights to indicate whether to walk or not, but also a "clicking device" that gives you a clear auditory signal of when to…Read More

#1 - I love the crosswalks in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon! Not only are the pedestrian signals equipped with the normal lights to indicate whether to walk or not, but also a "clicking device" that gives you a clear auditory signal of when to cross. A slow click with medium-long pauses in between basically means "don’t walk," while a rapid click means it’s safe to cross. The clicking starts off very fast, gradually slowing down until it’s time to hold back. Does it get any more high-tech than this? CLICKING CROSSWALKS!?

#2 - Wellcome rules the Hong Kong grocery store world like the Detroit Red Wings have dominated the NHL since the mid-‘90s. There isn’t a flashier (if a grocery store can really be flashy), more interesting grocery to browse anywhere in the island. No matter where you’re staying, there’s sure to be one nearby. We liked the large outpost near Queen Victoria Park the best, though there was one in Wan Chai that had some lovely lucky cat pillows for something like HK$15. This is a great place for stocking up for your hotel/hostel—noodles, tapioca and coconut drinks, alcohol, snacks. . .even disposable underwear!

#3 - Make sure you sample all the different modes of public transit in Hong Kong/Kowloon. Take a ride on the efficient subway system (and don’t forget to stand to the right on escalators in the station), catch a bus that runs on the easy-to-understand routes, and take an exhilarating, scenic ride in a tram for only HK$2. Next to a trip across the bay on the famous Star Ferry, the tram comes with Mr. Wonka’s highest seal of approval. And now, to reaffirm that last statement in the dorkiest way possible—trust me, my word is bond, yo!

#4 - There are local bakeries everywhere–these are the best spots to grab your breakfast. There was this little spot up the street from the Newton Hotel that baked the freshest rolls every morning, all priced at between HK$2 and $5. Coconut rolls, sweet rolls, hazelnut rolls—one wing of Homer Simpson’s dream sweets factory, basically. The nice thing, though, was that I didn’t feel all nasty and gluttonous after eating these—the rolls were actually pretty light. We found that this was a pretty sufficient breakfast when combined with a cappuccino or something like that (god, that sounds so square).

#5 - Try to schedule an entire weekend for your trip. The first full day we had to walk around the city was Saturday, and it was an incredibly jolting, positive experience. The side streets were filled with stands selling fresh produce, seafood, and various knick-knacks. I was hoping it would be like this every day, but apparently these markets in central Hong Kong only run on Saturday, at least during our visit in late January/early February. Sitting clear in my memory is a bizarre fish that had fallen out of its bucket at one of the stands, and was hopelessly flopping like the fish at the end of the Faith No More "Epic" video. Besides the market, on Sunday afternoons, local women gather on the piers surrounding the Star Ferry entrance to talk, play cards, and otherwise get away from the men. I really enjoyed seeing this unique, seemingly recurring tradition.

#6 - Allow two full afternoons for exploring street markets. Check out the entries in my journal for specifics on the multitude of markets that are sprinkled throughout Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. The bargains are just incredible, and the selection runs the gamut from produce to Thai silk to designer watches and handbags. I’m sure a lot of this stuff came right out the back door of a factory—I’m equally sure a lot of it is imitation. Either way, that’s not for you to worry about. It’s so much fun to walk through these markets and check out everything. I never thought the markets I found in Berlin could be topped, but this scene in Hong Kong was just insane. I’d come back to Hong Kong just to revisit these locales again.

#7 - Don’t believe the hype—Hong Kong isn’t as expensive as advertised. You can start keeping costs down by visiting during the winter, which isn’t very cold at all. We arrived during the last week in January to perfect temperatures, and didn’t hit any rain. You don’t want to come during the balmy summer months anyway—I can imagine it getting quite uncomfortable. Our package trip for 5 nights’ hotel, taxes, airport transfers, and airfare came out to just $650 from go-today.com. Besides that, grocery stores, restaurants, public transit, shopping, just about everything was incredibly cheap. The only thing that was overly expensive was alcoholic drinks in bars, with prices that rivaled even those in NYC. Don’t get me wrong, you can spend as much money as you want here, but that can be said about any major city.

#8 - Carry around an easy-to-read, laminated map with you. My thoughtful mom hooked me up with a great map before my trip that we took with us everywhere we went. I’m not one to stand on the corner and squint at maps, looking like a bewildered tourist, but it’s easy to get turned around in these topsy-turvy streets, and having a map made it easy to keep our bearings. Try to find one that has landmarks and streets clearly indicated—Streetwise is the brand I used. It’s also advisable to keep your guidebook with you for quick address reference and restaurant/bar suggestions.

#9 - Leave at least one day for exploring outside of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. We would have liked to check out the Portuguese colony of Macau, but with only a few full days, we just didn’t have enough time. We took a ferry to Lantau, riding the #21 bus up to Po Lin Monastery and Big Buddha. This is a beautiful island, and it broke my heart knowing corporate conglomerate Disney is building a theme park out there (thankfully, far away from the monastery). You can also take short excursions to Cheung Chau, Lamma, Peng Chau, Po Toi, and Tap Mun Chau.

#10 - Do your research before you go, and watch some movies filmed in Hong Kong when you get back. It really helped to have a loosely prioritized list of sights, areas, and markets we wanted to check out, especially since we had less than a week to visit. We also picked up on everyday customs, learned a few basic phrases in Chinese, and generally prepared ourselves as much as we could. This probably seems like common sense to most, but I have friends who barely read up on foreign destinations before they visit. It was nice, too, to see the streets of Hong Kong in films like Chungking Express and Fallen Angels after just being there a few days earlier.

Hong Kong is a different world. First of all, all the people there look different. They are Chinese! And you won't believe it, but even the children there are fluent in Chinese! Old joke :) But what is really noticable is that there…Read More

Hong Kong is a different world. First of all, all the people there look different. They are Chinese! And you won't believe it, but even the children there are fluent in Chinese! Old joke :) But what is really noticable is that there are so many of them, gazillions of them, and they are used to being squooshed together like sardines. Also, to house 60 gazillion people, everything is small. The elevator, for instance, was three feet by four feet. Once my sister and I got on with a week's luggage, WE thought it was full, but two more Chinese squinched in and flattened their bodies against the wall. Every story of this 23 story building/hotel was managed by a different Chinese family. (There WAS a Sheraton one block away, but heck, who wants to go to Hong Kong to stay in a Sheraton? Not us! Our floor was called the Chung King Palace, the sign complete with red lacquer and dragons. When you exit the elevator, the halls lead in a twisting maze like a rat's warren, to the area where you check in.

The hotel room held two twin beds, four inches narrower than American twin beds, with only six inches between them. This room was SMALL! There was a private bath, since my sister Mary Ann and I are not happy with the "Community bathroom down the hall" situation. It was perhaps three feet wide by four feet deep. To shower, you closed the bathroom door and stood in the middle of the room. The shower then showered everywhere, over the sink and the toilet like an RV shower. Understand, we were paying extra for the DELUXE room! One has a choice of a window looking into the central air shaft, or an outside window. We chose the outside window, and had a splendid view of downtown Hong Kong.

Near the end of our stay, in a travel magazine, I read an article about how the notorious, rat-infested opium-den hotel Chung King Palace had been recently renovated, and the drug lords run out. It was renovated after a fire that burned out three floors, killing dozens of guests who could not find their way out of the rat's maze. But I digress...

Our bodies are still on USA time, thank goodness, because Hong Kong starts humming downtown about 5 AM. By then we are well rested, because of the time difference. My sister said she had been told to go to the parks at the crack of dawn, so we get up, dress, and go to the park. There are 65 to 75 people in this park, mostly elderly, doing this strange ballet-like dance. There is a boom-box set moderately loud, and Chinese music is playing: tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle. One woman was off from the others a little way, and the others were doing whatever she did: hands stretched out to the sun, bend from the waist, sweep your hands in a full circle until they are stretched back towards the sun... Later, I discover that this is Tai Chi, and they are getting their bodies in harmony with nature to prepare for the day. And no, they were not mimicking the woman in front. It is choreographed movements, and all Chinese know it.

I hope I don't sound like I am putting any of this down!! I am trying to paint a word picture so you can enjoy these discoveries too. It was an awesome experience!!

We walk along the sidewalks. It is still 6 AM or so local Hong Kong time, and the city is bustling. People are walking dogs, carrying packages, etc. Several times, we see elderly gentlemen walking along with a thin bamboo pole with a tiny birdcage at the end. They are "walking their birds!!"

Later in the day, surrounded by thousands of people rather than hundreds, we notice that the crowd has changed. Now, these are younger folks, dressed in western style business suits, many of them talking into cell phones. I've never seen so many people walking down the street with cell phones. I've never seen so many people, period. Makes New York City look rural!

We check out the street vendors. They are gathered along both sides of narrow alleys along with similar vendors. This one is a street of birds, with literally thousands of tiny birdcages stacked along several blocks of alley. Another is a street of fabrics; another is jewelry -- the cheap stuff. Really good jewelry buys are in storefronts, not in the alleys.

The astute shopper carries a tape measure with her, because there are no places to try things on. The garments are sized in metric sizes, and they vary considerably, so it is necessary to measure yourself or a favorite garment before you leave home, and measure the garments you like, to see if the size marked is "standard." There are incredible blouses with pin tucks and fine embroidery, made in handkerchief linen, or silk, or other fine fabrics.

We stop in an apothecary, and it looks like drug stores used to look -- hundreds of little drawers with medicinal herbs in them. The pharmacist uses a tiny scoop to spoon out the desired herb onto a beautiful little square of rice paper, and folds the paper into a little envelope which he hands to the customer. Many things which require a prescription in America are "over the counter" there.

Another street market -- this time fish/shellfish. The stench is beyond belief, because they clean the fish right there at the stand, leaving incredible piles of fish guts, scales, heads, etc. in the gutters. Naturally, there is a fly "convention" going on!! Another street, with meat hanging everywhere: pork, beef, horse, dog... Another street, and vegetables, at least ten that I had never seen before. (Some, I discover later in restaurants, are very bitter when cooked.)

The next day, my sister and I take a trip mainland to a little city that is restored, like "Old Salem" here in North Carolina, to look like a town from the middle ages. We are surrounded by Chinese tourists exploring their own history... But this is getting too long, already. The memory of our Hong Kong trip will remain for a long time...

BrainyblondeNC

Most mass transit systems are not something one generally waxes enthusiastic about, as I’m sure you’ll agree. Indeed, more often than not, they’re something that frequently provokes dismay, derision, and disgust. Hong Kong’s MTR network, however, is an exception to this rule. It is nothing short of brilliant.…Read More

Most mass transit systems are not something one generally waxes enthusiastic about, as I’m sure you’ll agree. Indeed, more often than not, they’re something that frequently provokes dismay, derision, and disgust. Hong Kong’s MTR network, however, is an exception to this rule. It is nothing short of brilliant. Although it would be nice to see a few more metro lines added to the system – and the buses could certainly stand to be less heavily air-conditioned – the fact remains that it is unquestionably the easiest and most transparent system to use that I have ever encountered anywhere in the world. It is just about idiot-proof, which is saying something.

Tickets
As is often the case nowadays, you buy your ticket from an automat; indeed, you cannot even buy a single ticket from a person. Often instructions are difficult to puzzle out. Not in Hong Kong. You walk up to the machine, look at the interactive map, put your finger on your destination, the machine displays the fare, you insert the fare, and the machine prints the ticket and dispenses your change if you have anything coming.

Boarding
You take your ticket to the turnstile, insert it in a slot, the gate opens, and you pick up your ticket again on the other side. After following the signs to the platform, you’ll find not only destination signs for each train, but the name of the next stop as well, not forgetting signs telling you when the next train is going to arrive. And if you look along the edge of the platform, you will even see markings indicating where you should stand so that you're properly positioned in front of the doors when the train arrives! I had not seen this little nicety since using the Japanese Shinkansen ("bullet trains").

On board
Once on board, you’ll note an electronic map above each door. The stations before the one you have boarded are dark; succeeding stations are lit in red. As you progress, the next stop’s light blinks. On opening the doors, the stop stops blinking – and so on. When you come to a station where you can change to a different line, the lights of all the stations on the line then blink, showing you that you may transfer to a train going to any of those destinations.

Exiting the train and station
Once you are off, follow the signs up to the concourse, go to an exit turnstile, insert your ticket in the slot, the gate opens, and your ticket is retained. Now follow the exit signs, which list major buildings and streets that are accessible from each one. Exits are named: A, B, C, etc.

Octopus Cards
If you’re there for four days or more, buy an Octopus card. With it, you merely place your wallet or purse – or whatever you have the card stored in – on the pad atop the turnstile, the gate opens, and in you go! You’ll pay a HK$50 deposit, and you must pay a minimum of HK$100 in fares. The turnstile will tell you how much money you have left on the card as you pass through the exit. If you leave the country before you have used it all up, you get every HK cent back!

If you want to get out of the city take a ferry to one of the islands. I spent a day in Lantau and a day in Cheung Chau. Lantau is bigger than HK Island but only has 17000 people. Since most people are Buddhists,…Read More

If you want to get out of the city take a ferry to one of the islands. I spent a day in Lantau and a day in Cheung Chau. Lantau is bigger than HK Island but only has 17000 people. Since most people are Buddhists, cows and bulls are considered holy animals. They roam around freely. On occasion they go through trash cans on the search for food. Lantau is famous for the world's largest outdoor bronze Buddha statue. But there is more to the island. It's a paradise for hikers with a variety of trails. It also has beaches and fishing villages. For example, the main beach in Silvermine Bay which reminded me of Santa Monica. There is a boardwalk, bike rental places, food vendors, and lovers who watch the waves roll in. The water, however, is not attractive to say the least. Bottles and garbage are floating around in typical bioenvironmental unregulated fashion. Most of the island visitors, though, take the bus to the Buddha statue. It is 100 feet tall and you'll see it 20 minutes before you even get there. It shows up dominating the hill right when you pass the prison. Right next to the statue is a monastery that is quite commercial and visited by thousands of people each weekend. You will not find any peace there. A strong scent of incense wafts in the air. Religious music pours from some speakers somewhere. Equally famous as the statue is the vegetarian meal that is served in the monastery refectory. Thousands of people get fed there. Don't miss it. For $10 you get to enjoy a classic meal in a great setting. There are more than a hundred tables so even finding your assigned seat is fun. The meal consists of soup, white rice, egg rolls, mushrooms, togan, and veggies. It's a filling meal and I stuffed myself. Afterwards people get their fortune/future read by picking a stick with a number from a bundle of sticks in a cup. A religious act, not like the fortune cookies in the US. This Po Lin (Precious Lotus) Monastery is a tourist attraction. If you want to see a more idyllic monastery you need to walk about an hour on the trail that passes by the horse stable and the restaurant. There you'll find the Po Lan Zen Monastery and I nearly missed it because I was about to turn around when I finally spotted the bell tower. It seems to be a self sufficient monastery growing its own food. Monks are dressed in simple grey. The roof of the temple is impressively decorated. And of course, since it's an hour from the nearest bus station and road not too many people make it there. On one of the gates, miles before the monastery I found the following inscription "To the great monk Sing Wai there is no time what memory". I am still puzzling over it. If you figure it out, let me know.

The second island I visited is Cheung Chau. It's a tiny island with 30,000 people making it the second most populated island after HK. It started out as a fishing village and still has a well run fish market where you can buy everything from eels to shrimp, clams, and lobsters. The island is covered with trails. One runs all around the island. I did the whole round-trip in about 4 hours. You can figure out how small the island is this way. Again, the main attractions are the markets near the ferry, the temples, and the caves. The big beaches are all polluted and not very inviting. Due to the strong breezes surfing is popular here. If you look hard enough you can actually find small clean beaches that are surprisingly attractive and a visual joy. In between the trails are small patches of woods which pass by some residential luxury apartments. The caves are not worth talking about: They are simply a 50 yard tunnel through some rocks. People on the island seem to follow a slower lifestyle compared to those in HK. In summary, it's another nice getaway to leave the smoggy concrete canyons behind.

There are more things to do in HK such as taking a train to the New Territories and to mainland China or to take a hydro foil boat to Macao. I didn't expect to cover everything in a week. There are still plenty of places left to see when I get back to HK the next time. I am already looking forward to it.

My nightly adventures brought me into many suburbs such as Aberdeen, famous for the junks, the dirty water, and the restaurants in the middle of the bay surrounded by water. Other trips showed me North Point, Yau Ma Tai, and Chai Wan. I felt always…Read More

My nightly adventures brought me into many suburbs such as Aberdeen, famous for the junks, the dirty water, and the restaurants in the middle of the bay surrounded by water. Other trips showed me North Point, Yau Ma Tai, and Chai Wan. I felt always safe, even when I was by myself. In no way would I walk around in South Central Los Angeles like this. Homeless people exist. There are not that many, but along Shanghai St. and near Ferry Rd. are several dozen. Panhandling is unheard of. Unlike San Francisco where you can't walk for a quarter mile without being asked for money and cursed at if you don't give any, nobody will bug you here. Some means of transportation stop at midnight. The subway, tram, and buses are operational past midnight. So getting home should never be hard.

The weather was perfect. The temperatures were in the 80s. Daytime temperatures were warm to slightly hot but not humid. So, were the evenings. A shirt was perfect to stay outdoors till midnight. No rain ever but a nice breeze refreshed one (assuming the air pollution was at a tolerable level). It's very cool to stretch on a chair on the open deck of a ferry boat and let the air blow through your hair while you enjoy the HK's skyline. Both HK and Kowloon have a unique skyline. From my hotel room I could see over to Kowloon which is dominated at night by the gigantic Motorola neon sign. In the bay you''d see busy ferries go back and forth and junks dumping rocks into the bay 24 hours a day to reclaim land.

Among the well known sights that are described in each tour guide are the Man To temple in Central, The Peak, and the Rolls Royce fleet of the Mandarin Oriental and the Peninsula Hotel. They are all worth checking out. In particular the steep tram ride to the top of the Peak is interesting. Once on top, there are trails from which you can view all of HK Island. One trail is rather short, 20 minutes, from where you can view the eastern regions. The other trail is 45 min long and gives glorious peeks of south, west and north HK Island. Sunset is of course the best time to do this leisurely hike. You can then watch the sun settle behind other smaller islands and watch how the city turns into an ocean of lights. Doing this hike also shows you that not all of HK is high rises. Here many acres are untouched, covered with semi-tropical trees and bushes. If HK wants to grow beyond its current inhabitation then there is obviously still room for it. It's nice to see that there are still getaways left were one can recreate.

You think I ate a lot of rice in HK? I know you've heard the "all the rice in China" line (or was it tea?), and you''ve all eaten Chinese take-out with rice in the States, but I was pretty much rice-free in HK. The…Read More

You think I ate a lot of rice in HK? I know you've heard the "all the rice in China" line (or was it tea?), and you''ve all eaten Chinese take-out with rice in the States, but I was pretty much rice-free in HK. The reason is simple. I am in wheat country. What do you make with wheat? No, not bread, which seems rare to non-existent, but noodles. Remember when you were small, and told that Marco Polo brought back noodle technology to Italy? Well, before I got here, I went along with the idea, but I was skeptical. If not pasta, what did the Italians eat before noodles? And even after noodles, what did they put on 'em before the arrival of the tomato from the New World? After my third day in HK, and the sixth meal of a bowl of noodles with a light meat and vegetable topping, I realized exactly how the Italians survived. Every single dishe on this island was noodle based. Usually served in a bowl with mixed toppings, the noodles can be rice, wheat, or egg and each are prepared in front of your eyes. No, not from the box, we are talking a guy kneading the dough and dropping the super-fresh noodles he just pulled, into a cauldron of boiling water. After a few minutes, the fresh stuff cooks way faster than the box variety, its scooped into the bowl. The toppings are added just before your handed this steaming mass, which usually sets you back around a dollar or less. The trick, once you have the food, is to mix it for a while before you eat it. The toppings are usually cold, the broth cool, and the noodles boiling hot. Mixing the ingredients will cool the noodles and heat the toppings, while mixing the flavor all around. Once it is an edible temperature, the slurping begins. Chinese do not eat noodles, or anything else for that matter, quietly. They don’t spin the noodle on a fork, or break them in half before boiling. They use the chopsticks, which I'm damn good at by now, to pull a mass of noodles to their mouths. Then, with suction forces that not even scientists can explain, they suck the entire noodle group up, long tailing noodles and all. Eating is very messy, with a few of my shirts no longer fit for public viewing and the restaurant floors scattered with bones, greens and spills. Messy, but one of my favorite activities in this fast-paced city. Hey, I have even dragged friends to my favorite noodle shop, well more like a stand, just to see how did they react. Most noodle shops are not much more than a table to knead on, a kettle of boiling water, a few eating tables and stools. No walls, roof, or even tablecloth usually, just you, your food, and all the other customers staring at the laowai who likes local food. Close

The last few decades have seen lots of growth in Hong Kong in many areas. If my grandmother were to ever return to Hong Kong, she would be shocked at how things have changed over the last 50 years. There are plenty of new skyscrapers,…Read More

The last few decades have seen lots of growth in Hong Kong in many areas. If my grandmother were to ever return to Hong Kong, she would be shocked at how things have changed over the last 50 years. There are plenty of new skyscrapers, although some of them are rather nondescript in design. Here is a brief look at some examples of contemporary architecture that have made a splash upon the Hong Kong skyline.

The Lippo Centre was designed by architect Paul Rudolph and completed in 1987. Its two glassy towers break out of the box by having external forms which create a repetitive interlocking pattern. As most people like to give nicknames to big buildings, some have called this the “koala” towers as these exterior shapes look vaguely like koala bears clinging onto tree trunks. Well, it helps to have a vivid imagination.

Cesar Pelli has been a busy architect in Hong Kong in recent years. Cheung Kong Centre is a fairly dry rectangular shaft of 62 stories completed in 1999. Its clean modern design cleanses the architectural palette as it stands between the flashier Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and Bank of China towers. Pelli gets to show off a bit more with his design of Two International Financial Centre tower. Completed in 2003, IFC Two tops the Hong Kong skyline at 88 stories and 415 meters in height and miniaturizes the earlier IFC One and its 38 floors. The gently tapering profile of IFC Two does not offer a signature look but at least it has a reasonably attractive design, a quality that is not a mandatory goal for such a huge skyscraper.

Moving eastward to the Wan Chai area, the large expansion wing of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre juts out onto Victoria Harbour and dominates this part of the landscape horizontally. Designed by the architecture firm Skidmore Owings and Merrill and completed in 1997, this slick complex has been described as a stingray and a giant cockroach (quite a Rorschach test!). Have a stroll around the exterior for spectacular views of this metropolis that is Hong Kong. Have a glance at the Reunification Monument column and the golden Forever Blooming Bauhinia sculpture along with busloads of tourists from mainland China.

The behemoth Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok is way out on Lantau Island, and is definitely a different beast than the former airport that was tucked into Kowloon. British architect Norman Foster designed this high-tech facility, an engineering feat that is impressive in scale, design and efficiency. Its pleasing rhythmic design lessens the impact of its sheer sprawl to make the flying experience just a bit better since opening in 1998.

The morning we spent just lazing around, reading some new magazines we had bought and drinking our grande lattes from the Starbucks down the street.We had lunch at this great place:The Press Room 108 Hollywood Road / Central Tel: 2525 3444I had the club sandwich…Read More

The morning we spent just lazing around, reading some new magazines we had bought and drinking our grande lattes from the Starbucks down the street.

We had lunch at this great place:
The Press Room
108 Hollywood Road / Central
Tel: 2525 3444
I had the club sandwich (with avocado and lobster… great combo!) and my husband had their hamburger which he said was wonderful. With fizzy water the total was around 200 HKD.

Next door is a little deli / sandwich shop called "Classifed" which also looked really nice.

Did some more wandering and ended up near Pacific Place in Admiralty. Then took the metro back to Causeway Bay and to our hotel. But before heading to the hotel, we stopped in Times Square (which became our "mother ship" during this trip) food court for a quick early dinner.

Curry in a Hurry
Times Square basement food court (beside City Super)
We thought it was great. I thought the naam bread was delicious and my chicken curry was good! It was a very filling meal.

Our last day:
Spent our morning packing, repacking and packing again. Did some last minute shopping nearby.

We also had time to see a movie at the ifc cinema. We watched the "Darjeeling Unlimited" (Wes Anderson’s latest work) which had just come out. Fantastic! We loved the cinema in Hong Kong. When you buy your ticket, you get to pick your seats, just like you would when you would go to a concert. The seats are super comfortable and it was a good experience.

We took the Airport Express back. I love how you can check in and get your boarding pass at the train station downtown. Brilliant! Saved us from lining up at the airport for our boarding passes and thus, more time at the duty free shops.

Our flight back was good. We were home on Sunday and back to work on Monday.

Last thoughts:
January in Hong Kong is wonderful. Hong Kong felt extremely safe, even the nights that we were out late. Language was never a problem. We always found people who spoke English in whatever store or restaurant we were in. Menus all had English on them. Transportation is easy… the metro is great. The double decker buses… well, you just have to go on at least one! Stanley is perfect for an easy half day out of the city. We (sort of) regret not being able to go to Macau for the day, but there’s always a next time!

Shopping and eating out was fabulous and we honestly did not have a bad meal anywhere. We ate Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Chinese. Close