Hong Kong

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28^thMarch Hong Kong, China



We arrived in Hong Kong on a dull humid morning and docked right against the shopping centre on the Kowloon side. We were here as a stopover 2 years ago so we were looking for some down time some shopping and a bit of a different tour of the city.



Last time we were here, we did the railway to the Peak, the markets in Stanley and Aberdeen harbour. We also did the Big Buddha (another one) on Lantau Island. Also the last time we were here it was the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens and it was again this time and yet again tickets for the evening matches were scarcer than hen’s teeth.



Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and the South China Sea. The city is known for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. Hong Kong is an exciting city with the busy harbour full of sampans, junks, ferries and cargo ships. The streets are VERY crowded but full of colour with people going about their daily business.



On the 1^st July 1997, Hong Kong reverted back to Chinese sovereignty under a unique arrangement referred to as ‘One Country, Two Systems’, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of China enjoys a degree of autonomy.



There is building going on everywhere and as land is at a premium ‘the only way is up’ and they certainly are going up. The disappointing thing again since our last visit is the amount of pollution in the air.



Because we have been here recently, we opted for a tour to the New Territories which was described ‘as an opportunity to visit a side of the city seldom seen’. We obviously misinterpreted the description as we only went a few miles out to the boundary of Kowloon to an area of the New Territories surrounded by high rise buildings and building work. The New Territories cover some 385 sq miles so not to be taken out to some countryside was a bit of a shock. That aside we did visit a different part of the city away from the more ‘touristy’ areas.



The first stop was to what we thought was a typical street market (Tai Po Market) selling all sorts of dried and fresh produce, a walk through but the guide had not told us of the Man Mo Temple off to one side – built a century ago it was dedicated to the temple gods Man (Literature) and Mo (Martial Arts) – a little oasis (too much incense though).



Then off to guess what another temple, Tin Hau Temple in Lam Tsuen has a special ‘Wishing Tree’, a banyan covered with red & gold incense papers scribbled with peoples wishes.



Next to a fortified village (amongst all the high rise), a remnant of a village built by the Tsang clan in the 19^th century. It has been modernised and people from here are living next door in a new village (only 3 storeys high).



Then to the final temple of the day, Chuk Lam Sim Yuen (Bamboo Forest Monastery). An impressive temple complex (lots of steps) with three of the largest golden Buddha’s in the territory.



Our final call was to the Sam Tung UK Museum and this is what we thought we might have seen in the ‘real’ new territories. This museum showed an authentic insight into the lifestyles of villagers, who were mainly farmers with fishing on the coastal waters. Some of the historical pictures showed how modern development has completely transformed this once entirely rural area. That’s progress.



Back to the ship via the shopping centre – I went off to Nathan Road to look at cameras etc (enough said)



The second day we had put aside for some retail therapy, it was a changeover day (guests & crew) some 900 new guests today. Once outside, we had a huge thunderstorm which lasted well into the afternoon and still didn’t clear the air.



We sailed in the gloomy evening heading out of the polluted skies.



Next stop Halong Bay, Vietnam

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