Hong Kong Visit

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Hong Kong is as vibrant, in a different way, as Shanghai. The long time British control and separation from “Mainland China” (from 1842-1997) pervades the physical makeup. With the British left hand traffic and Chinese right-hand driving vehicles having either right or left driving positions, owners procuring license plates good in Hong Kong must spend many additional dollars to display a license plate good on the mainland, if they choose to go there. Spread over 1,092 square kilometers, Hong Kong consists of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon across the harbor with the New Territories, and several smaller islands. 3 million active citizens inhabit these islands and territories. We boarded a bus to visit Victoria Peak to see the sights, crunching our way through rush hour traffic. Unfortunately, the presence of 5 other cruise ships in port with their sightseers precluded our going to the top on the tramway and so our sights were confined to limited gazes of the skyscrapers from above. Repulse Bay (named for the British warship) allowed for a visit to the unique Hong Kong Life Guard Society’s multi religious icon display that provides the dual purpose of raising funds for charity and warding off the evil spirits causing drowning. Only icons for Buddists and the local religion are used since other religions claim they are the only true religion! Ironically, since the establishment of the shrine collection the drownings stopped!

We then drive through one of three tunnels going under the harbor from Hong Kong to Kowloon and traverse the Tsingma Bridge and Lantau Island. Returning to Hong Kong we again pass by Hong Kong’s tallest building housing the Ritz Carleton Hotel. The following day we have a chance to take the ship’s shuttle bus into “Central” and board the Star Ferry for Kowloon and a quick tour of the historic Peninsula Hotel. The afternoon tour visits the historic Tin Hau Temple with its unique pyramid incense sticks on a location that used to be waterside to support fishermen but, due to landfill programs, is now hidden from the harbor by acres of high rises. We saw a slice of the real Hong Kong with a visit to the “wet market” of live and other fresh fish and meat available to the public. The fish were flipping around and the meat was hung in full view. A short ride on the public, double decked tram along an electrified railway in the middle of the street (operated since 1904) took us to the Western Market of raw herbs and spices from Ginseng and dried shark fins to dried locusts and sea cucumbers. Sampling of tea at a local café culminated our exposures to the “traditions” of Hong Kong.

One of the unique aspects of berthing here is that the ship next door is <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Logos Hope- the largest floating book fair in the world. A Christian mission designed to educate people of the world through books, it spends months in various ports with the opportunity for locals to purchase books of their liking from a wide variety of titles and subject matter. After two wonderful days we sail for Vietnam.

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