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Published: March 18th 2009
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Hong Kong morning
Line for a bus in the morning Hong Kong - meaning “Fragrant Harbor” in Cantonese - is certainly a home away from home. Having gone to middle school there, it is always one of my favorite destinations. It helps that I have to visit this former British colony (returned to Chinese control in 1997) every year due to my work schedule.
Hong Kong already has the world’s greatest number of skyscrapers and yet, construction never seems to stop. As the population tops 7 million and there is a lack of available land, Hong Kong has to continue building its infrastructure to support this growth. As a result, change is constant in this city - officially named Hong Kong SAR (one of two special administrative regions of China).
I had to attend a business meeting in southern China and Hong Kong was my regular transit point. What a treat! I always try to use the opportunity to enjoy some authentic Cantonese food and to meet up with friends and families.
Even with the global financial crisis, I was not seeing a decline in hotel prices in Hong Kong. Fortunately, I found a reasonable rate at the new Courtyard Marriott Hotel. The location in the far western
part of Hong Kong island might not be the most convenient. But the price was right. And I got a room with a harbor view. I spent my first morning walking the neighborhood - visiting the market at Sai Ying Pun. This certainly reminded me of the old Hong Kong. The market was a multi-storey building where you could find small stalls selling fresh meat or vegetables or seafood. No fancy supermarket here!
The main street, Des Voeux Road West, was lined with shops selling dried seafood on both sides. All sorts of dried fish, shrimp and many others were on display. They all looked yellow and had the same foul smell to me. Some of the shops were still drying their goods on the sidewalk - right next to the street. The dust and pollution must be part of the ingredients! The smell was so strong that I walked as fast as I could past this area.
I walked all the way to Central district, the main business district of Hong Kong, and found myself in the middle of thousands and thousands of people. Hong Kong is still one of the most densely populated cities in the
Harbor reclamation
Hong Kong island is getting bigger while the harbor is getting narrower world. While more than 90% of the population is Chinese, there is a good expatriate community who are active in the commercial and financial sectors. Central district is the high rent district with boutiques such as Armani and LV occupying prime retail space. Yes, in Hong Kong, fashion name brands are all over the place.
Still sweating from my brisk walk to Central, I started going in from one air conditioned building to the next. All the major buildings in Central are connected via elevated pedestrian bridges. Or, I could go below ground where the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) systems have their stations. Either way, it was nice, clean and cool. Just follow the signs that are clearly shown in English and Chinese.
I cut across IFC Mall (Two IFC is currently the tallest building in Hong Kong) and took the open air elevated walkway to Central Pier. Along the way, I could see the harbor reclamation right in front of the General Post Office. At this rate, Hong Kong island is becoming bigger while the harbor between Kowloon and Hong Kong is getting smaller. In fact, I always wonder what are holding up these skyscrapers? A lot
Hong Kong harbor
A harbor crossing ferry with Hong Kong Convention Center in the background of those along the harbor were built on reclaimed land that was quite hollow underneath because of MTR. So how are these buildings supported?
Central Pier is the home of the Star Ferry - the cross harbor ferry terminal. It’s only a 10 minute journey but it was definitely one of the most picturesque and well worth the HK$2.20 fare for an upper deck seat. It was a sunny day and I got a great view of Hong Kong Convention Center in Wan Chai; a new skyscraper being built in Tsim Sha Tsui; other ferry traffic - some heading to Macau or China and a large cruise ship at Ocean Terminal. Once I got closer, I noticed it was Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas - the same cruise ship that I took en route to Alaska with my parents a few years ago.
The Star Ferry terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui is a hub for tourists. Maybe they just got off the cruise ship - but they all wanted to take a picture of Hong Kong’s famous skyline (much better at night). And if you don’t look Chinese, you will get approached by the Indian men who
Rickshaws for sale
Under a bridge at Central Pier are trying to sell you custom made suits - among other things. That’s still one of the tourist attractions in Hong Kong even though the price is not as attractive as other parts of southeast Asia. They never approached me though … I guess I didn’t look like a tourist even though I was carrying this big digital SLR?
My favorite destination in Tsim Sha Tsui is the Chinese Arts & Craft store - less than a block away from the Star Ferry. The ground floor has a huge display of jade, ivory and other jewelry items. Not my cup of tea. But the second floor is the place to go to find great gifts from China. There are all sorts of silk items - pillow cases, wine bottle covers, purses, table linens - and a variety of thin porcelain bowls, snuff bottles painted from the inside, wooden jewelry boxes …. in short, great variety of Chinese gifts. The price is rather expensive but the quality is good. I wanted to find something made out of silk for my wife and this was the perfect store.
Back on Hong Kong island, I decided to take the tram back
Double decker trams
Cheapest way to travel the northern part of Hong Kong island to the hotel. Hong Kong is the only place in the world that exclusively runs a double-decker tram system. Started in 1904, the tram system is the inexpensive way to travel along the northern coast of Hong Kong. There is a flat fare of HK$2.00 no matter how far or how long you are on the tram (total system length of 8 miles). It is the cheapest way to travel and enjoy the view, especially if you are sitting on the top deck. I would not recommend the tram if you are carrying a suitcase or a large bag - the aisle is very narrow and trams can be extremely crowded during rush hours.
The hotel was great once I got used to traveling by tram. I went down to breakfast at MoMo Café a little past 6:30am two days in a row and I was always the first one there. Good breakfast and great service! A few others started coming down as I was leaving. Not sure if the hotel was really that empty.
But without a doubt, the best part of the trip was the opportunity for me to get together with my high school friends
Old and new
Central business district - dinner with John at La Pampa in Soho and dim sum lunch with Alwyn at Chinese Recreation Club. It was the first time for me to hook up with them in over 10+ years. We tried to catch up as much as possible but it was certainly hard to do so in two hours or so. We promised to get together again soon - in Asia or USA. Something to look forward to …
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