Bright Lights Big City...and lots of open space!

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Ok, the long-awaited Hong Kong blast....here at last.. Only, sadly, not as exciting as the last one. Or any of the ones before that. But, I changed the font and the font size (can you see it or is it just on my end???) for your viewing pleasure. OH, that's right, and for my writing enjoyment. :-) So, here goes it, despite the length......

After leaving the Peens, I flew directly to Lantau Island, HK territory's biggest island, where, conveniently, a friend of mine I had met back in the tsunami-relief days (spring of 2005) lives part of the year and just so happened to be there as I was passing through. Incidentally, she also spent a couple of weeks in March in the Philippines volunteering with Hands On. I spent nearly 2 weeks with her on her turf -- and what a wonderful tour guide she turned out to be (not that I would have expected anything less from you, Miss Candace! :-) ).

Ok, for the unknowing, unwitting and unsuspecting, Hong Kong is not all concrete and steel. Yes, it definitely has its share of buildings, offices, shops, and traffic. To accommodate the nearly 7 million inhabitants crammed into only 1100 square KM of space , HK is a lot of UP, as is Singapore, mainly cause there ain't no mo space to put any mo damn people on ground level! What I enjoyed about the city itself, besides it's cleanliness, it's great, functional and working transportation, the beautiful architecture of many of the buildings (oh, the endless glass windows -- tres magnifique!) and observing all the ultra-high class materialism walking and zooming around me was the fact that literally minutes away from "downtown" madness were lush country sides full ofendless hiking trails that could pacify and soothe one's mind to no end. And soothe they did.

Candace took me on many hikes, some just the two of us, and others with some of her close friends from the same neighborhood. Some hikes were quite challenging, but all so lovely with wonderful views of the high rises and the different bays below that help make HK's shoreline and surrounding islands so stunning.

I enjoyed fairly clear days and nights during my short time in HK. Candace said it had been some of the most loveliest weather she had ever experienced for that time of year (beginning to mid May). Not terribly humid, no rain, no blistering heat. Temperate, moderate, manageable. Nice.

Victoria Peak, standing at 552 meters, is the highest point on HK Island. The view from up top was best seen at night, so we took the under 10-minute Peak Tram trip up 1.4 KM to the Peak Tower, 150 meters below the summit. These days, over 4 million people ride the Peak Tram annually, or an average of over 11,000 every day, according to Wikipedia. The maximum steepness of 48% could definitely be felt as we climbed up, up, up, soon giving us a bird's eye view of the harbor and all the towering skyscrapers below. We stood up top in the cool night air and enjoyed looking at the city lights glowing below us on a -- luckily -- fairly clear, if not late, night.

One lovely afternoon was spent leisurely strolling the path from one small "earthy, bohemian-like" village to another on laid-back Lamma Island, less than an hour's ferry ride from HK Island. We swam in the bay, had a picnic on the beach and watched the sun go down from the high point of the trail. Seafood restaurants, small cafes (one had really yummy mochas, too -- what a great way to start the hike!) and little boutiques could be found in either of the little communities. The ferry took us back after dark, the night was warm and the wind blew through our hair as we sat on the back deck looking up at the stars.

Stanley Market, about an hour's double decker bus ride from downtown HK, on the southern end of the island, had its share of a wide variety of inexpensive Chinese souvenirs, handicrafts, clothes, bags and shoe shops, stalls, eateries, and watering holes. You name it, they carry it, from the ultra cheap to the more luxurious items. Stanley was a delight, but the only money they managed to get out of me was on two postcards, oh, and for a sandwich at Deli France. Watching the fisherman transfer goods from the shore to their homes on the water (their sampans, small boats) was a wonderful way to pass the afternoon. Built in 1844, the Victorian-era Murray House is the oldest surviving public building in HK. It was dismantled in 1982, moved stone by stone (3000 of them in total), and has now been relocated along the waterfront. It took until 1999 for the building to open up again for the public. It is now the home of the HK Maritime Museum and, I believe, a few fine restaurants as well.

Lan Kwai Fong (or, as I called it, "The Fong Place," cause I could never remember the name) was, well, fun! This was definitely a hip and trendy place to see and be seen. Some of HK's trendiest bars and hangouts are located in this L-Shaped cobble-stoned lane closed off to vehicle traffic at night. Slightly reluctantly, I put on my best backpacker clothes (hardly....) only to find out I more than fit in. There were Chinese, there were Hong Kongers, there were Westerners; young and old; families, couples and singles ever-searching for a mate. Dressed in everything from glitz and glamour all the way down to jeans and sweatshirts. Except perhaps the wide variety of age groups, this place reminded me of my old college days -- and those were a long time ago! I sipped wine ( a nice Australian Shiraz, of which you'd be very proud, Miss Mary!!), others on the crowded streets guzzled beers or the sophisticates (or sophisticate-wanna-bes....) drank cocktails out of hi-ball glasses. Whatever. It was fun, just relaxing and hanging with the girls (sorry, and their husbands....:-) ).

Ever been to Hong Kong? Ever ride the 800-meter hillside escalator that takes you from literally one HK neighborhood to another in 20 minutes (from end to end, though you are able to get off quite frequently if you so desire)? It sure beats walking and navigating the streets and the steps! This is the longest covered outdoor escalator system in the world , used as a transit link for locals, and such the novel idea! We used this mode of transport more than once, much to my delight!

My Keen trekking sandals, after two consecutive trips tramping around South East Asia , had finally worn down enough to warrant looking for another pair. C and I took the 10-minute jaunt on the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbour to Kowloon (another shopping mecca and full of its own high rises of every size and shape), watching in awe the gorgeous HK skyline as we sailed across the water, away from it. The skyscrapers, the tall, tall apartment buildings, the massive hotels and shopping centers. HK is a beautiful city, no matter from what angle! It took an entire afternoon in Kowloon (can a girl ever get enough of shopping???) to locate just what I was looking for. Just as Candace and I walked out of our umpteenth store with no luck, we looked at each other and simultaneously said "That's enough. Let's move on. No more looking for these damn shoes!" Then, at the same exact moment, maybe one second after that exclamation, we both looked in the direction of the shop just next door to us. Of all things, it had my shoes on display on a rack in front of the store, inches from where we were standing . Someone was looking out after us! I tried on a pair, and though not the most perfect color (they are blue, my old ones are/were grey), they fit, the price was right, I bought them and we high-tailed it out of there. We stopped at a wonderful vegetarian restaurant and treated ourselves to a 5-course take away meal, which we spread out on her dining room table once we got back to her condo. We seriously indulged -- and deserved every tasty morsel of dinner that night.

Not to bore you with details, but I spent a good majority of my HK holiday in the Apple Store -- and I'm not talking the little round guys you eat! I added some hard drive space to my computer, but shortly thereafter, I started having some problems I had never experienced before, which then had me going into the IFC Shopping Center more than I wanted. Why oh why can't I get away from these damn malls??? South East Asians love to shop and shopping malls are practically on every corner in the big cities, especially in HK! I don't even go to the mall in my own city back home! Hard to avoid in this part of the world, though, as everything one might need can be found inside.

Anyway, I ended up with some problems I am still dealing with today, but at least I can USE my laptop, and at least I was in SAFE Hong Kong when my puter took a dump on me. I'm glad I wasn't in the jungles of Borneo. Where I am now. But, sadly, that's another email....at least I have already started that one! hee hee

To quote the LP Bible (a term I have affectionately coined for the Lonely Planet Guidebooks....don't get me wrong, they are great guides, just some people go overboard and think all there is to see and do in a country is mentioned in the bible, er, book), I "TOOK A LEFT TURN AT THE TOURIST TRAP AND GOT AN INSIDER TAKE ON HK…." I was so glad and am still so grateful I had a friend to show me around this massive, over populated metropolis. Besides, having an "insider take" made it all the more enjoyable! Thanks, Candace for some wonderful memories! You're the best!

More soon...sooner than you might think.......

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