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Published: October 10th 2010
Care about the Carbon?
Not when all these are left on all nightPhewey we’ve made it and phewey the rucksacks seem heavy. They are not actually much heavier than the last trip, but after months of not having them attached to our backs it seems strange to don them again. Anyway, our train to London, tickets having been purchased on megatrain at the billy bargain price of £13 for the both of us, was the beginning of our adventure. Although we ended up at Heathrow considerably earlier than we would normally it seemed a small price to pay for getting tickets so cheaply. Surprisingly we found a stowaway on the train, which turned out to be none other than Matthew’s first ever teddy bear, so we agreed that Sir TEDmund Hillary could come with us on our trip as long as he kept in regular touch with Matthew via email and photos.
We were slightly apprehensive about the long flight to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific (scab class), but were pleasantly surprised. The flight was full, the service was good and the leg room surprisingly spacious. We hadn’t been able to book seats together, the best we had been able to get were aisle seats one in front of the other, but
Just like New York
only they eat with sticks and write in pictures very kindly the lady who sat next to Chris was more than happy to swap. Unfortunately for her during the whole journey her TV didn’t work, so feeling very bad about the whole thing we eventually asked her if she wanted to swap back, but she didn’t and luckily Cathay Pacific gave her some vouchers (rightly so). So thank you very much unknown generous lady on the plane.
Hello Hong Kong, on the one hand a bustling, crowded, energetic and vibrant concrete jungle and on the other a type of high rise slum. The most important thing to do is look up to see how the people live. As the city is so restricted for space they have built up and often the most beautiful shop frontage for the most expensive designer shop provides a stark contrast to the shabby higher levels of the sky rises. So look up we did.
Hong Kong is one of two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China; the other being Macau. Following British rule from 1842 to 1997, China assumed sovereignty under the 'one country, two systems' principle, with its constitution assuring that Hong Kong’s present political situation would
The light fantastic
every night it's a great show over the harbour remain in effect for the next 50 years. Located on the south-east tip of China, Hong Kong covers Hong Kong Island, Lantau Island, the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories, including 262 outlying islands. With a land mass of just 426 sq miles and a population of 7 million people (5% of these being foreign nationals - with 2 more for a week!), Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world, only too apparent when walking through the city streets. Between Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula lies the natural deep water of Victoria Harbour.
On our first day we decided to just spend the day walking around the city to get some idea of its layout. We followed a walking tour which took us round the central district of the city, where the government’s headquarters and financial centre are located alongside Hong Kong Park and the Botanical Gardens. One thing the walk reinforced in our minds, and on our calf muscles, was how steeply the city rises and falls in tune with the surrounding mountains which not only restrict its outward growth but also offer some protection within its gigantic embrace. Mingled
Colonial Reminder
the old wailway station in amongst the modern and exciting glass and steel buildings are glimpses of Hong Kong’s colonial past. Our walk began in Hong Kong Park with the oldest western building Flagstaff House, which was erected in 1846 and was formerly known as Headquarters House but is now converted into the Museum of Tea Ware. Walking through the park provides a place of peace away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but reminders of it are never far away as the gleaming glass skyscrapers provide a towering backdrop and stark contrast to the park’s tranquillity. The walking tour provided us with glimpses of Hong Kong’s rich heritage, although some of the directions in the guide book left a lot to be desired and we had to backtrack a few times to find the correct route. One of the most interesting modern architectural designs is that of HSBC’s main building which looks as if it is inside out. It was designed by the British architect Lord Norman Foster and is constructed entirely of structural steel without any reinforced concrete inside. This building is just one example of how modern ideas blend and complement tradition. Guarding this modern edifice are two bronze
lions and tradition has it that it is good luck to rub their paws; needless to say they are very shiny where they have been rubbed a lot!!!! Also, it is raised from the ground as feng shui dictates that the government building, to the north of HSBC, should be accessible in a straight line with the main point of arrival on the island, the Star Ferry.
The business part of the city was very quiet on our first day because we had arrived on Chinese National Day, when the founding of the People’s Republic is celebrated. Luckily for us as well as the usual light show in Victoria Harbour, where strobe lighting and the skyline are seamlessly mixed to music, we were going to be amazed with a firework display. As we made our way to the harbour area, we realised where all the people had got to, it was absolutely packed with tourists and locals alike who only slightly outnumbered the Police. We were amazed at how many Police there were, obviously the locals tended to get a bit rowdy on a night out!!!!! The fireworks were fantastic (not quite as good as Sydney at New Year)
Nearly Sydney
but not quite but a close second, and the only signs of rowdiness were the oohs and aahs of the crowds as the sky was literally lit up. Great display.
After all the excitement of the night before, and due to a nasty case of jet lag, we decided to spend the day relaxing and trying to organise our transportation for the next part of our trip into China. This required some searching as we soon found that flying from Hong Kong to anywhere would be extremely costly. We finally decided on getting a train over the border to Guangzhou and flying from there to Shanghai instead of flying direct from HK.
The following day, a short ferry ride over the harbour saw us on Kowloon, which has a completely different feel to it than HK Island. It is much more for the tourist, with crowded backstreets of restaurants and shops which range from those selling the cheap and cheerful souvenir tat to Gucci and Chanel - and boy do the locals love to shop. The queues outside of the designer shops were quite something to see; we are not sure why there were queues because the shops certainly weren’t busy
Brucey
is a god in Hong Kong but as soon as one came out one went in - all very civilised. We had lunch in a very nice local cafe type place, couldn’t tell you the name as it was written in Chinese. We sat next to some very nice local girls who took it upon themselves to help us out with the ordering and sorting out the waitress when our noodles didn’t turn up. They kept apologising for the delay even though it was nothing to do with them, as if it was a slight on the whole country. They were very nice and even though we couldn’t have much of a conversation we tried our best and managed to convey our gratitude for their help - thanks girls. But the food was lovely when it eventually arrived. A walk along the harbour and we found ourselves on the Avenue of Stars, a tribute to Hong Kong’s film industry along the lines of that other well known showbiz road - Hollywood Boulevard in LA. Got to be quite honest we hadn’t heard of most of those immortalized, but even we had heard of such stars as Bruce Lee (who also warranted a rather large statue) and
Peak of the peak
great view of HK from here, shame we're in the way Chow Yun Fat. The day ended with an open air Jazz Festival and another viewing of the Symphony of Lights.
Next day we took a trip up to Victoria Peak, or The Peak as it is locally referred to, on the peak tram which is actually a funicular railway. A real weird feeling as it climbs at a 45 degree angle at some points. The peak was originally, so local legend says, called Ngau Tau Shan which means Stiff Head Hill but once the notorious pirate Cheung Po Chai surrendered to the imperial government in the 19th century the locals felt it was now safe to call the area Tai Ping Shang, meaning Peaceful Hill - although with the number of tourists making the ascent maybe they should rename it again. The first peak tram sat 30 passengers in three different classes, and between 1908 and 1949 two seats were reserved for the Governor and a plaque was attached to them announcing that they should not be sat in just in case His Excellency wanted to use them. Needless to say the tram holds slightly more than it did originally and there was no reserved seating! It was a
Jaws deflated
look like the life was sucked out of him! shame that the weather that day was a bit overcast because the view of Hong Kong would have been absolutely astounding if it had been clear, but at 552m above the city it was pretty damn spectacular view anyway. Apparently if you are really keen you can walk up - yeah right.
The next place that we wanted to visit was the island of Lantau; mountainous and twice as big as Hong Kong Island although less densely populated. Apparently more than half of it is designated a country park and the bus ride across the island to the fishing village of Tai O was certainly through some very picturesque landscape. Apparently it has a number of secluded beaches but the day we were there the weather certainly wasn’t up to sunbathing; in fact we had to buy umbrellas. Not happy about that, we thought we had managed to leave the wet weather at home! The main things we wanted to see on the island were the fishing village, the Po Lin Monastery and its extremely large Big Buddha finished off with a ride on the Ngong Ping cable car. The fishing village, Tai O, is made up of small
Big Buddha
and it is !! old lanes as well as tin-roofed houses on stilts. As we walked down the main road (well we think it was, although it was quite difficult to be sure) there were quite a few quaint shops selling all manner of dried foods - even a dried shark skin. We were not sure what most of it was but it gave off an interesting and, sometimes, unpleasant odour. To be quite honest the village wasn’t that interesting, perhaps the wet weather made it less appealing, so we soon made our way back to the bus station to get on the bus to the Po Lin Monastery. A short ride later and we were at the feet of a rather impressive bronze Buddha, Tian Tan Buddha, sitting on a lotus flower and at 34 metres high it certainly deserves its name as “Big Buddha”. A steep climb up some steps and we were at the Buddha’s feet, again a shame that on the day the cloudy weather somewhat diminished the spectacular view. We paid an entrance fee which allowed us a free lunch and cup of tea at the monastery after we had paid due respect to Buddha, so we took up
Dont look down
great ride, shame about the mist the offer and were pleasantly surprised by the noodles, spring rolls, turnip cake and something else we couldn’t remember the name of but it was quite nice anyway. It is amazing how much money can be made out of Buddha as, at the entrance to the monastery, a whole shopping street has sprung up which we had to negotiate on the way to the Ngong Ping cable car. How impressive was this, at 5.7 km which takes 25 minutes to get from the top to the bottom and you get a fabulous view of the Buddha and Lantau.
The rest of our time in Hong Kong has been spent just walking around Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, following walking tours and just getting our bearings. On our way we have found a number of interesting roads which were devoted to the selling of medicines and dried animal bits. Luckily most of it was unidentifiable as everything was written in Chinese, although some of it looked pretty nasty. One English sign identified something unpleasant as deer tendons and tails, apparently harvested in New Zealand, and even though it reputedly helped with general age problems we were still not tempted! From
Thats the way
the locals do it dried food to the fresh food markets, the place has a huge impact on the senses and sensibilities, especially the fresh fish stalls where the catch is still wriggling!
A couple of things we found out on our walks:-
1. As I said earlier, to see the real Hong Kong look up;
2. Even if you can see an interesting shop or cafe on the first, second or third floor of a building it doesn’t necessary follow that you will be able to find your way into it; and
3. Gok Wan is happily living in Hong Kong and working as a policeman directing traffic.
We really enjoyed Hong Kong, a great big bustling vibrant city, where there is an awful lot of money being made. This is only too obvious in the cars people are driving, the bling they are wearing and the amount of people in the designer shops. The people when they have the time to stop and talk are really nice, but like any big money making city they don’t often have the time. Above all the impression that it leaves in the mind is the power of the dollar, the Hong Kong dollar
that is, and the startling contrast between those who have and those who have not but probably the best thing for us is phewey it’s nice to be warm again…..
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Anna
non-member comment
Nice photos of lights!
Sounds fabulous and yet again you have added another place on my list of places to visit. And how ace are your pics- especially impressed with the fireworks one. I'm impressed with that kind of thing now I am a camera geek!!! Still a complete novice but now at least I know how difficult it is!