More than Just High Rises
Trip Start
Aug 23, 2007
1
13
30
Trip End
Jul 31, 2008
Hong Kong, China
Monday, December 10, 2007
The post indicates that our last trip was indeed to China....however this definition is quite dubious and we are still trying to decide just how much China is really contained in Hong Kong. Can a territory where it is easier for three Americans and one Japanese person to enter than actual Chinese citizens really be considered a part of China? Can an area constantly calling to attention issues of hygiene and equipped with an extremely clean, fast, efficient, and expansive public transportation system be likened to the mainland? To top it all off, magnificent parks within the city and further afield with no charge!?!?!?! And during our visit a hotly contested election was being held. For better or worse this was definitely not the China that we had previously experienced.
While we have enjoyed all of our travels in China, we were left most impressed by this one in particular. Initially we had not placed Hong Kong high on our priority list, but plans fell together to make the round-trip journey for a December holiday by a combination of rail and plane through the entry point of the mainland city of Shenzhen. We left blown away by the beauty of the city and surrounding areas and wishing we had a couple more days to soak up more of the cosmopolitan world surrounded by a tremendous amount of rugged nature. We stayed on the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbor in one of the two massive 'mansions' that dominate the backpacker/Indian food and tailor industry. These 'mansions' house a vast array of hostels and guesthouses of varying cleanliness and quality....the surrounding corridors are shockingly dirty and confined, the layout bewildering, and the cast of characters eclectic. We found a guesthouse on the fifth floor with a private bathroom (including the best water pressure shower in China). Although there were no windows it turned out to be just fine and set us back less than our hostel in Beijing.
Within no time we were exploring the Kowloon side, spreading up from the waterfront at Tsim Sha Tsui near our hostel towards the mountainous stretches of the New Territories. Double decker buses and taxis came whooshing at us from confusing directions as the British system of driving had been maintained. Along the stretch of Nathan Road where our hotel was located was shopping galore (just like everywhere in Hong Kong....as the reject products from the American market make it to the discount street stalls although there are also the exorbitantly priced big name designers including sickening lines just to get into Versace to see just how overpriced a piece of fabric can be...end tangent), a mosque, and a lovely park. The Kowloon Park is just one of the places that the nannies who come mainly from SE Asia hang-out in droves on their day-off. The other places include busy sidewalks and stairwells where they congregate creating a living, breathing obstacle course. This is socializing on a macro-level and was quite a sight to see. We hopped on the MTR underground to head to the flower market and bird market, which are at their best on the weekend. The flower market contained a bedazzling assortment of colors with the orchids and Christmas-tilted goods being the most prominent. The bird market was one of the highlights as it is where men of all ages gather to socialize and let socialize their colorful and sonorous winged friends. One of the highlights of traveling is seeing where the local men spend their leisure time, whether it be games of lawn-bowling, Chinese Checkers, or bird-watching/listening. It is even more refreshing that no one is looking for your money but they are genuinely satisfied to have their interests on display to share....this was proved by one man who joyfully placed one of his well-behaved parrots on Laurie's shoulder for a photo-op. Aside from the cacophony and colors, one more macabre highlight was the juxtaposition of of a bamboo-bird cage with a healthy and well-piped bird inside resting on a large green garbage can set aside for disposal of dead birds. It was good to see the market in a vibrant state despite previous scares of Avian Bird Flu...the market itself seemed to be quite clean and organized.
Hong Kong is remarkable for providing the visitor and citizen with a multitude of free sights. These include the Hong Kong Park and the Biological & Zoological Gardens set in the midst of the concrete jungle. The aviary in the park was the most impressive sight....a small arena sized net enclosure housing an astounding variety of bird-species mainly from the rainforest's of the SE Asian Islands. It was constant motion with color whooshing in every direction. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Of course there is also shopping in every conceivable direction and we dabbled in this a little bit, each making one or two small purchases. For the most part we elected to wander and enjoy the activity, including a ride up the world's longest set of moving walkways through the ex-pat dominated (and expensive!!!) SoHo area to find a Krispy Kreme for sugary indulgence before heading up to Victoria Peak as the sun dropped down and the lights came on. Again...no entrance fee, the public transportation was quite cheap, and the views certainly post-card worthy. We met Anna and Tomoko for the views and headed back down to the pier for a $0.30 upper-deck ride back across the harbor with stunning views. A walk down the 'Avenue of Stars' along the waterfront took us to a Sushi supper for much needed nourishment...
And speaking of food, HK gave us a chance for some non-Chinese variety in our diet. It was the one area where our Hong Kong Dollars were quickly gobbled up (although still reasonable by our Western Standards). We enjoyed Thai food on a distant corner of Hong Kong island in the small Mediterranean vibed beach town of Shek-O, Indian food a stone's throw away from our accommodation at two separate locations, delicious Dim Sum, and blissful deli sandwiches with honest to goodness deli meat to satisfy a non-donut craving. McDonald's also saw far too much of our patronage, however, as the most reasonable and convenient (that's how they get you, isn't it) breakfast options early in the morning.
Our last full day in HK saw us journey to the NE corner of the territory for some fee-free hiking around Sai Kung County Park. Hong Kong is blessed with some spectacular terrain, feeling and looking almost like a tropical Vancouver or a scaled down Hawaii. On the mainland, the MacLehose trail cuts a 100-km path out and is complemented by a great network of (often-paved) trails through the expanses of wilderness. We hopped on part of this and headed for the prized and secluded beaches of Tai Wan Long (Big Wave Bay) for a long-day of 18 km hiking up and down mountains and across two of the five beautiful sandy bays of the region. The territory was stunning, and the tropical plants lushly lining the paths and blanketing the surroundings provided a stunning backdrop. There was wildlife as well, although not the monkeys that Kevin was so sure had to be out there. Laurie got a glimpse of a wild boar before it hustled into the undergrowth and proceeded to raise a ruckus to announce it's presence. There were also the dogs in the lonely but lovely beach-side hamlets of Ham Tin and Sai Wan. Overall a highly recommended, if hugely fatiguing trek.
We headed back through the town of Sai Kung, a place we wished we could linger longer in, as the boatsmen were showing of bins full of exotic seafood including huge prawns, colorful lobsters, and containers of cuddlefish. After getting back to Kowloon we finished our shopping with Laurie's purchase of a beautiful dress and headed for Indian food. The touts were out in force and we made the mistake of taking a restaurant brochure for one of them, which identified us a live meat and we were hounded by a rapidly materializing force that took some effort to shake off. We munched in the Chungking Mansions, the most confusing building on Earth and home to what has to be the most dense concentration of Indian's outside of India. The food was good (highlighted by the naan)....and then we were back for our last night and our reluctant departure. To get back to Hangzhou we enjoyed our first Domestic flight in China....and received a great airplane meal for the 1 hr 30 minute flight arriving at 1210. A long hop, skip, and a jump and we were back at school to prepare for finals and bring some x-mas flavor to our apartment.
