The Written Word: January 20th, 2008

By Rafe Mair

There we were landing in Hong Kong and not wetting ourselves as we might have a few years back when landing at Kai Tak which was a terror even for regular Hong Kong visitors. Now there is, the saints be praised the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok.

Wendy and I left for Hong Kong on December 29 and, New Years Eve being my birthday (none of your business, dammit!) we treated ourselves to Business Class on Cathay Pacific which flies 17 non stop flights a week, soon to be 21.. You have to be there – individual seats which fold back so you have a bed, a flat, comfy bed. Wendy, who is not a good sleeper on planes, and I had a full 7 hour sleep and were raring to go when we arrived. It’s dearer than Economy but there is a huge plus in being able to use your first day touring rather than sleeping or wandering around in a daze wishing it were bed time.

I was revisiting Hong Kong after 25 years and while I was not happy with all I saw, Hong Kong remains, far and away, the most exciting city in the world and is a place one must visit ere one “hops the twig” as my mother used to say. I want to touch two areas as I ramble on – Hong Kong for the tourist, Hong Kong from a social and political standpoint.

We stayed in the Metro Park Hotel in the Mongkok district of Kowloon, a good hotel with a very decent dining room at about C$100 per night. While the hotel is a C$4 ride from the harbour where all the swanky stores are, it’s in a fabulous part of town where they have maintained most of the old ways. There’s the “birds” district where little birds in cages are sold. (I must confess that as Wendy and I sat listening we thought the cries were not so much song but "birdese" for “let me the hell out of here!”)

Then there’s the tropical fish market for your aquarium. It was fascinating to see these water-filled plastic bags full of small fish. In the same general area is the electronics district where Wendy got me my birthday present of new – and pricy – ear plugs for my iPods.

The prices of most, though not all stuff is very good considering you get nearly C$8 for each HK$.

Because we were so rested from our Business Class flight upon arrival at the hotel we immediately booked a tour - the basic one taking us through Kowloon, under the harbour to Hong Kong proper, thence to the “must see” ride up to Victoria Peak and the fantastic view of the city and the harbour below. Then it was to a Buddhist temple which was intriguing as long as you like inhaling incense as you browse around. Then a bit of a disappointment at Aberdeen where in past years the bay was chock-a-bloc with house boats where the fishermen and their families lived. Back then one of the craft was a school and you’d see kids running back and forth from boat to boat as if they were playing in ordinary backyards. Unhappily the fish are gone – sound familiar – and so are the houseboats. The huge “Jumbo Palace” floating restaurant is still there though, very popular and good value. We also saw Repulse Bay – beautiful even to eyes that live in Lions Bay – then to the obligatory diamond factory (if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all) and finished off in the famous Stanley Market, a massive flea market plus  where there are actually some very decent buys.

Incidentally, if you’re offered a Rolex or Cartier watch at a fabulous price, it’s a knock off. Never buy jewelry in Hong Kong unless it’s from a regular jewelry store.

Speaking of watches, there must be more watches and rings for sale in Hong Kong than there are wrists and fingers in the entire world!

The second day we did something I had not done – visited Lantau Island. What a not to be forgotten experience! We took a ferry from Hong Kong, about a 40 minute very scenic trip to a small fishing village called Tai O, more than three centuries old. Tai O retains most of its historical setting such as waterways, stilt houses and fishing boats and it is famous for its fishing village scenery. Traditional Chinese food like salted fish and shrimp paste - locally produced - can be found and the fishermen sell their wares in an open air market. The highlight of our little tour was the fisherman chasing an octopus which had escaped his pail. The fisherman won though most of us were cheering for the octopus!

 We then went to the Tian Tan Buddha, a huge bronze statue of the Buddha, completed in 1993, and located at Ngong Ping. It is the world's tallest outdoor bronze Buddha and is listed as one of the modern day 7 Wonders of the World. The statue is located near Po Lin Monastery and symbolizes the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion. We had a very good vegetarian lunch at the monastery.

Going home was great fun – if you don’t mind heights and I do. We took the 30 minute cable car back to Kowloon and I’m told the sights were spectacular. How would I know? As a person terrified of heights I spent the ride covering my eyes muttering that since this was my last day on earth, I would like a stiff drink please.

That night we celebrated my birthday and New Years Eve (Wendy and I never seem to last long enough to celebrate New Years) at the Lychee Gardens restaurant at the Hotel with a grand meal and the occasional sip of bubbly.

Our last tour was a harbour cruise which had an interesting wrinkle. As with all harbour cruises, I enjoyed this one immensely. I never miss the chance to see a port from the water and this one is well worthwhile. We opted to get off in Hong Kong itself and were deposited in this immense shopping centre which actually branches out over the top of several streets. We were feeling a bit peckish and saw an outdoor café on the roof. Over we went and would you believe it? White Spot, Triple “O” and all, one of 5 in Hong Kong. Inside were marvelous old pictures of Nat Bailey and days of yore. Great fun!  I closed my eyes while eating my mushroom burger and could see the old and hallowed White Spot at 67th and Granville, long may she rest in peace.

One trip we didn’t take was to Macau. This Old Portuguese colony returned to China that, at the same time Hong Kong did. I’ve been before, and if you like a bit of gambling and a bit of old Portuguese architecture the boat ride and tour are well worth doing.

Most of the rest of our stay we walked … and walked … and bluddy well walked in this most fascinating of places. And of course we shopped. There are lots of very good buys and I advise taking a pocket calculator with you.

Some general observations.

Hong Kong is a clean city – very clean – and safe. Remember that they drive on the left hand side and pedestrian lanes, unless there’s a light, are meaningless, Like London, the marked lanes seem to be there to help the driver line up the pedestrian.

The construction since I was last there truly boggles the mind. Near the new airport there must be 50 apartment skyscrapers. In Kowloon and Hong Kong proper buildings are rising like mushrooms. One of the consequences of this is clearly noticeable better housing for the less well off. At the same time there are literally dozens of new condos where $US1,000,000 will get you that little suite with no view. There is a lot of money in Hong Kong – and it shows.

On the sad side, some of the development is ghastly such as the shopping centres going up and already there in the old areas like Mongkok. I suppose the dollar sign means that old shops, cheek by jowl, must be replaced by glass and steel shopping malls but it’s progress that blights. There’s so much shopping available down Nathan Street and around Canton Street in downtown Kowloon the new ones can only be for tourists and since public transit by light rail and underground is so cheap and taxis ridiculously so, couldn’t tourists do as we did and make their way down town for their shopping?

One of the delights in shopping in Mongkok is the smell reflecting the general produce in the area. If I were to do it again I would spend more time in this area – there’s nothing like it in any of the many large cities I’ve seen.

Hong Kongers are delightful and always willing to help. They don’t think of themselves as Chinese and constantly refer to the “visitors” from the “ Mainland”. The People’s Republic flags are rarely seen – mostly the Hong Kong “Rose” is in evidence. They have freedom of the press (would that we had it) as any reading of the South China Morning Post or the free “Standard” makes clear. Democracy is a very common word and though Hong Kong doesn’t have it, what with Beijing control, Chief Executive Donald Tseng is always seen as pushing for more and more legislative freedom. This and his efforts and criticism of Beijing’s appalling contempt for democracy and human rights are published. The Chinese are a patient people and both Beijing and Hong Kong amply demonstrate this quality.always present.

We had a very long day coming home because we had come from Auckland where we went to celebrate an old friend’s 90th birthday. A little more than an hour of arriving back in Hong Kong, after an 11 hour flight, we were very thankful to be in Cathay Pacific’s Business Class with that special service one associates with the Orient and the seats that become full length beds.

Hong Kong after a quarter of a century?

Much changed yet much the same. If there’s a more exciting city on the planet I’ve yet to visit it.

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