Hong Kong

March 11^th and 12th

Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region People’s Republic of China (officially)

2 days in Hong Kong. We arrived in cold, foggy, rainy weather so it was hard to see the magnificent skyline. Hong Kong is divided into 3 regions. Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, and the New Territories. We docked in Kowloon, which provided us with a magnificent view of the downtown Hong Kong business district. There were tall skyscrapers as far as the eye could see, and apartment buildings that must house thousands. The whole territory covers 424 sq miles and is home to almost 8 million people. So, of course, property is at a premium. You can feel the energy with huge neon advertising signs, lights, and more lights. It is busy, the traffic is horrendous, and there are people everywhere. After 4 days at sea I was ready to experience the city of Hong Kong. We had a tour booked to see the city highlights. We figured it would be best to get our bearings before we ventured out on our own. We went up to Victoria Peak which is the tallest hill in the city (about 1300ft) and has panoramic views. Well, we took their word for it, since it was totally fogged in and we couldn’t see a darn thing. Oh well. The Sampan ride was fun in Aberdeen, and we stopped for shopping in Stanley Market. Back to the pier, and since it was Sunday, time to find some Dim Sum. Yummy and good. Kowloon is the main tourist district, so we put on our walking shoes and headed out. We walked for miles until dark. Hong Kong has a fantastic public transportation system. The buses, trains, and cabs are easy to use and cheap, but we needed to walk. I have never seen so many huge high end stores in my life. Square blocks dedicated to Prada, Hermes, Coach, etc. A Rolex and Tiffany’s on every corner….yes indeed. People are in line very early in the morning waiting for these stores to open. The bargain shopping for designer wear is a thing of the past here. Same with the electronics. You have to know your prices and be very careful of what you are buying. The prices might be a little more inexpensive than in the States, but sometimes not. After a quick ‘look see’ we were on a mission to find the knock-offs. Hey, this is China, and the street markets are blocks long and you can buy fake anything and everything. And it’s not imported. The US dollar is equal to about 7 HK dollars, so off we went to find a deal. We felt kind of flush having $1400HK in our pockets. Which is about $200US. Bargaining is still the norm, but we didn’t buy much. Lots of junk, but it was fun. And the prices were cheap. We wandered around until dark, getting lost in small alleys and side streets. When the street signs stop printing words in English you know you are off the beaten path. We felt very safe and were never approached by anyone. Very interesting, actually. I think that they were mostly wondering why we were there. After finally finding the main street we were exhausted. So back to the ship to enjoy a glass of wine out of the rain, warm our tootsies, and watch the laser light show that happens every night at 8 pm. All of the skyscrapers along the waterline have neon lights and colored lasers that put on a synchronized show for about 15 minutes every night…..very cool even if it was a little foggy. Up early the next morning to find some free Wi-Fi. Thanks to the Sheraton Hotel and a delicious cappuccino, we made phone calls and caught up on e-mails. We have to be back on board by 4 pm so we only had a few hours to explore some more. It was still cold, but not raining, so that was a plus. We walked for miles again. This time checking out parks and statues. We still did a little shopping but mainly just wandered the city. Hong Kong is amazing, interesting, and I loved it here. I could easily spend a couple of weeks in and around the area, including Beijing and The Great Wall. You would have to fly there though. It is easy to get around, very little crime, and most everyone speaks English. Next stop, Viet Nam.

One of the main shopping streetsapartments along the harbor