Thursday - March 10, 2005
Hong Kong: Sightseeing
As we entered Hong Kong Harbour around 7 pm, I saw a sign that said "We love (heart sign) Hong Kong." And that about says it all for us. It was just wonderful to have three nights and days to explore the city, and we made the most of our time. We travelled by foot, ferry, subway, tram, bus, and canal boat from the Peak on Hong Kong Island, to the edge of the New Territories, to Lantau Island. We were exhausted by the time the QE2 pulled out again, but we had a terrific time doing it.
Approximately 16 years ago, Mike and I stood on the Star Ferry pier on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong, and we exclaimed at the size of the QE2. She was docked there for a couple of days and we had walked over to have a look. We watched the people sitting on their balconies on the top deck and we promised ourselves that one day we would be sitting on a balcony looking out over Hong Kong Harbour. Well, we came close - no balcony, but we have a window that looks right across to the Bank of China Building in central Hong Kong. As in Sydney, no hotel could possibly offer a better view that the one we had from the ship.
It was really a thrill for us as we stood on the bow and watched the lights come on in the city as we approached our berth near the Star Ferry Pier. We were escorted in by two fire boats that were spraying water in huge arcs on each side of us. And if you think that traffic in the city of Hong Kong at rush hour might be bad, you should see the traffic on the water. The Captain described piloting the ship in and out as being a bit like driving the wrong way on the M25 motorway!
The first thing we did after dinner was to head off to the Temple Street Night Market looking for bargains. It was a fair walk from the ship and once we got there, we had to fight out way through three or four blocks of stalls selling the largest collection of crap I have ever seen. But it was fun, if a bit chaotic, to poke around and there were a few good deals hidden amongst the dross. Once we had exhausted all the buying opportunities, we walked back down Nathan Road through the bright lights and crowds of people out for an evening walk. By the time we reached the Inter-Continental Hotel (formerly the Regent), I suggested that we stop in to the bar for a drink. Now this is no ordinary bar - the walls that back onto the harbour are floor to ceiling glass, so we had a fantastic view (almost as good as the ship's) as we sipped our pricey drinks. But, boy, did that drink taste good.
The next day we took the ferry across to HK Central and did a bit of shopping for tea before we found the new escalator that took us up the hill to Man Mo Temple. This temple was built in the mid-1800s and certainly has a lot of atmosphere. It is rather gloomy when you walk in, but you soon see the colors of the flower and fruit offerings, the light of the candles, and the glow of the golden buddha statues. Sandalwood smoke from the huge incense spirals hanging overhead permeates the room. And you can hear the rattle of the Mah Jong tiles as the old men sitting outside the door play a very serious game. Amongst the tourists, like us, are the devout Buddhists who have come to light a joss stick and to pray.
We then decided to take the subway out to the edge of the New Territories to visit one of the largest temples in the area, and a few transfers later we entered the Wong Tai Sin Temple. This temple is like Man Mo times ten! Being a Sunday, there were huge crowds of people at the central temple and air was filled with incense smoke from all the joss sticks being burned. Worshippers from the three main religions - Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism - all flock here.
To escape the crowds, we walked around the outside corridor where fortune tellers, palm readers, and soothsayers all have little booths. I decided to try my luck and have my fortune told. The lady I choose used a combination of fortune telling and palm reading. She was a bit expensive so I was glad to head that I will have a golden and an easy life. My hand shows a long life ahead of me, at least into my 80s. Apparently, I could experience a spot of trouble in June of July so I have to be on my guard and need to buy an amulet with the sign of the snake to protect me. Luckily, she had one I could buy on the spot. Unluckily, I didn't have the money! So I'm still looking for a snake amulet.
A short subway ride away was the Chi Lin Nunnery so we decided to head over there. This nunnery is an oasis of peace in an area of high-rise apartment blocks. The temple building was constructed without using a single nail, and is surrounded by gardens, bonsai plants, waterfalls and ponds of waterlilies. Normally, one can hear the chanting of shaven-headed nuns, but we were there late in the afternoon and they had packed it in for the day. After taking the subway back to the ship, we changed for dinner and headed off to Gaylords, a very famous venue for Indian food. Yes, we went to Hong Kong and ate Indian food. And what a meal we had! We dined on a number of very tasty dishes as we admired the decor and listened to a three piece group play and sing Indian music. We waddled back to the ship after taking a couple of hours over our meal.