OH MY GOD. I LOVE HONG KONG!
Maybe it’s just that I was more drained by Hanoi than I realised, and am not cut out for travel in the developing world. But I had such a great day here today.
Got up early(ish) this morning, to have breakfast here in the YMCA hotel with B. and P. Fantastic Western buffet – never have I been so excited by Rice Krispies and English muffins. The chef made me a scrummy omelette too – I was such a happy camper. Sat for a bit afterwards with a nice cup of tea and a copy of the South China Morning Post.
Saw B. and P. off on their coach to the airport, then collected my things and went out for the morning. Happily, the forecasted rain did not materialize, and we had a bit of a misty morning followed by a sunny, mild afternoon. I went just across the road from the hotel to catch the Star Ferry over to Hong Kong Island. That was fun – the ferries are quite antiquated, but there’s no better or cheaper way to see the harbour. And it’s a very short hop – only about 10 minutes to go across.
On the other side, I caught a coach up the hill to the Peak Tram station. The Peak is the highest point on Hong Kong Island and I’d read that that views were spectacular. There’s a tram that one can take to the top, which has been in operation for over a century, so I didn’t want to miss that. The trip up was short but amazing, with stunning views – not to mention the incredibly steep climb. At the top, a rather soulless office tower and shopping complex has recently been built. However, it has a roof terrace from which the views were, as promised, absolutely amazing. I’ve never seen a cityscape and skyline so impressive. Well worth the effort to get up there, even though the air was a bit hazy and so didn’t make for the best photos.
On the way back down on the tram, I made a little video of the ride, then walked downhill from the tram station back to the ferry, making a pit stop for coffee and happily snapping pics as I went. Hong Kong really is Asia lite – it’s so Westernised. Everything is incredibly efficient and well-organised, and visitors are catered for well. Perhaps too well - some might say the city lacks a certain character, but I’m sure there’s nowhere else like it.
After catching the Star Ferry back across the harbour, I stopped in at the hotel for a quick break, and to arrange for internet access in my room. Then I set off again, for an afternoon of wandering around, popping in the shops around Nathan Road (the main drag of Hong Kong and the central tourist area). Sweet Jesus, the shopping in this town. It really is a shopper’s heaven – I was feeling so sorry that I didn’t have more time.
I went into more shops than I could shake a stick at – but one of the most notable were the drugstores. I always love going into drugstores in other countries, especially to look at stuff like makeup, lotions, potions, etc. The offerings here are fascinating. I had always wondered about the Asian predilection for expensive, luxury skincare regimes – well, today I realised it’s partly because all those products are significantly cheaper here. Also, the drugstores are full of small samples of high-end products (Dior, Clinique, Clarins, Estee Lauder, Arden, etc., etc.) at very reasonable prices. I didn’t pick up any of that stuff, but I did get a large package of Shiseido blotting papers for about $1, a heated eyelash curler for a mere $2, and a Hong Kong brand of powder in a lovely engraved compact for only $5. I saw all kinds of odd things on offer – including what appeared to be transparent tapes to apply to the eyelids, to try and create a Caucasian eyelid crease – freaky.
The other thing I noticed in the drugstore was that Asian women really are obsessed with pale skin. Every skin care line available offers a full range of products that claim to whiten the complexion. This includes several brands that we’re familiar with in Canada – but in addition to the usual offerings, have all kinds of special ‘whitening’ products created specifically for the Asian market. I normally use Olay moisturizer, so for a lark (and because I’m keen on bucking the North American tanning trend), I bought their UV whitening moisturizer. It probably won’t do anything much, but it’ll be fun to give it a go.
I spent about four hours tramping around the city centre, going into everything from small dingy shops to huge, luxury mega-malls (speaking of the Asian taste for luxury goods, I saw queues out the door and down the street in front of Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton – incredible). By about 6 pm I was pretty hungry, not having eaten since that big buffet breakfast, so I stopped in a European-style bakery for a blissfully Western meal. By the time I’d gotten myself back to the hotel, there was only enough time for a short rest before I went across the road to the waterfront, to wait for the “Symphony of Lights” which occurs every evening at 8 pm. It was pretty spectacular – most of the high-rises on the Hong Kong skyline are lit up in neon, and each evening for about 15 minutes, there’s a laser light show across the harbour, set to music. I tried taking a few pics, but they didn’t come out very well – besides, there are better pictures all over the web, like these.
By the time the show was over I was super-tired and footsore (I must have walked 7 or 8 miles today), but I really wanted to go to one of the night markets, so I pressed on – God knows I’ll do enough sitting on the flight home. I headed up Nathan Road, battling the huge crowds out doing their Saturday night shopping, and dodging the counterfeit handbag/watch hawkers as well as the representatives from the East Indian tailors. Eventually I arrived at the Temple Street Night Market and had a browse around. Most of the goods on offer were cheap tourist tat, but it was fun to stroll around, taking pictures. I bought a bag for a few dollars, so I can fill my carry-on case with books and papers and check it in tomorrow, to reduce the heavy load in my suitcase.
Then I jumped into a taxi and made it back to the hotel by 10. Just relaxing now with some tea and the BBC World news on television while I write this diary. Very sleepy though – I need a good night’s rest before tomorrow’s trip home, for sure.
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