My first trip to Hong Kong was nearly 50 years ago, in 1973. As a junior in college I traveled to visit my aunt and uncle and their three children over Christmas vacation with my parents. Promising to take me along if the price of wheat hit two dollars a bushel seemed a safe bet for my dad, but alas for him, the market went up and he kept his promise.
A little history. Of course much has changed. The United Kingdom acquired Hong Kong in perpetuity following the first Opium War in 1842 via the Treaty of Nanking. The Kowloon Peninsula was added in 1860 and New Territories we’re leased in 1898 for 99 yrs. The Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed by the Prime Ministers of the People’s Republic of China and the United Kingdom governments on 19 December 1984 in Beijing. This ceded Hong Kong , Kowloon and the New Territories to The People’s Republic of China effective July 1, 1997. China promised “one China two systems” (communism and capitalism) for 50 yrs. Today Hong Kongers are trying to hold Beijing to that promise; hence the widespread protests. A seat mate on my United flight said protests now occur mostly on weekends but to check the news everyday before leaving the hotel. The Icon Hotel said the same. No problems so far. A guide in the adjacent sampan last night said tourism is down 70%. But this is “the fight of their lives”.
In Hong Kong, on Chinese New Year’s Eve, January 24, the crowds are especially heavy at the flower markets. About 15 temporary markets are set up each year in parks or other public places. The scramble can get intense. Many vendors keep selling after midnight.It is thought that gifts of fresh flowers and plants give good luck. So it is a part of how Hong Kong and Macau people celebrate their holidays.
The Star Ferry is THE Hong Kong Ferry,one of the beloved icons of the city and a lot more than just a means of transportation. It has been shuttling residents between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon in the mainland for over 120 years. Up to 1978 when the Cross-Harbour Tunnel opened, it was the only way to cross the harbour.
Did I mention my traveling partner Ann is an adventurer at heart?Guided by Cathay Pacific‘s culture recommendations, we ended up in a seedy “typhoon shelter” (small inlets where boats are sheltered during the storms) for a dinner aboard a sampan. We were actually in the Causeway Bay area of Hong Kong Island and were dropped off by a baffled taxi driver and after finding no signs for the “restaurant” we called the Shen Kee proprietor and she walked down to retrieve us. Onto a beat up old boat chugging to a gently swaying sampan and our delicious dinner of beer, boiled shrimp, garlic crab and spicy crab and noodles began. About 8 o’clock the laser light show in the Harbour started and our night was complete! Good call Ann!
A guide on the neighboring sampan advised us to take a taxi to the top of the Peak Tram and ride it down to save time. There were no lines…. according to that guide, tourism is down 70% since the protests… I believe it.
The Peak Tram is a funucular railway in Hing Kong, which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island. Running from Garden Road Admiralty to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of Hong Kong. The current renovations will be finished in 2021.
At the bottom of the peak tram we decided to walk to lunch through the Central Business District teeming with young professionals everywhere and dressed for the part. Escalators, gardens, sidewalks with a crush of people and google Maps turned the 20 minute walk into a 40 minute adventure but it was exhilarating! We were headed to another Culture Trip recommendation, Dim Sum Square. My daughter would say it was dim sum done in a fast casual way… small place, small seats and tables and a grumpy manager willing to help the lone visitors who were not Hong Kongers. Tea in a pot at each table and a menu in Mandarin and English. We decided on barbecued pork buns, crystal shrimp, soup dumplings and a bun with a filling that looked like a runny egg yolk but tasted sweet. Mmmmm good!
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