We have arrived to the world-famous port of Hong Kong, China, and one of our favorite cities to explore. The capital is Hong Kong and the total population is 7.8 million people that speak Cantonese and English. Listening to Josh's port talk, he mentioned that there are over 657 towers in this city……too many to count, but very visible in the hundreds of photos we took.
There are so many things to see and do here, that it would take weeks to do it properly. During our first stops here, we made it a point to take excursions to get the layout of the area, then deciding where we would spend our time to the best advantage. So we saw every major site on both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, where we were docked. What we learned was to avoid the tours that took us to a four-story ceramic factory where we were trapped and had to see each and every floor on the only way out of the building. If you were interested in buying the expensive pottery and ceramics, then you would be in heaven. It was then that we understood why so many of the seasoned guests stayed on the bus instead. On the same tour was Stanley Market, also a fun place for the shoppers among us. However, we heard from our buddies that the area of Stanley Market had declined in the way of shops and restaurants. Very disappointing.
There are many unique neighborhoods that are accessible by bus, tram, the MRT or the many ferry boats. One of the most affordable one has to be the Star Ferry , an icon of Hong Kong heritage and a bargain. It may still be free for seniors, but you still need to have their Octopus Card, like an MRT card for all types of transportation.
One of the most popular things to do on Hong Kong Island has to be a ride to Victoria Peak but make sure it is on a clear day. The first day may have provided some good views, but day two was not the best with showers and low dark clouds. You would see nothing but fog. Back on Kowloon, the Mong Kok Markets houses the Ladies Market, block after block of outdoor shopping. Close by is the Flower market as well as the Bird Market. Usually we make it to all of these spots, but it wasn't in the cards today. There is a goldfish market with a computer mall which is reportedly a gadget-lover heaven. A bit further down Nathan Road is the Jade Market, a really fun place to buy all types of jewelry at good prices if you like to bargain.
Then there is the Temple Street Night Market located within walking distance of the cruise terminal. Never made it that far as we were planning to do it the first day. There is a vast array of treasures and souvenirs you cannot live without. Bargaining is the name of the game here. In the evening, there are food stalls with live fish and shellfish in Styrofoam tubs outside each eatery.
Some of the favorite foods are dim sum and all types of fish and meat, seafood and poultry. Tea breaks are common and addictive as are the late night sweets you can find here. You can find black sesame seed soup with durian crepes. Think we'll pass on that one.
Another destination is the Big Buddha on Lantau Island, where Disneyland operates their theme park there. We had a tour to Lantau where we dined with monks with a vegetarian lunch where every dish was tofu-based. They did well mimicking the tastes and textures of chicken, duck, and all types of veggies…..all tofu. We could go on forever but will stick to what we did here on day one.
Scenic sailing began with the bow opening at 6am, weather permitting of course. Hong Kong rolls were served on the outside decks but never showed up in the Pinnace Grill this time. Just as well as we are snacking a bit too much on these sweet treats. We were all warned that the clearance might take over an hour, so the tour folks were advised not to block the hallways and the show lounge. There is always that group that needs to be first no matter what ship you are on. The only other restriction was no food or drink was allowed with the exception of bottled water. We do not leave "home" without it. And for the first time, we did not get any Hong Kong dollars, which would have been onshore because the ship did not sell it.
The ship was dock portside to the pier, so we had no good view of the harbor. Not a problem, we could always access deck 6 forward to see all of the magnificent harbor activity. We were directly across from the Harbour City mall and one of the rooftop parking lots. A stone's throw away were people walking to access the shops and restaurants below. Moist times, we kept our sheer drapes closed. A few times, while sitting on the veranda, families walked past and waved hello to us.
The day began with overcast skies which turned to partly sunny later in the day. The temperature was cooler at 10am at 72 degrees, humidity of 82% and winds at 11 mph. And no rain predicted. The Volendam passed two cruise ships docked at the old Kai Tak Airport/turned cruise ship terminal. They were the MSC Majestica and Mein Schiff 6. Usually we are doomed to be docked there, but we lucked out and got assigned to Ocean Terminal a far superior location in our humble opinion.
We left the ship after 10am and headed through the Harbour City Mall, several stories high, and a place where if it wasn't for excellent signage, you could get lost. And this is only one of such malls in Hong Kong as we would discover the following day. Needing a pair of new shoelaces for dress shoes, we stopped at a Watson's, which is basically a pharmacy, but also has items for travelers. We asked two salesgirls if they carried shoelaces. Their English wasn't so good, so they summoned two more employees to help. These two understood what we were asking but asked the pharmacist to talk to us. Now we had everyone who worked in the store trying to help us. The pharmacist did not know of any store in the mall, but suggested Nike or Puma. When we asked what they do if their shoelaces broke, they said they throw the shoes away and buy new ones. We all laughed and thanked them for their extended help. The search would continue….
As we previously stated, we had intentions of hiking up Nathan Road but never made it that far. Directly across the street from the mall, is an entrance to Kowloon Park. This area has been improved immensely over the years, and it is a very nice place to explore. There were fountains and a kids museum where we entered up a flight of stairs. The first animals we spotted were three of the longest hairy cats we have seen. They would be a valuable asset to the gardens to keep the vermin down. We never saw a dog all day. Not running loose or on a leash.
At this entrance, there was a lane of trees planted from all over the world. Most of them were from tropical areas and do well in this climate. We have always enjoyed seeing the aviary up here and followed the signs until we located it. There was a flight of stairs to access it, but later we found a more convenient ramp. We saw several types of parrots, doves, rare pigeons, and even a pair of silver pheasants. Years ago we raised a variety of pheasants that included ringneck, golden, Amherst, and silvers. Sure brought back good memories.
One very nice touch up here are the benches that surround the entire large aviary. Most all of the visitors were local families or people on a break from work. This park is located a short distance up Nathan Road, which is loaded with every business imaginable. We ended up staying here until 12pm. Back down to the main walkway, we found our way to a large pond filled with koi carp and other compatible fish. Lining the banks of the pond and some of the tree limbs were several big night herons. Obviously, they were fishing in this pond for the smaller fish like mosquito fish. Watching these birds is interesting as they are motionless until they spot something their size. They dive quickly and catch their meal. Further back and away from the pond's edge was a flock of flamingoes. They did not have the dark salmon-colored plumage we see in the Walvis Bay Namibia birds, but that is due to their diet which is heavily shrimp. We have seen these types of flocks in captivity that are fed a Purina flamingo chow with added color for their plumage. Interesting.
On our way out of the park, we passed by the Kowloon Park Swimming Pool, which was not opened yet. A convenient McDonalds was there as well as other sports facilities. It was also a good place for restrooms which were spotless. Back out on Canton Road, we passed by several possible stores that might carry shoelaces. Actually, that was our quest for the day. We had no luck at all.
Usually we walk far enough up Nathan Road to include stops at the Flower, Bird, and Goldfish Markets, the Ladies and Jade Markets, but today it was extra warm and humid, and lunch with beer sounded like a better bet. We used to go back out in the late afternoon for a sweep through the Temple Street Night Market around 5pm. How we did all that walking remains a mystery to us. It was an easy decision not to attempt the Night Market since we really did not need anything.
Before entering Harbor City at the Prince Hotel entrance, we happened to spot a favorite restaurant of ours – The Cheesecake Factory. As many times that we entered here, we never noticed it as it was tucked back off of the road in a dead-end corner. Checking the menu, they served our favorite salad, so we happily went in and got seated in the high-top table area. Just like home. We ordered Stella draft beers, a BBQ chicken salad to share, and later, one hot fudge sundae. Good thing we had thought to keep breakfast on the lighter side. It was pricey with our shared meal costing over $78 USD. The price of alcohol is steeper here than elsewhere. But it was well worth it.
On our way back through the maze of the shopping mall, we came across a Dr. Marten shoe store. Guess what? They had a big display with all types of shoe laces. We had brought the worn-out lace which the salesgirl measured and found some that would work. They were not brown, but black would do. So we bought two pair in case the dressy black shoelaces wear out too. We have seen this shop in another port, like in Cairns or Sydney, and now we know where to get laces for all types of shoes. While there on the third floor of the mall, we also spotted a possible lunch venue for tomorrow. It was a place called Paper Moon with Italian cuisine and a pizza oven. They opened at 11:30am and gladly took American Express. We would return….
The entrance to the cruise terminal was down this end of the mall by using escalators to the right floor. We were back to our room after going through security and the xray check in the terminal. We did not go back to the Night Market but worked on photos and reports the rest of the afternoon.
We went to dinner in the dining room which was half full. Many folks had attended the Dinner Under The Stars held in the Seaview Poolside at 6pm. It was a fixed menu with wine, of course. The cost was $95 with an added 18% gratuity. Those who attended said it was really nice. At 8pm, there was the nightly laser light show on the Hong Kong Island side of the harbor. We should have been able to see it from the upper dining room, but none of us saw it, including the wait staff. The folks at the Seaview Pool did see it and reported it lasted no more than 10 minutes tops. We came to the conclusion that the tinted windows in the dining room prevented us from seeing the lasers. Some of the diners had run from the dining room to go to deck three to watch the show. They came back within 5 minutes and never commented on it. So we assumed it never happened.
For our meal, we started with smoked chicken appetizers and the Cantonese-style beef short ribs. Excellent choice with stir-fry noodles and a honey teriyaki glaze. Usually we do not have dessert, but tonight there was a strawberry shortcake and we had to try it. Also very good. We did make a quick trip to deck nine to see if the light show was happening at 9pm. Nope, the show was at 8pm, but we did get some nice shots of the Hong Kong Island skyline. Even without the laser show, the lights towers and signposts lit up the harbor. Also, the boats and ferries were decked out in lights and were fun to watch zooming back and forth across the harbor. It is a busy city even into the wee hours of the morning.
The World Stage featured a movie, Mercy, and did not have a live show. The Wajang also had a movie called Shaolin Soccer, based in China. As for us, we were done in and retired by 11pm after doing some computer work. Ready for another day in Hong Kong tomorrow.
Bill & Mary Ann
