"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report #62 Hong Kong, People's Republic of China March 2, 2017 Thursday Sunny & 70 degrees Pictures 70 Day #1

We have lost count of the many times we have had the pleasure if visiting Hong Kong. It is undoubtedly, one of our most favorite ports to spend time, and for that reason, it is usually always on the itinerary of the Grand World Voyage. Recently, a few years ago, this city was not on the list, and everyone we knew protested. A three-day stay is needed to be able to take everything in without killing yourselves.

A few facts include that Hong Kong is home to over 7 million people, even though only ¼ of the area is urban. Crammed quarters is the norm. Wall-to-wall people, especially when you add the tourists…it is unavoidable.

Far different from other major Chinese cities, Hong Kong is such a blend of Chinese heritage and British colonial influences, it is difficult to separate the two. Cantonese and English are the two primary languages of the locals. We have heard that the differences between the Mandarin and Cantonese languages is quite pronounced, as Bill has Chinese friends that claim they do not understand the Cantonese spoken in the south of China.

Hong Kong is the capital of Hong Kong. It was ceded to Britain in 1841, but returned to China in 1997. It is now an economically independent city of bankers, a vibrant stock exchange, and skyscrapers that blast their lights across Victoria Harbour every night at 8pm. The streets teem with most energetic people in Asia. More Europeans live and work here, as Hong Kong is a major draw in Australasia.

Bustling streets in both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon are jumping day and night. The outlying areas have peaceful beaches and jungle trails located on the many islands of the New Territories.

The best time to visit here is from October to December to avoid the rains. Things to do and see include Victoria Peak, Stanley Market, the Star Ferry, Kowloon Park, and Lantau Island for the Giant Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery. A trip to Macau will reveal the Portuguese history and also give you the chance to gamble.

We like our visits to Kowloon's meat, fish, and produce markets, located on the side streets off of Nathan Road. That's where the real people of Hong Kong go for bargains. When there is time, a trip through the Bird and Flower Markets are a must. And you should not miss the Ladies Market and especially, the Temple Street Night Market, another favorite spot for us tourists as well as our crew members. Bargaining is a must and is expected. No excuse not to find some treasures there.

What is there to eat? Dim sum, a wonderful steamed feast. Their drink? Green tea is number one, while bubble tea with tapioca pearls is popular. Or you can try yuanyang, a mix of half coffee and half tea. Might be good, who knows? Come to think of it, one of our lady guides drank half Pepsi and half beer, claiming the beer cut the sweetness of the soda.

Trademarks are skyscrapers, double-decker buses, shopping sprees either in massive modern malls, or on side street outdoor markets. Also including are the Peak Tram, Jackie Chan, Chinese New Year, and dim sum.

Here is a random fact, which we have written before: In Hong Kong, wives are legally allowed to kill adulterous husbands, so long as they only use their bare hands. Wayward fellows….better watch out! Don't know if it works visa versa?

Sleeping in this morning was so nice, since we were not going to check out until 12:30pm. The Shangri La Kowloon is located on Hong Kong harbor in the Tsim Sha Tsui East district of the city. We have walked this entire area on every visit to Hong Kong, never guessing we would be staying here. From the 14^th floor, we had a panoramic view of Victoria Harbour and the fabulous Hong Kong Island skyline.

Recently renovated, their rooms here are among the most spacious in the city. Huge king-size bed, with a floor to ceiling bay window with automatic curtains was a perfect way to spend a night. By the way, when you leave the room, pulling your keycard from the slot, the drapes automatically closed. Good idea during the warm daytime, since the room tends to heat up quickly.

We had all the normal amenities like free WIFI, bottled water, upgraded toiletries, and a marbled full-size bathroom. Separate tub, shower, and a single sink. There were numerous channels on the flat screen TV, but little time to watch it. We are certain there were two swimming pools and an exercise facility, but once again, no time to indulge.

Breakfast was complimentary on the mezzanine level, which over-looked the gorgeous lobby. International cuisine was offered at many stations. We did notice that this café was twice the size of our previous Shangri La stays on this trip. And it was twice as busy as Hong Kong houses many more traveling professionals who do business here.

After enjoying a full breakfast, we went back to the room to re-pack for the final time. Stashing everything we could fit in the duffel was good, since we had no more flights to worry about.

We worked on reports and pictures, since these things are beginning to back up. Good thing this trip has been thoroughly documented with photos and notes, since after a while, everything begins to run together, and our memories tend to switch things around in the order of events. Listening to all of the news stations, we were happy to hear that the US Stock Market was doing so well.

We checked out at 12:30pm, and met our driver who was right on time. It was sad that we had only spent less than one day in this hotel, since it was so lovely. We would highly recommend it for location and excellent service.

We had a long ride to get to the Kai Tek Terminal, which is the old airport. This is the first time the ship had to dock here on a world cruise. We had been bumped by the Pacific Princess (also on a world voyage), who had arrived yesterday for a 2 day stay. The plan was for them to leave tonight, and the Amsterdam would move to Ocean Terminal, our normal spot.

We entered the terminal after a very long walk up escalators to the xray check point. Once there, one of us got scanned and wanded, not sure why. Then it was another long hike to board the ship. This has to be the worst terminal ever as far as convenience. What made up for this was being greeted by so many of the crew and staff saying, "Welcome back".

Getting back to our room, we basically left everything there to take advantage of the little time we had left in town for the rest of the afternoon. Thank goodness, two shuttles were provided since this terminal is in the middle of nowhere. You cannot access town as it is isolated on a land-fill – too huge to even walk out on your own.

The drop-off area was right behind the Peninsula Hotel, close to everything. We made our way to the Harbour city Mall (450 shops and restaurants) by going down under the street towards the Ocean Terminal. Lunch was first on the agenda, and pizza was on our minds, of course. The Pizza Express was the best place to go. We ordered a margarita pizza with two Peroni draft beers. Relaxing for an hour was priceless, and the pizza was cooked perfectly.

Then we headed towards the Temple Street Night Market, which we knew would be beginning at 4:30pm. This was our only chance to go here, since the ship will be leaving tomorrow after 6pm. All aboard was scheduled at 4pm.

We ran into three cruise buddies that gave us an earful about the days we missed, which included the special Mariner cocktail party and special event. Almost sounded like a rerun of the 2009 Chinese extravaganza, only not as spectacular. Heard it was good food (mostly sea food), and way too much to drink. Isn't that always the case when it is free?

Anyway, one of us is a purse-collector, and we found exactly what we were looking for and more. Half of the fun was bargaining. Going back and forth, the end price will be half of what they are asking. The vendors like playing the game as much as we do. We certainly cannot do this at home, can we? We had to watch the time to get back to the bus stop, and navigating our way through the crowd was difficult. This time of day, commuter and students were heading for the metro, and it seemed like we were always going the opposite way of the crowd flow.

Back at the bus stop, we ran into good friends Bill and Leta. It was the perfect chance for us to catch up on news and our trip. Over the years, they have been to most of these spots we just toured, and it was fun comparing notes.

We got back just in time for dinner, although we were exhausted and almost did not go. However, hot soup and salads and the chance to see our buddies got us to drag ourselves to the table. Barb had gone to town with Ellen as always, and Scoop was missing in action. So it was Maureen, Jim, Martin, and Martha. Our friend Ruud, had left the ship this morning to go home to Holland. He will be missed, especially by Martha, who he loves to tease constantly. Good thing they are close friends.

We cannot even tell you what we ate for dinner, since we were tired. But it was nice to be home again, sharing news and laughs with our tablemates. By the time we got back to our room, the ship was leaving the pier at Kai Tek at 10:30pm and sailing slowly to Ocean Terminal. They arrived by 12:30pm, which we did watch on the TV screen in the room. Boy, it was wonderful to drop into bed. We literally did not move a muscle all night.

Bill & Mary Ann

Sunrise from our window at the Shangri La Kowloon