As messed up as yesterday began, today was just the opposite. The sun was shining, the rain was gone, and we had no interruption of the water service onboard. And since we had already cleared customs yesterday, there was no delay in leaving the ship this morning. So everyone was happy.
After a light breakfast, we did some emailing in our room. No sense taking the computer to the terminal, because everyone we asked said the speed was terrible. With just a limited time to be in Hong Kong, we sure didn’t want to spend it sitting for hours waiting for downloads. Our time would be shorter today, since all aboard was 4:45pm. The last shuttle leaving the Peninsula Hotel was 4pm. We figured on getting on the 3pm bus back.
So we headed off to Harbour City Mall once again, making our way to the street that goes up to Kowloon Park. Figuring that we could make it to the Jade Market with time to spare, we went there first. Most times, there are busloads of tourists there, bargaining at each and every little stall. However, today there were few shoppers in there. Only a lot of vendors vying for our business. It is impossible to pause and look, and if you show too much interest, they will follow you down the aisle. Usually we are not looking for a specific piece of jewelry, but if something catches our eye, then we might bargain for it. Naturally, a pale pink blister pearl necklace did just that….caught our eye. Choker-style, it was unique in that there was only one of them. Bargaining was quick, but we did not meet her expected number. Saying we would think about it, and walking away, she came down the aisle and said OK. Deal done, and all were happy. Could not locate any earrings to match, so that will be the quest for the rest of this journey. Singapore or Phuket may be the best ports to look.
Very near the Jade Market, are the wet market and outdoor produce markets. “Wet “ market means anything that is sold fresh, such as live fish, pork, or chickens and ducks. You have to have a strong resolve and less than great nose to get through this experience. The fish are kept alive in Styrofoam tubs and plastic containers, most of them with air pumped in. The fish are still swimming, although some are upside down. Those are probably not fresh, but dead, and are sold cheaper. It is interesting watching the butchers filet and scale the large species. The aroma of the large volume of fish is a bit “fishy”, but not as bad as you might think. You just have to watch the floor, since it is always wet, and sometimes the livelier fish jump out of the tubs and onto the floor. Frogs and turtles can be bought here too. In the back of these stalls, it was not uncommon to see cats patrolling the floors and corners. Hmmm, wonder what they are looking for? At the end of the day, we believe everything is sold, and the entire place is hosed down.
In the next block, we found another produce market, set up in the middle of a pedestrian street. The nicest fruit and vegetables are sold here, along with fresh spices, condiments, and even nuts. Funny thing, we found that the oranges come from Sunkist, grown in the USA. We do know that apples are not grown here, so they are probably imported at a steep price. Each large apple was individually wrapped, so they would not bruise. We saw pommelos (grapefruit) the size of cantelopes, and zucchini as large as seven inches thick. Some fruit and veggies were foreign to us, and none of it was labeled.
The open-air meat market was in the mix as well. One section had the pork butchers, with every part of the animal for sale. Even cured hams and sides of bacon. Nothing was covered, but there were no insects. But once again, there were plenty of cats. They looked well fed. Peking ducks were hanging from the ceiling, and chicken was readily available.
The clock was ticking, and we still wanted to walk through Kowloon Park. So we made our way down through King George V Memorial Park, then up to the side entrance of the elevated park. The main attraction here has to be the swimming pool, which is never filled this time of year. Then there is a very nice aviary with local and imported birds of all sizes. Below the aviary is a set of ponds with ducks, geese, swans, and flamingoes. Although there were more places to stroll, our time was up. So we headed across the bridge that connects the park to the hotel next to Harbour City Mall.
Having gone full circle, it was time for lunch. Pizza sounded good, if Pizza Express was still there. It certainly was, although a good alternative would have been the Cheesecake Factory, which must be fairly new. We ordered a Margherita pizza and two Peroni draft beers…the large ones. Needing to use the last of our Hong Kong dollars, we got pretty close to spending it all. The food is not terribly expensive, but anything alcohol is pricey.
Close by to the Pizza Express, is Toys R Us. We picked up some candy to use the last of our change. We still had some left.
Getting back to the shuttle before 3pm, we boarded the waiting bus, and the ride was quick, perhaps 25 minutes. All the passengers we know said the walk through this terminal is way too long for most of them. Some said it was one mile from the bus drop off. With a little bit of change left, we bought some peanuts at a booth in the cruise terminal.
We had been wondering if we were going to be gifted the roll-on luggage on this trip. Our question was answered when we entered our room, and there were two ballistic nylon expandable carry on travel bags with tons of zippers. These will be most useful for our African overland.
It would have been nice to have some relaxing time in our room, but it was not to be. There was a mandatory muster drill for everyone at 4:45pm. It went smoothly and was done by 5:20pm. Grabbing the good camera, we headed to deck nine to get some photos of the sail away. Even though the sun was out, a strong cool breeze popped up, and our lightweight jackets did not do the job for too long. We discovered that the World Dream had docked in back of us. Looked like they were having a turn-over of passengers. ( By the way, thanks to Copper John for the detailed info on that ship.)
Visiting with fellow Cruise Critic members, Pete and Judy, they shared their adventurous day to Macau yesterday. Always nice to hear about successful excursions that folks do independently. Everything went smoothly for them, and we found out that the groups going overland or to Macau were allowed off of the ship by 8:30am, after attending a private customs and immigrations check. Good to know.
Leaving the city of Hong Kong behind was not as scenic as we remembered it. Being docked at Kai Tak Terminal, we were already halfway out of the harbor. We were amused with the sightings of either fish eagles or hawks, as they followed our wake in search of easy pickings. Once we reached the open waters, it got really cold, and it was time to go inside. It was worth freezing just to watch that orange sun go down behind the skyscrapers by 6:30pm.
Dinnertime found all of us present. Fun hearing all the stories of the last few days. We ordered one General Tsao chicken and one order of Shanghai ribs….both excellent. The better news of the evening was that the clocks went back one hour, the first time since leaving the last port in Australia. All of us agreed we will sleep well tonight.
Bill & Mary Ann
View of the harbor from deck nine
Kowloon’s skyline
Many of these sky scrapers are apartments
Victoria Peak
The Convention Center in HK
Such a modern city
Waterfront highway
Harbor traffic
New cruise terminal
A nice sunny day
Raptor after the pigeon
The pigeons are “chicken” around the hawk
Large bird of prey
These buildings seem to get higher every time they are built
The Amadea was overnight like us
Views of the harbor
Typical Chinatown
Embroidered silk dress
Laundry day once again
Start of the Jade Market
Inside the Jade Market
Wish there were more customers
More stalls across the street
Fresh produce
The “wet” market
Most are sold alive
Not quite like the fish markets at home in the USA
Butcher fileting a large fish
Kept alive in shallow containers
Crabs, lobsters, and bottom feeders
The lighting is pink-tinged
So many types of fish
A resident cat
Tofu and bean curd with spices
All the parts and pieces of seafood are sold
Red lights made it look better
Shellfish
Nicely presented array of fish
Prices ranged from $3.60 to $6.66 USD
Plentiful catch
Just deep enough to keep them alive
Fresh veggies – one large cucumber was $1.54 USD
Another outdoor market by the fish market
Many cuts of pork
Parts and pieces of pork
Sunkist oranges - $1.28 USD for 2
Extra-large zucchini slices
Asian pears and apples - $1.92 USD each
Large grapefruit and apples for sale
Ears of corn - $1.28 USD each
Narrow street turns into a market place
One-stop shopping, as many folks have no refrigerators
Asian lilies
Herbs and spices
Pork products and cooked chickens
All of this is pork…..where’s the beef?
Dried figs and chick peas
Ladies underwear
Bouquet of flowers were reasonably priced
This cat reminded us of one of ours – Cougar. He was playing with the light cast from our watch
Dried fish keep much longer….but smell more
Crispy Peking ducks and pork ribs
Nice to see some live ones
The scaffolding was all bamboo
Chinese portal into King George V Memorial Park
Warning in park: no bad behavior, or you could be fined $1500HK ($192USD)
The opposite portal
These gardens were baited with rat poison
A horrible thought, but necessary in dense urban areas
Nicely maintained
Good place for a quick lunch
Side entrance to Kowloon Park
Austin Road map
HK Bauhinia orchid tree- official emblem of HK since 1965
Double-flowering yellow hibiscus
This way to Kowloon Park
Brightly marked
A wonderful spot in a hectic city
Hibiscus grow like wildflowers here
The swimming pool was empty until summertime
