HONG KONG
What a great nostalgic and fun visit! We first saw Hong Kong in October, 2007 with my brother and sister-in-law so it brought back fond memories wandering the streets and subways of this wonderful city that never sleeps! This time we shared one day of our visit with my sister before she went on an excursion to mainland China. We stayed in Kowloon only since we’d already been to Hong Kong Island, Stanley Market, Victoria Peak, Aberdeen and the boat village on our previous visit.
The busy harbor was shrouded in mist as we sailed in at early dawn and docked near the Star Ferry terminal in Kowloon. What an impressive sight it was with the ghostly shadows of the skyscrapers looming in the distance on all sides of the harbor, and the ferries plying across the waters with their loads of early morning commuters. I’d forgotten that Hong Kong is actually a series of over 300 islands, some of them no bigger than a rock, so water transportation is very important.
Our two days were marred with intermittent showers on Thursday and a monsoon downpour on Friday. But our goal was to see many of the special markets that Hong Kong is known for, so on we went. The markets all seem to have the same format -- there are permanent shops on both sides of the street, but in late morning vendors arrive with their wares and put up stands filling the street in front of these shops, leaving only a very narrow walkway for customers to stroll through. These markets go on for several blocks, and the merchandise consists of 
all kinds of clothing from t-shirts and underwear to elegant silk jackets and sweaters, jeans, wigs and hair accessories, purses, jewelry and watches, electronics, toys, artwork, and various souvenir items. We found the Ladies Market, the Night Market on Temple Street (which is the Jade M
arket during the day), another neighborhood market, the Flower Market (the perfume from the flowers and the large variety of orchids was wonderful!) and the Bird Market. The city is amazingly clean for all the people and activity it supports.
We happened to be in the Bird Market when the sky became very dark and a brief monsoonal rain storm began, huge noisy drops of rain hitting the tin roofs of the stalls. An amazing thing happened -- all the birds burst into song filling the area with whistling and chirping as if they were happy for the rain!
The transportation systems are excellent
and inexpensive -- we ventured on the metro lines which are very well marked, but also made a trip to the markets on the double 
decker bus because we wanted to see the locals going about their business. We observed laundry hanging outside the upper floors of the highrises towering above the gaudy neon lights draped across the streets and above the shops. We’re still trying to understand the “Hourly” rates several hotels were offering … ?
The people were very friendly and helpful, often going out of their way to escort us to a hidden metro stop or shop we were looking for. There were lots of buses and automobile traffic, but unlike China, very few bicycles or motorbikes. We walked for hours and people watched, and our muscles ached for two days! In spite of the foggy weather, the laser light show sponsored by the tourist board took place at the clock tower at the pier. Many businesses participate in this spectacle which is choreographed and computerized to music as the colored lights go up and down the skyscrapers filling the air with sound and light.
In contrast to the tiny shops along Nathan Street, the shopping mall at the Ocean Terminal is an enormous modern glass, marble and steel structure, 3 stories filled with upscale designer boutiques. I was quoted $78 for a manicure there!
Sadly we bid our farewell to a too-short stay in Hong Kong with a cocktail at the Peninsula Hotel, that grand old British institution overlooking the harbor, and toasted to a return visit soon.
What a great nostalgic and fun visit! We first saw Hong Kong in October, 2007 with my brother and sister-in-law so it brought back fond memories wandering the streets and subways of this wonderful city that never sleeps! This time we shared one day of our visit with my sister before she went on an excursion to mainland China. We stayed in Kowloon only since we’d already been to Hong Kong Island, Stanley Market, Victoria Peak, Aberdeen and the boat village on our previous visit.
The busy harbor was shrouded in mist as we sailed in at early dawn and docked near the Star Ferry terminal in Kowloon. What an impressive sight it was with the ghostly shadows of the skyscrapers looming in the distance on all sides of the harbor, and the ferries plying across the waters with their loads of early morning commuters. I’d forgotten that Hong Kong is actually a series of over 300 islands, some of them no bigger than a rock, so water transportation is very important.
Our two days were marred with intermittent showers on Thursday and a monsoon downpour on Friday. But our goal was to see many of the special markets that Hong Kong is known for, so on we went. The markets all seem to have the same format -- there are permanent shops on both sides of the street, but in late morning vendors arrive with their wares and put up stands filling the street in front of these shops, leaving only a very narrow walkway for customers to stroll through. These markets go on for several blocks, and the merchandise consists of 
all kinds of clothing from t-shirts and underwear to elegant silk jackets and sweaters, jeans, wigs and hair accessories, purses, jewelry and watches, electronics, toys, artwork, and various souvenir items. We found the Ladies Market, the Night Market on Temple Street (which is the Jade M
arket during the day), another neighborhood market, the Flower Market (the perfume from the flowers and the large variety of orchids was wonderful!) and the Bird Market. The city is amazingly clean for all the people and activity it supports.We happened to be in the Bird Market when the sky became very dark and a brief monsoonal rain storm began, huge noisy drops of rain hitting the tin roofs of the stalls. An amazing thing happened -- all the birds burst into song filling the area with whistling and chirping as if they were happy for the rain!
The transportation systems are excellent
and inexpensive -- we ventured on the metro lines which are very well marked, but also made a trip to the markets on the double 
decker bus because we wanted to see the locals going about their business. We observed laundry hanging outside the upper floors of the highrises towering above the gaudy neon lights draped across the streets and above the shops. We’re still trying to understand the “Hourly” rates several hotels were offering … ?The people were very friendly and helpful, often going out of their way to escort us to a hidden metro stop or shop we were looking for. There were lots of buses and automobile traffic, but unlike China, very few bicycles or motorbikes. We walked for hours and people watched, and our muscles ached for two days! In spite of the foggy weather, the laser light show sponsored by the tourist board took place at the clock tower at the pier. Many businesses participate in this spectacle which is choreographed and computerized to music as the colored lights go up and down the skyscrapers filling the air with sound and light.
In contrast to the tiny shops along Nathan Street, the shopping mall at the Ocean Terminal is an enormous modern glass, marble and steel structure, 3 stories filled with upscale designer boutiques. I was quoted $78 for a manicure there!
Sadly we bid our farewell to a too-short stay in Hong Kong with a cocktail at the Peninsula Hotel, that grand old British institution overlooking the harbor, and toasted to a return visit soon.
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