Hong Kong by day

  Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Friday, December 16, 2005

Seasons greetings from Hong Kong!

I think this place is crazy at any time of year, but during the Christmas period even more so. So when Dad came up to spend a few days with me, the itinerary was bound to be jam-packed with activities and sights, lights and crowds. Which is how it ended up, and we did so much that I'll have to break it up into a few different entries just to fit all the good stuff in. So, here's Hong Kong by day...

Honkers markets itself as "Asia's World City". It certainly is this but doubt Tokyo would agree that it is Asia's only world city. Anyway, the oddly shaped waterway is ringed with sky-scrapers as far as the eye can see in all directions, and the steep hillsides that much of the city is built upon gives the place a more precarious feel as you survey the surrounding urban landscape.



Some of the architecture is quite avante-garde, with the Lippo and Bank of China buildings standing out on the southern, Hong Kong Island side of the channel. Other mainly residential districts that also line the harbour, such as North Point, are more conventional but in general the result is a striking high rise city - chaotic at street level but as a whole quite serene and cosmopolitan.



Like everywhere the waterfront is where most things happen and Hong Kong is no exception. Much of the Wanchai district around the Convention Centre was off-limits during our stay due to the WTO meeting being held there this week. Still, Kowloon was buzzing so Dad and I checked out the Avenue of the Stars, a good place to view the Central side of town from, as well as spot a few Kung Fu movie stars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan (amongst many others). Hong Kong is the world's third largest movie production centre after Hollywood and Bollywood so hence its attention in this prime location.



Around the corner was the National Space Museum - something I didn't expect to find here but very good to see all the same. No doubt developed by the British before the hand-back to China in 1997, this is a surprisingly comprehensive and objective summary of man's fascination with space to the mid 1990s. Great for the kids and for you 'Ham the space monkey' fans there is a special section outlining his contribution to space exploration.

I don't think it has been updated since the nineties but the various static and interactive displays cover a wide range of historic and contemporary space science and exploration, with all due credit being given to the Americans and Russians despite China's more recent competition with these powers. The museum could easily have become a victim of world politics but fortunately has not become so.



The ferry system (and the transport system in general) is fantastic around here, so with little effort and cost we were over the water and onto Hong Kong island proper to taste another side of local life. Hong Kong Park was the first stop, a beautiful oasis engulfed in the sea of concrete and chrome, is adjacent to the central business district and winds its way along the base of the hills that overlook the city. A number of colonial buildings can also be found in the area, and you can almost imagine an earlier time in the port city as you look over the green of the park to these stately old homes. Fortunately commerce hasn't swallowed them up entirely.

Back to more practical matters. We set off in search of 'The Worlds Longest Escalator', apparently whisking commuters more than 800 metres with just one step. It sounded too lazily good to be true so we expected to find maybe a moving walkway or the like instead. We couldn't find anything for a while - the streets in the area snaked their way around the base of the hill making navigation difficult, so after hopping a taxi we found ourselves in a proximate and very interesting looking area. Our goal was in sight.

It ended up being a series of escalators making their way up the hillside. Less exciting than imagined but undoubtedly more useful to locals than a single 800 metre travelator, this walkway and escalator collection winds its way up to high density residential areas below 'The Peak' in Lower, Central and Upper sections. We had to be satisfied with that anyway, not bothering to ride one because we'd then have to walk back down.



Of more interest was the Soho district that the escalators cruised through. In particular was a tiny shrine we found with a very cool tiled external wall and huge coils of incense creating a massive cloud of sweet smelling holy smoke that engulfed anyone passing by. Cool. We also found the Foreign Correspondent Club, the Havana Cafe and a variety of other fascinating shops (many with flattened and drying animal carcasses hanging outside) and old buildings around the place, so when I come back it would be good to base myself in the area and do a bit more exploring. It seemed more authentically 'Hong Kong' than any other area we visited.



Back down the hill, near the Western Market, we hopped on a old double decker trolley car that winds its way along the level ground of northern Hong Kong Island. They probably get a bit of bad press due to their age but they're cheap ($US0.30 a ride to the end of the line), reasonably smooth and pretty quick way of getting around a congested part of town. We talked to a few locals and snapped some pics from the front, top seats we were lucky to score not long into our journey.



Back on the other side of the channel, Kowloon park is also worth a look. Many older locals head here to exercise, meditate and Tai Chi despite its central location in noisy Tsim Sha Tsui (the central business area of Kowloon). There are duck and flamingo ponds for the kiddies, sculpture, old cannon that once looked over the waterways, a rich array of flora and always something going on in every park corner. Also, the foot massage paths might be useful to those who've walked a bit too much sightseeing!



The WTO stuff (and opposition) was most obvious during the day so might as well mention it too. The Exhibition Centre precinct was cordoned off by an army of riot police, but it was still easy to see peaceful demonstrations and banners against it (and for things like the suppressed Falun Dafa) around this area and in Kowloon. Obviously the government is a little more relaxed these days when it comes to free speech and assembly which is good to see. I also liked the welcome banners painted by school children mounted on the approaches to the conference area, although little Olivia Ip's painting of flaming dragons, little green aliens and angry octopii was certainly a little different. Nice design mate!



Finally, you have to finish the day with a trip up the Peak Tram to see the Wok on the Peak and the view over the city and Kowloon. The trams have been running since 1888 and raise you over 400 metres in the ten minute journey up the steep slope. The Wok is a large new building, the design of which was inspired by a Wok, that contains the top tram stop. Nearby buildings contain restaurants and a shopping centre, no doubt catering for an insatiable Asian shopping appetite that makes it viable despite its rather ridiculous location. Anyway, you can get some awesome photos up here, more of which will be shown in the night-time entry. Read on.

Next entry -> Honkers by night

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In the 30 years to 2004, more than 54 million Lonely Planet guidebooks have been sold.

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