Hong Kong felt like a two-day course in contradictions: towering skyscrapers versus green mountains and open sea, art galleries and high-end fashion boutiques versus street markets and souvenir kitsch, Colonial history versus modern architecture, Starbucks versus tea houses.
With Hong Kong’s fast-paced, financial center typically the city’s major focus, it was fascinating to experience the city as a tourist. The world’s most vertical city, it seems that each and every skyscraper has a mall in its lower floors, making it impossible to avoid passing through or eating in one of them – and needless to say, my teenage daughters were very happy that our uber-contemporary hotel, the Upper House, was located directly above the swanky Pacific Place mall.
During our visit, we took full advantage of Hong Kong’s public transportation – the most efficient and highly used (over 90 percent of daily journeys are via public transport) system in the world.
Our first night, we took the Star Ferry – operating under its name since 1898 – from Hong Kong island where our hotel was, across Victoria Harbor to Kowloon. We walked through the Ocean Place mall, maneuvering our way through the shoppers (predominantly locals) to an Italian restaurant, Spasso, which had an outdoor terrace. We had a great view of Hong Kong island and a laser beam light show in the sky that takes place every night at 8 pm. We made our way back to the hotel via the MTR, Hong Kong’s subway system. It took us a while to figure out the automated ticket machine, but otherwise, it was a quick ride and only one stop from Kowloon to Admiralty station, from where we walked through the Pacific Place mall and up to our hotel. Counseled by a friend of a friend who lived in Hong Kong for years, we went to Lei Garden for dim sum on our one full day in HK. Located in the IFC (International Finance Center) mall, it was a great experience to eat dim sum surrounded by local families. Our waiter helped us make sense of the menu, and some of us attempted to be daring by experimenting with dishes, such as chicken feet and roasted pigeon.
We then hopped on the local #6 double-decker bus, opting for a circuitous route to the Stanley market so we could see more of the city. Sitting next to a man named Kenny – a name he adopted when he studied in Liverpool years prior – I was able to ask questions about life in Hong Kong. A mechanical engineer who worked an early shift and was now on his way to the beach, Kenny pointed out some sites and explained that many people go to the beach or countryside on the weekends. One of the nicest beaches we passed (“near where the wealthy ex-patriots live”, remarked Kenny) is called Repulse Bay.
We parted ways with Kenny at the Stanley terminus, and walked a block to the street market, loaded with stalls selling Chinese souvenirs, jade, silk clothing, electronics, etc. We found our way out of the market and were stunned by the beauty of the beach and the bay, lined with a boardwalk and some cafes.
To compete with the public transport’s efficiency, taxi rates are very affordable, so as a family of five we sometimes opted for a taxi and paid the same or less than we would on a subway (though it’s much less efficient from a time perspective). From Stanley, we took a taxi up to the Peak, one of Hong Kong’s most popular tourist attractions. It was over 90 degrees, extremely humid and packed with people, so we took some photos of the vista below and then hopped on the tram down the mountainside. A 10-minute walk from the tram station through Hong Kong park and we were back at the Upper House.
For our final night, we reserved a table at Peking Garden, a restaurant just below our hotel in the Pacific Place mall. We ate the most delectable Peking duck, scallion pancakes, and sautéed bean sprouts, paired with a delicious Australian shiraz. After toasting our travels at dinner, Rich, Simon and Nicole couldn’t keep away from seeing Harry Potter in 3D just one flight up. Emily and I walked through the mall, took the elevator up 44 floors and went to bed. The next morning we’d be going home.
