Travel Time

After 2 weeks of cruising through the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, we arrived in Hong Kong.

Unlike many large cities, Hong Kong can still accommodate cruise ships right in the city center, and that makes a world of difference to the experience – you step off the ship and you are ‘there’ – no long, boring coach journeys to get to and from the destination.

Our first day in Hong Kong included an excursion to Macau. I’ve visited Hong Kong approx. 10 times in the past (for work), but never did make it to Macau so this was exciting for me. I was assuming we would drive on the recently completed roadway from Hong Kong to Macau, (see this video) but we took the high-speed ferry. This was an enjoyable experience, but it did mean we had to wait over an hour to board the ferry (I’m guessing the cruise line pre-booked a later ferry to allow for delays in our arrival, etc).

The wait in the terminal was not enjoyable; there were no shops, no food (other than a tiny snack bar) and the toilet was blocked and dirty. Once in Macau, we first visited the facade of St Paul’s, a 17th century Portuguese catholic church. The Japanese Christian craftsmen who worked on St. Paul’s were converted by Jesuits and expelled from Japan in 1587 when Japan banned Christianity.

A short walk downhill from the church facade leads you into ‘old town’, and this was surprisingly exciting and fun. Food vendors everywhere, including Portuguese Pasteis de Nata (custard tarts) and all kinds of jerky (dried meat).

The old town is full of Portuguese style buildings, and the sidewalks have the signature black-and-white tile designs so common in Lisbon.

We could have spent several hours looking around the old town, sampling the foods, etc but we were on a tight schedule and had to rush off to the A-Ma temple – an ancient temple that pre-dates Macau, thought to be built in the 16th century to honor the sea gods and frequented by fishermen.

The temple takes incense burning to the next level. Locals buy clusters of incense sticks and create an incredible amount of smoke.

After this, we went to a local casino – the famous MGM Grand, which had an amazing lobby area.

We returned to Hong Kong by the same ferry, then headed out for an exciting evening of night market shopping and street-food. With lots to choose from, we settled on the Temple Street Night Market, and we weren’t disappointed! Just a short walk from Nathan Road (itself an iconic shopping street in Kowloon), each evening a long stretch of Temple Street is closed to traffic, and stalls are set up selling everything from t-shirts and chop-sticks to luggage and clothing. It’s crowded, lively, and colorful. Lots of bargaining!

After getting our fill of shopping, we found a great outdoor dining spot. There were long lines, but we somehow managed to get a seat right away. We ordered all kinds of dishes, and they were all great – and incredibly cheap!

The next day – our last day of vacation – we explored Kowloon some more, looking for more local food adventures. We rode the MTR (subway) to the Mong Kok station on Nathan Rd, and began our hunt for food. The MTR is clean, modern, efficient (we were in a relatively quiet area at a quiet time; many stations and trains are overflowing).

We quickly settled on a local Dim Sum place, and had a lovely Dim Sum lunch.

After lunch we just wandered along Nathan Rd, looking in the various shops. I got rather fascinated by the use of bamboo as scaffolding – similar to the use of bamboo in Japan. Apparently it does well in high winds/typhoons, and bends rather than breaks.

I decided to head over to Hong Kong Island. It’s where I stayed for weeks on end when I came for business back in the 1980s, and I still have fond memories of my time there. So I rode the classic Star Ferry across the water, still only about $5 for upper deck (cheaper for locals who don’t want the view!). The island tends to be a lot calmer than the mainland, though it also has its crazy, crowded spots. I walked around the financial district, which is quite ‘western’ and relatively uncrowded.

Hong Kong was under British rule until 1997, and is now under Chinese rule. A lot has been written about the transition, but I can only say that it felt very much the same to me as it did in 1984/5 when I visited extensively – more tall buildings and lots of crowded streets. It’s still a fantastic place to visit and has amazing food and lovely people, and is remarkably easy to get around.