Hong Kong: Where East Meets West

As we sailed toward Hong Kong, we continued to keep busy with a variety of activities on the ship.  The first day out, we were invited to participate in a “galley lunch”, meaning we were seated in the galley and were able to watch as the stewards gathered their food to take out to those in the dining room.  Though it was tight quarters, we appreciated getting a better idea of how the kitchen operated.  We enjoyed seeing our favorite stewards walking past and smiling broadly at us as they continued on their way to collect appetizers or main courses. 

That evening we had opted to attend the Indonesian Dinner at the Pinnacle Grill.  We had enjoyed this when we were on the Grand Voyage in 2009 so we signed up as soon as we had the opportunity.  Once again, their Indonesian garb was exquisite, the decorations were bright and colorful, and the food (prepared by one of our “favorite” Indonesian stewards, Tina), was delicious, though quite spicy.  (Note to self: they called it dragon’s egg for a reason.  If they offer it to you again, politely say no thank you unless you once again want to feel like your entire mouth has burst into flames!) 

Unfortunately we discovered that the rumor we’d heard earlier in the week was true.  I asked one of the “in-the-know” ship staff about the lady who had been run over in Roseau, Dominica, our first port, and the staff member confirmed that the lady had had to have a series of surgeries and she died during one of the surgeries.  What a tragic end to something I’m sure she was looking forward to.  I also learned that she had not only been on our floor, but would have been our next door neighbor had we not switched staterooms. 

Shortly after we crossed the Equator on the 7^th, we had a visit from King Neptune and his court.  It was necessary to bring all polliwogs (those who had never crossed the Equator before) to trial to see if they were worthy of King Neptune’s forgiveness.  It was all in good fun as the “newbie” crew members took the punishment for the passengers, were brought before king Neptune, were required to “kiss the fish”, and were covered with messy goo before convicted or acquitted.  If it had been me, I would have wanted to be convicted because that meant that they had to dive into the ocean (or in this case, the Lido pool), meaning that they would immediately wash that slop off right away.  Those who were acquitted had to sit on the side of the pool and bake in the yucky stuff!  Some of the crew really put on quite a show as they acted out their parts, making it for a very fun morning. 

The lectures continue to be very informative, and the two scientist lecturers have been wonderful!  One is an astronomer who has quite a sense of humor.  He always throws in small clips of familiar movies.  The one of Wallace and Gromit brought back many wonderful memories of my fifth grade students.  They enjoyed that humorous duo as much as I did!  The lecture on 50 years of American Space Program reminded me of my week at Space Camp for Educators with Shirley, Stephanie, Kim, and Georgia back in the 1990s.  One day the naturalist talked about jellyfish, which reminded both Chuck and me about our visit to Akureyri, Iceland last summer where the waters around the ship absolutely teemed with jellyfish!  From what I heard this morning, I’m certainly glad that Lake Michigan isn’t home to some of these dangerous creatures!

As we approached Hong Kong, the seas went from the smooth surface of the doldrums to the roughest seas we’d had since leaving Punta Arenas, Chile.  While not nearly as rough, we had gotten so used to extremely calm water that it was a wake-up call to start rocking again!

We were scheduled for scenic cruising as we sailed into Hong Kong Harbor, but because the authorities requested that we board the pilot earlier than we’d anticipated, the beautiful views weren’t yet available.  It was still dark at 6:00 AM as we approached the harbor, and when the sun did rise, it decided to play hide-and-seek behind some dense clouds and fog.  So while we enjoyed the sail in, it wasn’t as spectacular as we’d hoped. 

Chuck, Al, and I were booked on a full-day excursion called Hong Kong’s Best, and we decided that we were also fortunate to have what we considered Hong Kong’s best tour guide!  Our guide Patrick had such a wonderful way with people and sense of humor that everyone on the bus agreed that we were indeed very lucky. 

Patrick kept up a running commentary the entire time, and we learned a lot, never having been in China before. 

Hong Kong’s official name is Hong Kong Special Administrative Region People’s Republic of China.  Wow!  I’m sure they’re glad they don’t have to write that down every time they identify their country!  Hong Kong and the surrounding areas of Kowloon and the New Territories have a very interesting history.  To make a long story short, as a result of the Opium Wars between China and Britain back in the1800s, Hong Kong was ceded to Britain, followed by Kowloon, and later the New Territories.  The New Territories were turned over to Britain in 1898 with a 99-year lease “attached”.  So in 1997 they, along with Hong Kong and Kowloon, were returned to China.  When this happened, China agreed to a second political system for the first 50 years.  So right now China is both a Communist government (those lands that had always been part of China) as well as a Democracy (those lands ceded back to China from Britain).   Chuck commented that when he taught AP US History that he had occasion to refer to the importance of Hong Kong and the Kowloon, never imagining that he would ever visit that part of the world.  They have become so much more real now that we have actually been there.

Patrick told us that because of the British influence, children started learning English as soon as they started school.  The teacher gave them “English” names according to the alphabet so when it came time for him to receive his English name, two other classes had Peter and Paul (and as he said, Mary wouldn’t work for him), so he was given the Irish name of Patrick. 

The population of Kong Kong is about 7 million, meaning that there are 6400 people per square kilometer.  (The US has about 31 people have about per km² and Canada has 2.6 people and 1 moose per km² according to Patrick.)   Because of the extremely dense population, an average family of four people live in an apartment of about 350 to 400 ft ².   He explained that if his wife goes out and buys a pair of shoes, she has to get rid of a pair of shoes to make room.  He said he might go home and find that they only shoes he has are the ones he’s wearing. 

Our first tour stop was at the lovely Bird Garden.  Since people don’t usually have room for pets like dogs or cats, they purchase birds instead.  The two most common songbirds are Oriental white eyes and parakeets.  Some people purchase fighting birds such as magpies.  Each morning the men take their birds on covered cages and walk them, just as I might take Molly for a walk.  The men bring the birds to the bird garden so the men can socialize with other men and the birds can socialize with other birds.  There are even places where the birds can be transferred into other cages for awhile to enjoy lovely surroundings, treats for eating, and a chance to “relax” in a spa-like atmosphere.  If I hadn’t seen it for my own eyes, it would have been very difficult to believe!  But there they were – the lovely little songbirds hopping into separate cages to enjoy some “spa-time”!  Also available in the garden are birds of all kinds for sale from the tiny little birds mentioned above to large exotic birds like toucans, as well as cages and a hearty supply of the birds’ favorite food – grasshoppers.

As we left the bird garden behind, we walked across the street to the flower (wholesale) market.  What a veritable feast for the eyes:  an entire city block devoted to the sale of any kind of flower and plant imaginable, from beautiful American Beauty roses to lovely orchids, Venus flytraps, air flowers, as well as plants such as bamboo, just to name a few.  It was hard to know where to look next with the wealth of beauty surrounding us! 

We really didn’t want to tear ourselves away from the two wonderful places we’d visited, literally across the street from each other, but we had so much to do that there was no choice.  Our next stop was the jade market.  This was where we could purchase “B Grade” and “C Grade” jade.  Patrick explained that we could tell the grade by the price.  “A Grade was the most expensive, costing hundreds of dollars.  “B Grade” might be $15 or more, and “C Grade” was probably well under $10.  Once again, we were expected to negotiate with the owners, something neither of us is comfortable doing.  I had a friend from the ship standing there saying, “Bid this amount…. Now offer this… If you don’t like the price, walk away.”  Sure enough, with her whispering in my ear, I managed to get a fairly decent price on a Christmas gift. 

Shortly after my first success at bargaining, we took a funicular ride to the top of Victoria Peak so we could enjoy a spectacular view of Hong Kong.  I’m sure it would have been quite spectacular had we not been experiencing clouds and a little rain.  No problem because we would also have a chance to enjoy the scenery from the restaurant at the top where we were scheduled to eat.  Once again we were hampered by the weather as the fog rolled in while we were eating.  We could now barely see the tram we’d taken to the top.  All was not lost though because we had a wonderful lunch in a nice restaurant and I was able to make a very quick trip to Hard Rock and pick up my Hong Kong shot glass. (Strange thing for someone who does virtually no drinking to collect, but they’re small, pack easily, and are about the least expensive thing at the Hard Rock!)

Continuing on our journey, we headed toward Repulse Bay, a very exclusive beach area with multi-million dollar homes.  As we drove, Patrick continued to explain about life in China.  Until about the 1970s, Chinese did not practice monogamy.  This was because marriages were arranged.  So the men had one wife who was selected for him, as well as concubines if he wanted them.  This was a tradition left over from the Ching dynasty.  The major industry in China is finance, followed by banking (HSBC – Hong Kong Shanghai Bank Corporation being the biggest bank), and tourism.  The most popular sport is horse racing.  Patrick said when he dies he wants to come back as a racehorse because they have such a good life.  (However, he has a bad leg so he’s afraid that he was once a racehorse and came back in this life as a Holland America tour guide!) 

We had an hour to visit Stanley Market, a place where it was possible to buy souvenirs, once again by bargaining.  Patrick commented that every big city in the US has Chinatown, but the locals consider Stanley Market the Caucasian Market because that’s where the Caucasians shop! 

We drove to a small harbor where we boarded sampans for a ride through waters laden with fishing boats.  There were also several floating restaurants, including the world’s largest, Jumbo Restaurant.  We were fascinated to see all the different boats that would go out late at night into the South China Sea where they would lure fish to the surface and catch them in order to sell them to the markets.  The Chinese people want very fresh food so women often go to the market twice a day.  Patrick told us that he had invited himself and his family over to his parents for dinner this evening, and his mother was probably at the fish market purchasing fish that had been caught this morning.  He chuckled as he commented that Americans tend to go to the market about once a week.  What a difference in traditions!

One last stop took us to a jade factory where we watched the craftsmen polishing, cutting and setting jade into jewelry.  Needless to say, this was the “A Grade” jade, so I took a pass here. 

After our excellent excursion, we were looking forward to seeing the nightly laser show that’s visible over the harbor.  This is the longest consecutively-running laser show in the world – it plays over the water every night, rain or shine, starting  at exactly 8:00 and ending at 8:14.  We went up to the Sports Deck and enjoyed the beautiful display from there.  

As often happens when we’re in a port overnight, a folkloric show came on board to entertain us.  The one in Hong Kong was among the best I’ve ever seen!  We weren’t sure what to expect, but we were very impressed with the professionalism of the performers.  There were four different acts.  Two girls played instruments – the 12-stringed guitar and the 2-stringed violin – exquisite Chinese music with its harmonies that are so different from what we’re used to.   Then a talented group of teens performed the dragon dance.  We were in awe of their ability to weave in and out, leaping and diving as the dragon body wound its way around the stage in the dark!  They were amazing!  Two elegant young ladies performed a ribbon dance that was exquisite with its intricate movements of ribbons that had to stretch about 12 feet each!  The final act was a face-changer this man was a “master-champion” face changer, and he was excellent.  Dressed in a colorful costume, he wore a mask surrounded with lights and carried a cloth that he wove around his head.  Each time he did, another intricate face mask would appear.  It was absolutely incredible to view!  We were so impressed by the amazing talent this group displayed!

Our second day in Hong Kong was more relaxed.  We had originally booked an excursion that took us to the island of Lantau by skyrail.  However, there had been an accident on the skyrail earlier in the year so it was shut down until they could assess the cause and make sure it didn’t happen again.  Since hopefully we will be back in Hong Kong sometime soon, we decided to cancel the excursion this year.  So we set out in the morning to explore the area.  We walked first to the elegant Peninsula Hotel, the most exclusive in the Kowloon area.  It was beautiful and reminded me in some ways of the Drake in Chicago.  Then we continued our walk, passing through an enormous department store that brought back memories of Marshall Field’s (it will never be Macy’s to me!) in the Chicago Loop.  We strolled through the Centenary Gardens before returning to the ship for lunch.

Hong Kong was a fascinating experience!   There were so many things to do that were very different from what I’ve seen before that I found the entire time here to be a joy!  I now see why so many people on the ship have been raving about Hong Kong!  

Hong Kong was the first stop in one of the most port-intensive segments of the itinerary.  We are hoping to keep up with our blog postings, but if we get a little behind, please understand that our top priority is to enjoy the ports. We will get things up, but they may be farther between. 

BT