15/8/25
For some reason we’d only just taken proper notice of the fact that they drove on the left in Hong Kong. Another relic of their colonial past. Road signs and other traffic signals also felt vaguely familiar. Our thoughts were guided to how China would eventually manage to integrate Hong Kong into the mainland. An obvious long term objective. Changes to the ‘Basic law’ had already started to diminish Hong Kong’s separation.
After dumping our bag at the next hotel we took a bus to the peninsula. Then boarded the classic ferry across to the north side of Hong Kong island. Star ferries had operated the service since 1898. Thrust into the forest of skyscrapers on the other side, we headed to the IFC mall solely to find Maya x Cakery for a vegan croissant. Connected to a financial services building, which makes up most of Hong Kong’s economy, meant we saw some of the annoying wealthy people. One in just over 100,000 people are billionaires in Hong Kong. Making for a terrifyingly unequal hell hole.
One slightly enjoyable slightly stale chocolate croissant later, and we headed to the tram terminal for ‘The Peak’. A viewpoint on the island. Priced at $108 for a return journey, there was no way we would ever spring for it. So we walked.
Clearly signposted, and with sights to see on the way, we began following the steep tracks. The tram passed several times. Forced to diverge from the line, we decided to find the ‘Old Peak Road’. Our detour took us behind the Tregunter estate. Ridiculously densely populated, with 7,000 per square kilometre, Hong Kong was dominated by high rises. There was still room for fancy swimming pools and tennis courts. Oh, and car parks where we could spy pricey sports cars. Despite best efforts, having a car isn’t expensive enough apparently.
After a brief interlude at the Lion’s Viewpoint we took the No.1 bus back down to the Soho area. There was nothing up top for us, as it had been turned into a large complex of consumerism. On our way to Man Mo temple we took a ride on the world’s longest outdoor escalator. Though it was technically a travelator. The temple was the oldest in the city, nestled below high rises, and incredibly smoky from incessant incense burning. Unremarkable really, we moved on and took an old timey tram, that perhaps inspired the ‘Knight Bus’ from Harry Potter.
Back on the other side of the water we visited Everyday Vegetarian Buffet. A few items sadly contained egg but it was far superior to Ahmisa. Once again we visited in the ‘teatime’ slot. It doubled in price for dinner. A short walk away was the Hong Kong history museum. Hilariously, the main exhibit was on ‘national security’. First we were forced to ride an elevator surrounded by images of protests in Hong Kong. This was designed to instil fear of the chaos. Subsequently it explained that though it ‘appears tranquil, undercurrents persist’. Sensing a lot of anti-British sentiment from the wording, as well as white washing of history, we were thankful we hadn’t had high hopes. An hour was more than enough to learn about the Portuguese, who were in Macau not HK and, the Chinese emigration to California. In fact, it was “shockingly” light on the history of Hong Kong.
‘Symphony of Lights’ is the name given to the light show that takes place every night. Visible from the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade, around 40 buildings take part. Lasers and screens light up in time to music. Expecting the spectacular, we were a little disappointed with the rather underwhelming display. The CEO of HK had refused to postpone the show for a mere 3 minutes on Earth Day. It would interfere with the international image of the city.
Our final but very brief stop on the way home was Temple Street. Expecting a grimy market it was a rather refined touristy affair. Neon lit signs and grungy streets there were not. Kowloon park was at least an enjoyable respite on the way. Finally back in our Christian themed hotel, with religious verses in the lobby, we were upgraded by the lord to a mini suite. We even had a sofa.
Surly They Won't Make It 