Stopping Over in Hong Kong

View from Victoria Peak

View Photos (5) Image © 2000 Hong Kong Tourist Association

At first glance, Hong Kong is more compact and less glitzy than Tokyo, Manhattan or London. In fact, Hong Kong is a bit dingy'especially during the day without the fluorescent blitz of nighttime neon that distracts the casual observer from seeing garbage heaped onto overhangs from apartments above, or pigs being slit open and carved up on sidewalks in preparation for market. After all, six million people jam into this 1,078-square-kilometer island, the majority of them wedged together in tiny, yet towering apartments. Thus, the street serves as a spacious refuge.

Hong Kong further stuns newcomers with its blanket of humidity and frenetic energy. Even street sweepers sport pagers and cellular phones in order to keep up with the financial markets. Not exactly a welcome tonic for the weary traveler.

Fortunately the best foray into Hong Kong is also the least expensive and the most fun. The Star Ferry shuttles passengers on a seven-minute jaunt between the Kowloon Peninsula (airport side) and Central (the main island's economic/bureaucratic/cultural hub). A one-way fare ($HK 1.70) buys a spectacular view of the waterfront. Two notable buildings are the Jardine Building with its matrix of circular portals and I.M. Pei's controversial Bank of China, a billion dollar blue/green behemoth that shimmers above its neighbors. In the evening, a number of towers reveal their corporate sponsors with flashy neon nameplates on their rooftops'in keeping with the capitalistic tenor pervasive throughout Hong Kong.

Once in the Hong Kong Ferry Terminal, visitors will find a newsstand with the Territory's most complete selection of international newspapers and magazines. The more trend-minded and cyber-conscious will be delighted to discover they don't have to forego the most recent issue of The Face, Wired or I-D while visiting the Crown Colony. Stop at the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) to pick up a handful of practical publications. HKTA publishes a superb area map, list of current events and restaurant directory. Not far from the newsstand, visitors can purchase tickets for an open-air double-decker tram ride through the Central district, Wan Chai (the infamous former red-light haunt) and Causeway Bay. This short tour provides a fast preview of the island's key neighborhoods. Patrons are able to stand on the tram's top level to peer at street-level happenings and see open-air fresh fruit and vegetable markets; gawk at the monstrous apartment buildings with laundry wafting out of the windows; and marvel at the bamboo scaffolding used so often in the Territory's construction projects. Be careful not to lean too far over the edge or you're apt to be swiped by an oncoming tram, or worse, get nicked by a traffic light. Later, you can explore on your own and get a legitimate street perspective. These historic trams have been a mainstay on the north side of Hong Kong Island for almost a century.

Next, walk up Garden Road to the Lower Peak Tram Terminal to catch the Peak Tram which provides transportation to Hong Kong's most popular tourist attraction. Operational since 1888, this funicular railway traverses up to Victoria Peak (the highest point in Central.) At 550 meters, the Peak offers a 360-degree view of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories and the islands of the South China Sea. At the top of the Peak, there will be signs for Harlech Road which runs around the Peak's perimeter. This path is shared by walkers, joggers, and rollerbladers for its dazzling harbor views, as well as being a good vantage point for many of the ongoing redevelopment projects. If you look carefully, you'll see a few of the precious open spaces for soccer and swimming. At the end of the hour-long walk, sit down and enjoy a satisfying, yet rather pricey drink at the Peak Cafe, where you can pick up HK Magazine, a weekly guide to hip eateries, pubs, clubs and goings-on.

After the visual overview of the island, return to street level and walk along Stanley Street to Luk Yu Teahouse for a traditional Chinese dim sum lunch. Waiters in white coats will seat you in lacquer chairs inside this landmark wood-paneled restaurant which has been serving Cantonese cuisine since the 1930s. Try the delicate shrimp and pork dumplings, crispy Hong Kong style noodles with beef, and the fried bean curd with a spicy sauce. As in many Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong, an English menu with pictures of the various selections is available.

The bustling Queen's Road delivers a heavy dose of cosmopolitan Hong Kong. Boutiques such as Chanel and Armani cater to locals and tourists alike. For a cheeky diversion in the midst of Central, be sure to check out Shanghai Tang. It's a new shop stocked with merchandise that is a pure send-up of Shanghai-style in the 1930s. The shop carries quirky goods such as Chairman Mao T-shirts, Mao caps, and day-glo silk jackets. Then, for a marked contrast, walk up the steep ladder steps leading up to Cat Street for a more earthy taste of Hong Kong'where vendors set up ramshackle street shops to hawk everything from worn sneakers to ancient abacuses. The only rule here is caveat emptor: it's up to the buyer to sort through piles of eight-track tape decks, VCRs, wires, cables and other odds and ends in order to find the real treasures.

At night Hong Kong takes on a whole new aura. Restaurants, shops and outdoor markets are open late and the pace doesn't let up! The pub/club scene can get quite hectic, especially in the Lan Kwai Fong area in Central, where there's a slew of top-notch restaurants, bars, and discos. Besides a full spectrum of Asian gastronomic delights such as Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Indonesian, Nepalese, Korean, and Burmese, there's a full array of international foods available in Hong Kong. Beirut serves excellent Lebanese food; after dinner, stop at the fabulous La Dolce Vita for some grappa, wine or an apperitif. If you're feeling a late-night cultural urge, dally at the Gallery La Vong which showcases contemporary Vietnamese art. Nearby, the Fringe Gallery stages performances in addition to running a funky bar and vegetarian restaurant.

Sunday morning dim sum is the most significant meal for Hong Kong Chinese, who constitute 98 percent of the population. The top floor of the Universal Center, adjacent to the Pacific Palace in the heart of Central, provides a fine glimpse into this gastronomic ritual. There you'll find dim sum for about a 1,000 people, but arrive before noon or all the seats will be taken! English menus aren't available; however, pointing to the wicker baskets the waitresses wheel around will suffice. Be forewarned: breakfast with a 1,000 is a dizzying affair!

Next, pick up the number six bus from the Central Bus Terminal for a scenic ride along the southern coast to Stanley, one of the Island's loveliest seaside villages. Yes, it's crammed with tourists, but it's worth the short trek; at the daily market you'll find throngs of people haggling over faux Rolex watches, bootleg CDs, Doc Martens, Tin-Tin T-shirts. Stanley's umbrella-covered crooked lanes are full of bargains.

For a brief respite after a frenetic afternoon shopping, head over to the Peninsula Hotel on Kowloon and treat yourself to high tea complete with scones, clotted cream and cucumber sandwiches'accompanied by a string quartet. The Peninsula itself is worth exploring. Built in the 1920s, the hotel has maintained its grand elegance, despite having lost its harbor view to the multi-million dollar Hong Kong Cultural Centre, which opened in 1980. The hotel houses many high-end shops and Felix, a happening art deco bar and restaurant with a dazzling view of the harbor and skyline. Across the street from the Peninsula is a waterfront promenade that stretches from the Cultural Center up to Hung Hom; it's a very peaceful twenty-minute stroll at any time of day.

While in Tsim Sha Tsui, take time to walk around the snaking streets. This area is renowned for its electronics; perhaps not the bargain they once were, there is still an enormous selection of cameras, cellular phones, pagers and other assorted electronic goods.

For supper, there are a number of excellent choices. Wong's Kitchen (56 Cameron Road) has good Korean barbecue, where guests can cook their own meat and vegetables over a flame-broiler right at their table. Bodhi Vegetarian Restaurant (81 Nathan Road) has terrific and inexpensive Chinese vegetarian selections. After supper, an offbeat choice that provides a bit of a getaway from the Tsim Sha Tsui crowds is Knutsen Terrace, a skinny alleyway reminiscent of a remote European hideaway; when in fact, it's only several blocks from the clanging commerce. Located on the Terrace is the very handsome El Cid tapas and wine bar and Bahama Mama's, the only Hong Kong hangout where you're certain to find a head of dreadlocks. There's also a full bar and a house DJ pumping house, reggae, and acid jazz nightly. Also close by is the Temple Street night market. Always abuzz with action, vendors sell a random assortment of knick-knacks, watches and jewelry. Fresh seafood is available in tanks, or at streetside restaurants. If that's not appealing, dai pai dong stalls selling homemade hot snacks are always close at hand. Wherever you go in Hong Kong, you'll quickly discover the place is ripe with references to 1997, when the colony will officially revert back to Chinese ownership after a century and a half of British rule. Every resident is preparing for 1997 somehow, or at least scrambling to figure out what it means. However the transition plays out, Hong Kong will certainly be different, so see it before it changes hands.

Info:
Hong Kong Tourist Association Hong Kong Tourist Association-USA Wondernet

Published on 6/1/96