Hong Kong, China

           While we were eating our early breakfast on Wednesday, 16 Oct, we could see Hong Kong in the distance through fog – not a good view for photographs.  (It remained foggy all day.)   From our balcony at 8:00 AM, we were able to watch drummers and dancers on the pier below.  Five “creatures,” with heads that looked like dogs, danced to the drums for 15 to 20 minutes.  Each creature had a body of colorful material, with one person in the front and another behind.  (Jesse thinks they were supposed to be dragons.)

After 9:00 we lined up to leave the ship, this time needing only our cruise cards – not copies of our stamped passports as required for other Chinese ports.  (We needed our original passports for Japan.)  After walking a long distance through the zigzagging passageway from the ship to the main Hong Kong terminal, about 9:30 we boarded our bus.  There, our tour guide, Sue, told us that this new terminal has been opened recently; in fact, this Princess ship was the first one to use it (and it isn’t quite finished).  The terminal is built on land reclaimed land that had been part of a very dangerous landing strip at the old airport (where pilots had to turn at a 45 degree angle when landing).  Before now, ships docked at an older port and passengers had to ride ashore on tenders.

Sue speaks excellent English.  Although most of the people that we encountered in Hong Kong also spoke some English because it is their second language and is taught in Hong Kong schools, Sue said that people who don’t use English in their daily life don’t become fluent in it.  Hong Kong, which literally means “Fragrant Harbor,“ was acquired by Britain in 1898 under a 99-year lease, and returned to China’s control on 1 July 1997.  It is currently a “special administrative region of China.”  We noticed that Hong Kong flies both the Hong Kong and the Republic of China flags, and also that people drive on the left side of the road (not the right, as in the rest of China).  Our bus drove through two long tunnels, one very deep under water that cruise ships travel above and then one through a mountain.

As we rode through the city, Sue pointed out sites of interest including the Happy Valley Racecourse, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Catholic cemetery (where photos are on the tombstones), and the gate to Jackie Chan’s house.  Inside the racetrack, soccer and other games are played.  Land is extremely expensive in Hong Kong, resulting in small, very cramped apartments; but Sue said there are few complaints because life is so much better than it used to be.  Because no space is wasted in Hong Kong, these days even storage of ashes from cremation is difficult, if not impossible.

Our first stop of the day was the Stanley Market, one of the world’s great bazaars.  This fabled market features a dazzling array of stalls and shops that sell handcrafted souvenirs and jewelry, fashions, cameras, and toys at reasonable prices.

Hong Kong Jewelry

Next, we proceeded to the “Hong Kong Jewelry,” where we perused a stunning array of jewelry available for sale.  Though very attractive, the jewelry was very expensive.  During our visit, we were served Chinese tea.  Sally commented that there were more salespeople there than customers!

Jumbo Floating Restaurant

From there, we visited Aberdeen, a picturesque village that is home to thousands of “water people” who live aboard their junks and sampans (flat bottomed boats).  We boarded a sampan for a short tour of the calm waters of the Inner Harbor among the countless boats anchored there.  The sampan dropped us off at the famous Jumbo Floating Restaurant in Aberdeen to partake of a sumptuous, complimentary Chinese Dim Sum lunch with tea.  We also purchased two Chinese beers.

Victoria Harbor Cruise

After lunch, we rode to the Kowloon Public Pier, where we boarded a small cruiser for a cruise through Victoria Harbor.  We enjoyed a complimentary beer as we lazily surveyed the Hong Kong skyline from many angles.

Our final stop of the day was Victoria Peak, 1,805 feet above sea level.  We took an 8-minute tram ride from Peak Tram Station to the summit, which towered above all of the tallest skyscrapers.  Although the view was still impressive, it would have been breathtaking if the fog/smog had not hidden much of it; therefore, our snapshots don’t do it justice.  As the bus was about to start our return trip to the ship, it was discovered that we were missing three passengers.  Only one couple was missing initially, but then a friend went looking for them, leaving his wife on the bus.  After searching for them for 25 minutes, Sue received a phone call from her office that all three passengers were on another bus.  It was touching to watch the husband and wife finally reunite at the cruise terminal; they were obviously VERY glad to see each other again.

At any rate, we finally returned to the ship about 6:30 PM, too late to clean up and go to our regular dining room table.  Instead, we walked down the hall to the Horizon Court (buffet) for dinner, where we shared a table with a couple, Neona and Dennis, from Sidney, Australia.  After a long, interesting conversation with them, we finally returned to our cabin for the night.

About 9:30 PM, the captain announced that we had returned to Hong Kong waters to drop off a very sick passenger.  We watched from our balcony as the smaller boat docked with our ship to pick up the patient and return to Hong Kong.  Our ship turned and headed out to sea again.