Back In Hong Kong - To See It Properly

Ngong Ping

We reached the chaos of Kowloon and headed straight off to our hotel located on the largest land mass surrounding these shores and simply known as Hong Kong Island. We had about 6 days in HK, to see and do things, but first we needed a rest. We were booked into another swanky hotel, in a great location - on the northern shores of Hong Kong Island. To our delight, our hotel had a roof-top swimming pool and equally to our delight (and very unusual for HK) we had a fair few consecutive days of hot, sunny and cloud / smog free skies. We topped up our tans and relaxed by or in the pool and it was pure bliss. After the manic traveling of China, this is exactly what was needed. We also had a gym and a whole manner of other luxuries which I continually expressed a desire to make use of but never actually did - the sun and the pool was all I needed.

To stay for 6 days in Hong Kong (or any worldly location) and do nothing but rest by a swimming pool (to me at least) is a bit of a missed opportunity. You have to take in your surroundings, soak in the atmosphere and experience the culture and lifestyle of those around you. And so, in light of this, we got off our arses and decided to do a few things.

We traveled along and around Hong Kong Island by all means of transport, but most of all I like to use my feet. We had a wander around Hong Kong's Times Square. A bustling place with fancy shops and even fancier dressed locals. It was only then that I realised how affluent Hong Kong really is. Factories and industry seems to have disappeared here and has instead been replaced by office blocks and hard, long-hour working locals. Their wages are reflected in their work, and their designer clothes and sporty cars are reflected in their wages. This is a city full of rich kids, who have cash to burn and they burn it in style. You would probably find it a difficult and depressing place to live if you were broke but come here with a bit of muller and you can have the time of your life. I suppose you could say that about any place in the world - money in some sad sense makes the world go round and not the conservation of angular momentum as I had originally assumed. But in some global destinations having or not having money to enjoy or destroy your life is enhanced to extreme ends of the scale, and HK is certainly one of those locations.

We ventured to the southern portions of Hong Kong Island, where we were submerged in the intertwining alleys of Stanley Market. Down in this part of HK, Stanley has a very European feel to it. The white-washed villas in the hillside reminded me of my kids holidays in Greece. Smart little cafes line the water front and the hectic crowds just don't stretch this far down. Its relaxing, and after a while you quickly forget that your in Hong Kong. We then moved around the corner to Repulse Bay Beach. It's a nice stretch of clear sand but its HK's most popular beach and for that reason, plus the incredible weather, it was hard to find the clear sand.

A year ago or so, Harriet, her friend Rob and cousin Kate came to Hong Kong on their way to New Zealand, so Harriet was quite familiar with the city. During their last visit, a friend of a friend of Kate's, who was born in HK but had lived in New Zealand for many years was now back in this Asian city, living and working. Her name was Shiki and Harriet contacted her again so she could take us out on the town. To me, she would essentailly be a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend - but then, who's counting!!!

Shiki is a really fun person and an excellent tour guide of at least the night scene in HK, which was fine by us. I mean in the day, its easy to get around and find the tourist attractions with minimal effort. But to find the best places to go out at night is somewhat more of an effort. You really need to know the city and as we later found out - you need to know the right people. To get into many of the clubs in HK, you need to know someone who is a member of that club. They pay a yearly subscription of some outrageous amount and then your in - and all your mates too. So for two consecutive nights, Shiki took us out to the club scene with all her friends. It was fun to see how the HK locals go out and party. Actually, we were taken to some quite exclusive places, where models and wealthy youngsters would gather and look cool - I didn't feel out of place for a second - ha!!! We were taken around the Soho district, where most of the partying takes place. Shiki introduced us to all her friends, some who spoke perfect English, others who didn't, but all very welcoming and friendly. Shiki herself, still has a very strong kiwi accent. A few days before we arrived Shiki had split up with her boyfriend, and by pure coincidence (we assumed), we spent a lot of time trying to run away from him as he seemed to turn up where-ever we were. Nevertheless, we had fun those two nights.

Shiki also took us to us to her home, where she lives with her uncle in Kowloon. We spent our lunch time, eating out in a very traditional (not a tourist in site) restaurant. We let Shiki and her uncle order the food. They brought out a dozen different dishes, all very different to anything I had eaten before and all very deliceous. Shiki and Harriet also took me up Victoria Peak. They had both been up before but it's a must do if you visit Hong Kong. Hong Kong Island is pretty hilly. Mountains run through the Island, and up on one of them - Victoria Peak, they have built a cable car (some time ago), allowing folks to get the most incredible view over the city. The cable car is an experience in itself. A slow and steep ride up the side of the mountain. At the top, they have restaurants and tourist amusements, but it is the view that focuses the main attraction. We went up at night and the view over HK is just phenomenal - the skyline of the city lit up in all the colours you could think of.

On my last day in HK, Harriet wanted to tan up by the pool, but I was up for seeing more. I headed off to Lantau Island. It's the same island that houses HK Disneyland and the airport, but they were not the reason that I was heading here. I went to a small town called Ngong Ping. It's a charming town, very quiet with little shops lining its only street. Next to the town however, is a famous Buddist (Po Lin) Monestary and up on a nearby hill is the Big Buddha. There are a number of stairs to climb and in the heat, it certainly was exhausting. Once your at the top however, you are greeted by a huge bronze Buddha statue. Tian Tan Buddha is 34m high and up until 2007, was the largest outdoor- bronze seated Buddha in the world. Inside is a museum about the Buddha and the Po Lin Monestary and surrounding the stucture are a number of Buddist statues. Up on the hill you get a fantastic (if slightly misty) view of the surrounding mountain-side. I also visited the Po Lin Monestary and saw many Buddist's (robed in orange) praying. It was an interesting experience and something that I had not really seen since the beginning of my travels in SE Asia.

Harriet and I had had the most fantastic two weeks. It was tiring, sweaty and a lot of hard work but it was worth it. We saw and experienced so many fabulous things, met some incredible people and just had a damn good time. It was time for our final flight. In 12 or so hours I would be back in London, England - and my home. I had been away for just over a year and a half (18 and a half months) but it was finally time. I was excited, nervous and full of anticipation. I couldn't wait. I would get to see all my family and friends again, walk down some familiar streets, taste the delights of British food, the sunny weather - I was ready. After an anxious plane flight, I stepped into Heathrow Airport, the last place I had seen when I left. I was back home, and I hadn't even told any of my friends that I was coming back today. I thought I would suprise them - I wonder what they will say......................???