Hong Kong, China

Today is Wednesday, March 14. On Monday and part of Tuesday we visited Hong Kong. Janis and I were in Hong Kong 6 1/2 years ago as part of a 3-week China trip we did with Viking that was land-based except for 5 days on the Yangtze River. We thoroughly enjoyed that first visit to Hong Kong. We were not so crazy about this one, however. A first look at Hong Kong is so eye catching because of the incredible number of skyscrapers, the density of everything, the very different visuals from one part of this geographically small place to another, the fun of exploring different area of downtown, etc. But most important of all in making that first visit so enjoyable was the fact that we had almost 3 days here and were accommodated in a centrally located hotel. This time we were docked at a site which for years was Hong Kong's airport and is now the principal cruise line terminal. The location is way off the beaten path so that getting into the center of town and back is a time-consuming ordeal. Ironically, there is one other docking area that is still in use for cruise ships. It is perfectly located right in the middle of the action, but it was occupied by, of all things, the Oceania Nautica which we have cruised on many times.

As usual, I got up especially early on Monday in order to be on the forward deck for our arrival that I hoped would be quite spectacular. Although those of us out there were treated to be beautiful sunrise, the sky and landscape generally were quite hazy making for not-so-great light for photos. (Remember, you can enlarge any photo by clicking on it.)

As we approached our docking position, the light had improved significantly. I saw this fire boat welcome just off our port side.

The new cruise port terminal is huge, suggesting that it must be sized to accommodate at least 2 or 3 cruise ships at one time. In fact, we were the only ship there. It even has a roof-top garden that runs its length and can be used for walking and jogging.

When we disembarked we had to go through immigration inside the port building. It felt like we were at an airport and took a considerable amount of time to get through because of the number of passengers heading out on various excursions. The excursion we signed up for was the included excursion called "Postcards of Hong Kong." In fact, it was essentially the same tour Viking took us on when we were here the first time. First stop was Victoria Peak. We ascended via the Peak Tram after waiting a brief period of time in line for the cable car to arrive.

The views from the Peak are always impressive, but there were so many people there (not at all just from our ship) that I found it difficult to find an optimal viewing position. And even though it seemed to be quite clear on the ground when we came up, there was a haze (maybe caused by pollution) that affected the clarity of the sights.

Our next stop was Stanley Market, an open-air market consisting of a warren of lanes lined with stalls and shops. Again, we had been there before, and since I have no interest in shopping I left Janis to explore while I wandered off to the adjacent Stanley Waterfront area in search of an ATM machine. (Hong Kong currency is different from that of mainland China. Not all vendors and restaurants accept mainland China's currency in Hong Kong. In fact, it's always amusing to hear Hong Kong Chinese talk of mainland China as though it's a foreign country.)

After Stanley Market, we visited Aberdeen, a locale that represents a fascinating juxtaposition of new and old. Here we boarded a traditional sampan for a cruise through the harbor's floating village where hundreds of people live on fishing junks that stand in sharp contrast to the modern high-rises that surround them.

Right in the middle of this harbor are two huge floating restaurants, each with a capacity of about 1,000 diners. They look pretty impressive from the front but when you get a glimpse of their back sides you surrender any idea of eating there. Here's a photo of just one of the two.

Mixed in among the fishing junks that many people also call home are some very impressive looking pleasure craft.

Needless to say, there are lots of modern hi-rise buildings in Hong Kong.

But there are lots of others in various parts of town that are not so nice.

We returned to the ship about 2:30 p.m., had lunch on board and took a brief nap. We had decided to go back into town to see the 13-minute laser light show that takes place every evening at 8 p.m. in the harbor that separates Hong Kong island from Kowloon. Here's where our out-in-the-boondocks location came into play. Shuttles were running infrequently from the port to two diffferent shopping centers that had subway stops, and a third bus that ran more often to yet another location with a subway stop. (We also could have taken a cab, but we were misinformed that the price was very steep, which we learned later was not the case.) As it turns out, a new subway line runnning right to the cruise terminal itself is now under construction, as this photo shows.

It will undoubtedly be operational within the next year. But for now the bus link is time consuming. We did take one of the buses and then the subway, which was easy to negotiate once we got there. The bus driver spoke no English, but local folks were more than helpful, first by confirming that we were on the right bus, and, then, by making change for us since exact change was required. As for the subway itself, like any subway, it was crowded. A man sitting next to Janis spoke to us in English. As a joke, I asked him how he could assume we spoke English and not Chinese. He also was helpful in confirming where we should get off and where to go to switch to a different line to our final destination.

And like everywhere else in the world, most people were communing only with their cell phones.

It took us almost 1 1/2 hours to get from the ship to a viewing point for the light show, but we're glad we went. The skyline along the harbor is not as spectacular as that in Shanghai, but the laser light show was impressive. (There was some kind of construction going on in the lower front of the viewing area that somewhat obscurred the view.)

There was also this picturesque junk on the river.

When the light show was over, we retraced our steps, by subway, to the shopping mall where we would pick up the bus back to the cruise terminal. But before getting on the bus, we stopped in a restaurant for some food. Although the menu had English translations, we still had some questions but the waitperson spoke only Chinese. A woman at the next table came right over and translated. We then got into a conversation with her. She lives in an apartment above the mall. Her English was quite good. She wanted to know where we were from, etc. When we told her we were on a cruise, she asked how long and then said, "Ah, a world cruise." We tried to pick up her check, but she wouldn't hear of it. She did ask that we take a photo with her, which we did.

So, no small part of our relative dissatisfaction with this visit to Hong Kong, as compared with the first visit, was the fact that our second day there was only a short day. We hadn't paid attention to the schedule and assumed we'd have a second full day, but the onboard deadline was noon. Given how time consuming it was to get into downtown and back, we dared not venture off the ship the second morning. The difference between being in a hotel located smack in the middle of things, as was our first experience, and being in this rather remote location made a world of difference.

As it turns out, it took forever for the ship's officers to get Chinese immigration to clear the ship and get themselves off so that the ship could sail. The captain could be seen on the bridge pacing back and forth with his arms folded. Finally, I could see the gangway being retracted.

Next, the Chinese ground crew, who had been standing and waiting for over an hour, got the word to release the lines and did so quickly.

Here are some views of our sailaway. As you can see, hi-rises are everywhere.

The last thing of note we saw before hitting the open sea was this village on stilts. It appeared as though a breakfront was being constructed between these homes on stilts and the open water.