Hong Kong

China's conflict with Google meant that my blog was blocked -- and even if it hadn't been, internet service is so slow and intermittent that it would have been difficult to post while I was in country anyway.  So, here in a few stages are my experiences and reflections from a truly wonderful trip.

Hong Kong is an overwhelming city.  So Asian.  So European.  So many people -- 7 million residents and 60 million visitors a year.  So little land. Such a beautiful setting. So much smog and pollution, of which we've had our share as the wind isn't blowing.  So much traffic!

We've seen all kinds of people wearing all kinds of clothes.  A Baptist Church is three doors from our hotel and a mosque is at the end of the road.  Tiny store fronts lead to mazes of shops on several levels inside, always with offices or apartments above.  It takes an amazing public transit system to keep it moving at all.

Hong Kong Island from Kowloon

Meg and I spent our first day on a whirlwind tour of Hong Kong Island.  We took the tram up to the top, producing some dizzying experiences as the buildings all seemed to be leaning sideways.  Views from the top were breathtaking, however, in spite of the fact we could barely see Kowloon.  We visited Stanley Market (knock-off heaven), the beautiful beach at Repulse Bay with the golf course just across the road, and a jewelry factory.  Without question, however, the high point was a ride in a sampan through the fishing village at Aberdeen on the south side of Hong Kong Island.  The culture of living and fishing from sampans and somewhat larger fishing boats is fast disappearing.  But the juxtaposition of that life and the high rises lining the shore was a stunning comparison of where Hong Kong has been and where it is going.

Fishing Boats in Aberdeen Harbor

Anna Pong, a resident here whom I met through a friend, took us to a late lunch near our hotel.  Our first Chinese meal consisted of noodles and beef, rice and seafood, and a green vegetable with stalks like broccoli and leaves like spinach that had been stir fried with garlic.  All delicious.

Lloyd always promised me that if we ever got to Hong Kong, he would take me to the Peninsula Hotel for dinner.  The Peninsula, built in 1928, is the grand dame of Hong Kong hotels.  But our lunch had been too late to permit a large dinner, so we settled into the bar, orchestra playing dance tunes in the background, for a drink and a snack. It was a real treat. 

Karen & Meg at the Peninsula Hotel

After a long walk on Sunday through Kowloon Park (peaceful in the morning with several tai chi groups in evidence) and along the waterfront, I joined Meg on Hong Kong Island for a “foodie” tour.  We had heard the day before that the wealthiest in Hong Kong live on top of the peak and the upper middle class live in the mid-level, which is reached by a long public escalator.  From the Kowloon side, it appears that the lower slopes are dominated by the commercial high rises that line the waterfront.  Not many blocks behind these structures, however, are vibrant Chinese communities with open air markets and shops that sell a wide variety of local products.  Our culinary adventure included dim sum (fresh shrimp and bean curd sautéed, steamed pork buns, and shrimp, pork and vegetable dumplings).  Dessert was a water chestnut gelatin and Chinese sponge cake.  Our next stop was a tea tasting at a little shop where teas are prepared the traditional way.  We tested two kinds of jasmine, white, oolong, red and several others.  

Interior of Tea Shop

We followed this with an egg custard purchased from a street vendor.  Then, we ‘cleansed the palate’ with a won ton noodle soup with Chinese greens.  But the topping on the cake, so to speak, was Chinese “French toast,” a delicious deep fried peanut butter sandwich with a pat of butter on top and sweetened condensed milk on the side for dipping.  

Chinese French Toast

It sounds appalling but it and everything else we tasted was beyond delicious and all purchased from local merchants, many of whom didn’t even have a menu in English.  How we ate so much in four hours and lived to tell about it, I don't know!

Along the way, we learned about the poets’ balconies that used to be found around Hong Kong where poets would gather to drink tea and then declaim to the populace below.  

Poet's Balcony, Hong Kong Island

We discovered beautiful “wall trees” -- a kind of banyan whose roots cling to the walls that keep the hills from sliding into the sea.  The star ferry ride home was the perfect end to a great day.

Banyan "Wall" Tree

We’ve been reading in the newspapers about the protests in Hong Kong against the lack of democracy and transparency in the governance of the former colony.  What we learned in several conversations is that the divisions between mainland and Hong Kong Chinese are deep.  Residents of Hong Kong have been steeped in British traditions – from simple things like waiting in line to more complex understandings of the rule of law and the importance of reliability in business dealings.  Many find the mainland Chinese boorish and unethical – and are furious at the way they are flooding the housing market and driving up prices for local residents.   One shop near our hotel selling Chinese herbal medicines had a sign in the window that said, in Chinese and in English, “No Fakes”.