Hong Kong is one of those cities you feel you know before you get here. How many movies or TV scenes have been filmed in Hong Kong? You’ve seen the iconic pictures of Victoria Harbour filled with ferries and junks and the porcupine-quilled skyline bristling with skyscrapers. Dick Clark’s New Year’s show always picked up the Hong Kong firework’s show. What was Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan without Hong Kong? Want a tailored suit, go to Hong Kong. It is a world-class city, a cultural, financial and retail centre, a trading hub, a great destination and a place we hope to get to know. First some facts about Hong Kong (you know how much I love trivia) There are over 7 million people living in Hong Kong There are more skyscrapers (building over 14 stories tall) than any other city (more than double New York) Hong Kong means Fragrant Harbour Hong Kong has more Rolls Royces per person than any other city in the world. It is one of the most densely populated areas in the world (over 6700 people per square kilometre) The term, “Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun” originated in Hong Kong. It has the highest average I.Q. at 107. Is composed of over 200 islands. There seems like there is a 7-11 or Circle K on every corner. We flew into the beautiful Hong Kong airport. On your way to customs you pass by a group of officials holding those automatic thermometers…the ones that roll across your forehead and get your temperature. They randomly take temperatures and anyone showing a fever must then go through a health screening. We were not checked (a good thing since Heidi was nursing a nasty little cold). It was late so we grabbed a bite to eat at the airport McDonald’s…not the healthiest choice but quite filling. By the time we got to our hotel we were beat and hit the sack. Up early, grabbed breakfast and out to see as much as possible in one day. The only concern is Heidi’s cold…getting worse. A fun part of any new city is learning the public transportation system. A subway station is right next door to the hotel (located in Kowloon) We hopped on the purple line, transferred at North Point to the Blue line and made it to the Central Area on Hong Kong island. The trains here are amazing. They have a 99.9% on-time rate. The trains and stations are clean and well lit. They are built to carry people, each train is over 100 meters long. And they are fast and inexpensive!!! Our first destination was Victoria Peak via the Peak Tram. Somehow I lost my map but we noticed little signs at every corner pointing the ways to points of interest. We followed the signs to The Peak Tram, across busy streets, onto a shaded walking path, past an old Episcopal Cathedral, and up the hill. On the way we smelled a familiar scent. To our right, behind some enormous wooden doors was an Abercrombie and Fitch. They all smell alike…that over-the-top cologne smell. Inside they even had men with their shirts off showing off their six packs (or 8 packs,or however many they had) Pretty funny!! Finally made it to the Peak Tram and took our place in the queue. Ever since 1888, this tram has been taking residents and visitors to the top of Victoria Peak, the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island. Of course the tram has been modernised since the coal burning boilers of the early cars and now carry 120 passengers at a time 396 meters at 4 to 27% gradient up the mountain. At the top is a large observation deck but to get there you must traverse multiple floors of shops and restaurants. If you make it through without stopping to buy you should receive an award….for us the reward was the jaw dropping views of city and harbour and in the opposite direction toward the New Territories. The pollution haze somewhat concealed the view but it was still amazing.

Next up, we walked down Queens Road to one of the stranger attractions in Hong Kong, the Mid Level Escalators. These escalators are the longest systems of escalators in the world. They are outdoors and you hop on and up you go, over streets, past shops, churches, cafes, bars…up and up and up. You can hop off at any time and then hop back on…quite the experience for sure. They carry about 60,000 people a day. Part of the ride takes you by the up and coming Soho area…lots of bars and cafes. We hopped off here and took a seat in a little cafe to enjoy people watching while sipping a couple mojitos. Now one thing about the Mid Level Escalators…you ride up, but you walk down, unless you wait for the evening and then they reverse the direction.

Next stop a little walk to the Star Ferry Terminal and a ride across to Kowloon. The Star Ferries began plying the waters in 1888, the same year the tram opened. Nowadays there is a fleet of 12 ferries operating two routes carrying over 70,000 passengers each day. It costs about $2.00 USD one way to ride the ferry. On the Kowloon side we walked along the waterfront promenade at Tsim Sha Tsui. Strolling along the harbor you are treated to breathtaking views of the skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island, with the mountains at their back. Quite inspiring. We also walked along the Avenue of the Stars, honouring the celebrities of the Hong Kong film industry. We saw the star and hand prints of Jackie Chan and Jet Li, plus the star and a full-size statue for Bruce Lee. Most of the others we did not recognise.

Our walk back to the train we passed by the huge Apple store…it was filled to overflowing with people trying to be the very first to own an i-phone 6…the line extended forever. Heidi and I are quite happy with our older versions….we’ll definitely wait for the lines to subside. Whenever we got out of the conference, we headed to another part of town. Made it to the Flower Market. Several streets just jam-packed with flower stores…every variety you can think of from simple carnations and daisies to exotics like protea and anthuriums. Some shops sold only vases…all shapes and sizes…others water fountains. Some specialized in Bonsai, others bamboo, others orchids. Quite the sight. We had fun guessing the reason bundles of flowers were being bought….that lady is having a big dinner, that guy needs flowers to say “I’m sorry”, that one just likes flowers in her home, those say, “I love you”.

We also went to the Bird Market. A little side alley that if filled with birds for sale…every size and shape…and cages and bird food. Now when we say bird food, we don’t mean bags of grain. We mean bags of live grasshoppers and bags squirming with meal worms. We had never seen anything like this…truly amazing. Song birds are kept in bamboo cages in many homes in China. It is very common to see Chinese with cloth-covered cages in parks taking their birds for “walks.” Bird singing contests are often held on Sunday mornings, with the winners being the birds that can sing the highest number of different songs in 15 minutes.

Several blocks from the Bird Market, we went to the Goldfish Market. When you enter this street you feel you have entered an aquarium…shop after shop of aquarium shops. Fish are displayed on the sidewalk in plastic bags. Some shops specialize in aquarium extras like gravel and water plants. Fish play an important role in feng shui design. Many a home in Hong Kong will have a simple bowl of water with a goldfish swimming around.

Our last evening we did a truly touristy thing (as if the other things weren’t??) We took a ride around the harbor in an old Chinese junk. For an hour and a half we sat on cushioned benches and enjoyed the sights of Hong Kong. It was a nice way to end our stay…sitting side by side watching the skyscrapers of Hong Kong be “set on fire” by the rays of the setting sun.

Parting shot… One of the Hong Kong stars we noticed

No, not a porn star…actually a male actor from the 30’s and 40’s.