A shopper’s paradise
Our base, the wonderful YMCA of Hong Kong, was just round the corner from Nathan Road.
I’ve never seen a more tactful sign than the one in this small clothes shop.
We were also within walking distance of Temple Street Night Market, where the traders are happy to haggle for their cheap and cheerful products.
My ‘jade’ bracelets started off at HK$450 each and ended up at two for HK$50. Maybe the fact that Richard was looming in the background with his camera had something to do with that.
On the day we decided to take the tram to Causeway Bay, we asked a local where we should alight. The reply was, ‘Look for SOGO. You can’t miss it!’ He was certainly right about that.
The shopping areas around Causeway Bay and Wanchai are well worth a visit. The ‘World of Suzy Wong’ is long gone from the waterfront and has been replaced by the ubiquitous massage parlours, but there are still lots of interesting little back streets to explore.
For much better quality arts and crafts, I recommend China Products near the bus station and Star Ferry terminal on Kowloon side. You could spend a fortune, but there are some moderately priced items too and the staff are very helpful.
Posted 18/10/07 - Permalink to this story
Hong Kong freebies
A lot of entertainment is either free or very cheap. Our Cantonese Opera Appreciation Class only cost us HK$10, the price of admission to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. We were given a preliminary talk and demonstration, a live performance and the chance to browse amongst costumes and props.
The men of the family preferred Kung Fu Corner, held every Sunday afternoon in Kowloon Park. These boys had brought their dragon along.
Some were anxious to show off their skills, some not so keen and at least one man had seen it all before!
A mugger would be very unwise to take on any of these ladies or to think that it was ‘that kind’ of fan dance.
One little boy had to be dissuaded from lining everyone up in the sights of his toy gun.
Posted 18/10/07 - Permalink to this story
Tsing Ma Bridge and Tai O (Big Shelter)
We crossed the Tsing Ma Bridge (the world’s longest road and rail suspension bridge) to visit Lantau Island, stopping en route to use Number 3 ‘Happy Room’. Yes, all public conveniences in Hong Kong are graded. Number 3 was impressive and I’d love to see the two that beat it to the top position.
I was saddened, though, by our visit to the village of Tao O. Once a thriving fishing community and famous for its salt production, its fortunes have declined sharply over recent years. Plenty of tourist coaches pull up there, but only for a short time to take photographs.
With only 1800 inhabitants left, many of the flats in the concrete department blocks built to replace the stilt houses are empty and the primary and secondary schools are due to close soon. A local man told me that the only hope for regeneration lies with the building of a bridge over to Macau, but this is a highly controversial scheme that may never come about.
Over fishing has depleted the stocks, but dried fish are still a speciality. The smell was overpowering on the day we visited and we didn’t feel moved to buy dried fish bladders or any of the other weird and wonderful products on offer from the little stalls in the main street. I homed in on some clothes hanging on a line between two of them, but they turned out to be someone’s laundry.
The people of Tao O are mostly Taoist and the oldest temple dates from 1699. As with the Buddhist Po Lin Monastery (see below), tourists are allowed to visit and take photographs.
Posted 17/10/07 - Permalink to this story
Po Lin Monastery and the Big Buddha
Lantau is more than twice the size of Hong Kong Island, but there’s no chance of missing the enormous bronze Buddha that looks down on Po Lin Monastery. David and I accepted the invitation to climb right up inside it to see a couple of fragments of the Buddha’s bones. Actually, they’re encased in glass bowls and all we saw was a photo in which they look like baby teeth. The view from the top was worth the climb, though.
The monastery complex is short of nothing but monks. Numbers have dwindled to 16, of whom 4 are invalids. We saw none of them during our visit.
There are no restrictions on non-believers entering the shrine and photography is allowed except during processions.
The bell is rung to summon the monks early in the morning, long before all the tourist coaches turn up.
The giant incense pot draws a steady stream of believers.
Only vegetarian food is served in the restaurant and seems to go down well with most people.
It suited me very well, as the only veggie in the family. There were lots of dishes to choose from and all of them tasty. No desserts, though, and Richard treated us all to an ice cream from one of the shops that have sprung up around the car park.
Posted 17/10/07 - There were 2 comments on this story
Watch this space
I’ve just returned from Hong Kong and my body clock is all over the place. More details later, after much sleep.
Posted 14/10/07 - Permalink to this story