Hong Kong: To Like or Not to Like? (Part 2)

Now safely on the other side of the harbor, we had arrived in what is known as "Central". Our collegues had raved about this place, so we were full of expectation. We set as our destination the "zoological gardens". To get to most places in "Central", a cool escalator system is set up. Since the entire area is built on the side of a mountain, the idea is to just let the escalators take you up, and you have to switch escalators after every street/block. This is a very cool idea, except when one section of the escalator is broken. Stairs are much less fun. Finally, we resorted to taking a taxi up to the top of the mountain (where the zoological gardens most inconveniently happened to be located). We soon found here that the emphasis was on "gardens", and that you had to be a mountain goat to explore them. There were a few bird cages and some lemurs, but the steep inclines took away our enthusiasm to look for anything else. Satisfied that we had a least given "Central" a try, we decided our excursion was over, took a harrowing taxi ride down the mountain, and re-crossed the harbour on the 'magical' ferry.

To be fair to Hong Kong, it does have some great restaurants. You can find any type of ethnic cuisine there, as well as American comfort food chain restaurants (T.G.I.Fridays, Outback steakhouse, etc.). We expats from the mainland love to indulge in these Western delights. Hong Kong is also a great place to get "souveniry" -type things. Ladies Street and Temple Street are both great for this. However, be warned: don't even casually ask the price of something unless you love it and are ready to bargain to the death for it. The vendors in the stalls know some english, and they aren't afraid to use it! They won't want to let you go until they've made the sale. Sometimes even after you've left their "shop", they will follow you with calculator, shouting "how much? How much?" (do you want to pay). This is especially hard to deal with if you've decided you don't really want the item at all. I discovered one way to get out of the situation is to quote a price so low that they are disgusted with me and stop trying to bargain. I've even been thrown out of a shop before for that! However, offending people is probably not the best way to go, in general. It's better to see bargaining as a game . . . I think they do!

Isaac at the Charlie Brown Restaurant

So that was our Hong Kong trip. And as we made our weary way back across the border, I was very glad to be back in China . . . where everything makes sense! (?)

Hong Kong: To Like or Not to Like? (Part 1)

In the interest of saving money, we went almost nowhere during Christmas break. And since everyone we knew was out of the country, we endured a loney week with no one to talk to but ourselves! A month later, Chinese New Year rolled around, and we were determined that history should not repeat itself. Again, all our colleagues were going to frolic on sunny beaches in exotic locals (apparently China isn't exotic enough). So we decided to plan a beach vacation in Thailand . . . at least that's where our thought processes began. Gradually the plan got whittled down to one night in a Hong Kong hotel with an indoor pool. Almost the same, right? We comforted ourselves with money saved. And we bided our time here in China through 40 degree weather, perpetual nightly fireworks, and a city that had basically shut itself down for 2 weeks. On Tuesday, we headed down to Hong kong for our night of luxury (well, as luxurious as life can be with a 4-year old). Now, let it be known that I dislike Hong Kong. Everyone else we know thinks it's the best city on earth, an "exhilerating" experience full of boundless wonders. I see it quite a different way. Perhaps I'm full of sour grapes, but here is an account of Hong Kong through the eyes of one overwhelmed expat.

First of all, Hong Kong is very different from China. The chinese there not only have the audacity to speak Cantonese (instead of mandarin), but they also drive on the "wrong" side of the street. Evidently this was a problem for the poor pedestrians of the city, as large metal fences and stone barricades have been erected around the edges of all the sidewalks, and in between all the lanes. These send the message; don't even think about crossing the street! As a result, we were forced to wander for miles through underground tunnels just to get across the street. Ok, well it seemed like miles. Add to this a very large population crammed into relatively small spaces, so that when we do get to the other side of the street, there is much jostling and dodging, and generally trying not to trip over everyone else.

Next, I shall venture to say that perhaps Hong Kong's tourist attractions might be slightly overrated. During this trip, we decided to try out the famous "star ferry" which takes passagers on a whimsical journey through Victoria harbour. Every HK online tourist site recommended this as one of the top things to do. Former passengers on the boat left many comments full of fond recollection of their experiences. More than one recounted feeling at peace with the universe and a 'cosmic' sense of understanding after their voyage (I kid you not). So we entered the ferry expecting something extraordinary, waiting for an epiphany of some sort to descend upon us. However, since the boat ride is only literally 5 minutes long, I only had time to take a few pictures before we pulled into the opposite side of the harbor. Alas, no epiphany!