Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Victoria docked in the commercial area of Kowloon because she is too long for the passenger terminal. We were shocked at the size of this terminal and the number of containers awaiting dispatch. The cranes were huge and many in numbers and dwarfed

the Victoria. While we were waiting for the sail away in the evening, we were fascinated and entertained by port activity and the constant stream of container trucks coming and going. You began to realize how much China is exporting, considering it is only the second port, in size, in China

Out first trip ashore was to Lantau Island which is the largest of the islands surrounding Hong Kong and where the new airport is located. To get to Lantau you cross a very long bridge that has supports looking like sails from a ship. There are two of these bridges, close together, forming the link to Lantau which makes it very dramatic and photogenic.

We walked through a fishing village that stood on stilts at the water’s edge. In the market, the stalls were full of dried fish and other items. We saw a full size dried shark on one stall and a dried shark’s skin on another. Many sharks’ fins were displayed together with highly coloured fish we did not recognize. As this was a working village, many locals were buying the items. We were fascinated with the idea of dried puffer fish which were puffed up and looking very aggressive. Further along there were vegetables and flowers, meat and live fish in tanks. Very surprising to us was the total absence of flies, which was good, and refrigeration which we felt bad.

At the end of the village was a temple to Buddha. 8o% of the Chinese follow Buddha. In this percentage, a number also follow Taoism. The temple was very decorative and people were offering incense and prayers. If they desired their dead ancestors to enjoy after life, paper replicas were made, or purchased, and burnt as an offering. These replicas are made of brightly coloured paper and can represent any item you wished, from a hamburger to a Rolls Royce.

At this point it was time to visit a Buddhist monastery and an 80ft tall, bronze, sitting Buddha which was situated on the top of a 4,000ft mountain . We had to change buses with a driver that was certified to drive in this area. It was very hilly with narrow roads. After winding up to the top of the mountain we were able to go inside the base of the bronze Buddha. Because of its size, it was able to house a museum which was very interesting. It also housed a massive bell which is only rung on ceremonial occasions. It used to be rung each day but had to cease when visitors were allowed. The noise of the ring would have deafened them. The Buddha is very beautiful and, as it was a sunny day, it looked magnificent. Surrounding the outside of the base were several large bronze statues of guardian princesses . To reach this area there are 276 steps which worshipers climbed. some on their knees, in homage. We were fortunate that the bus was allowed to drive up.

In the park at the bottom of the steps is the monastery but we only visited the large dining hall which is vegetarian only and open to the public. The meal consisted of spring rolls, corn and broccoli, fried lemon Tofu, corn and tofu soup, mixed vegetables, rice, sweet bread rolls and tea. After the meal we were allowed free time to visit local stores. We were surprised to see a 7 Eleven store and a Starbucks. Tiny but nevertheless there.

Housed in this area is the terminal for the gondola This saves the drive down. Each car seats eight people. The 25mins. drop from 4,000ft in a gondola was not very appealing to Sheila but she enjoyed the ride and the spectacular views. We ended our trip back to the

ship by bus.

The following day we visited the New Territories which is the area between Hong Kong and China. The British originally had control of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories which were eventually handed over to the Chinese in 1997. We visited a, now abandoned, village which is being preserved for the future. It was surrounded by a high wall. Inside the walled area were many small houses. The houses were used for domestic and industry. There were displays of how they would have lived which appeared to be very sparse. The industry was cotton and its products all done on wooden looms, etc. It was very interesting.

We traveled onwards to the Wishing Tree. The tree has stood on this spot for 200 years. People have used it for presenting their wishes and hoping they come true. The wish is performed by tying your written message on paper and tying it to an orange that is then thrown into the tree. If the orange and its message stays in the tree, the wish is granted. Unfortunately, the tree is dying and there is great concern. No-one is allowed to use the tradition any more in this way. Message boards have been erected and you have to pin your wish on that. A fake plastic tree, which looks very authentic, has been erected close by and you can use that with a plastic orange for the same purpose. Robert decided to plant his wish on the board, but others tried their luck with the plastic oranges.

Continuing our trip we made a short stop at a temple and small street market. The usual wares were for sale, flowers, meat, fish, vegetables, etc. Then on to the next stop. This was another very old walled village but this time occupied. Most of these villages have been demolished as the new towns are built and people move into the apartments. The high rise buildings can reach 30-40 floors. One of these new towns already has a population of over 5million. There are several of these towns in this area. The occupied old town was very dilapidated. However, we could see the pride the original people had in the place and it history. In a little hallway there were pictures of people, of some significance, on the walls. Underneath each picture was the date of birth and death. The original founder of the tribe, living in this village, was a man of wealth and employed as a government official. His wife’s picture hung alongside. Some of the houses had signs of upgrading. The old windows had been removed and replaced with modern frames and dual paned glass. The cars in the car park were new and in very clean and good condition. This made us think that inside these old looking houses could be a very nice interior. It looked very strange to see electric meters and gas and electric lines pinned to the outside walls. On the way back to the ship we passed new highways and many landscaped areas underneath. There were also many pedestrian walkways over, under and around these highways. This definitely gives the impression that people matter.