Winter Vacation V - Hong Kong

Look at my photos from Hong Kong here: http://picasaweb.google.com/kristin.laufenberg/HongKong2010#

On Thursday the 25th I said goodbye to Diana and left Taipei for Hong Kong. I arrived at the Hong Kong airport, changed my money, and bought an Octopus Card (so called because, besides 7-Eleven convenience stores, it's good for at least eight different forms of transportation in Hong Kong), and a train ticket. After a train ride and a shuttle bus, I arrived in the part of Hong Kong known as Kowloon (Hong Kong is made up of four areas: the New Territories and Kowloon, which are attached to mainland China; and Hong Kong Island and the Outlying Islands, which are to the south and accessible by ferry, train, subway, bus, taxi, and probably other means that I’m not even aware of). I divided up my sight-seeing by these four areas. I should also mention here that Hong Kong has an absolutely amazing public transportation system – efficient and extensive subway lines, frequent ferries across the harbor, and excellent English signs and directions everywhere. If you can’t find your way around Hong Kong, I’d be surprised that you even managed to get there in the first place.

I had booked a hostel at a place called the Chungking Mansions on Nathan Road, the chaotic, jam-packed main street of Kowloon. My guidebook has a hilarious and accurate description of Chungking Mansions. It’s long but I had to include it here (and don’t worry Mom and Dad, I was very careful):

“Say ‘budget accommodation’ and ‘Hong Kong’ in the one breath and everyone thinks of Chungking Mansions, a place like no other in the world. This huge, ramshackle high-rise dump of a place in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui caters for virtually all needs – from finding a bed and a curry lunch to buying a backpack and getting your hair cut – and more.

You may be put off by the undercurrent of sleaze and the peculiar odours – a potent mixture of cooking fat, incense and shit – but don’t seek sanctuary in the lifts; they’re like steel coffins on cables. Perhaps the best introduction to Chungking is Wong Kar Wai’s cult film Chungking Express (1994), which captures all the sleaze in a haunting series of stories.

For years there had been talk about tearing down this eyesore and fire trap. A crackdown on fire-safety violations finally came at the end of 1993, and many guesthouses were forced to shut down. Others survived by upgrading and installing smoke alarms, sprinklers, and walls made of fire-proof material. The block is now partially under renovation.

Much of the character of Chungking Mansions has changed. Many of the guesthouses now serve as long-term boarding houses for workers from developing countries in the India subcontinent and Africa, and matchbox rooms are often occupied by two, three or even four people. Backpackers have started migrating to guesthouses in other buildings, but Chungking Mansions is still the cheapest place to stay in Hong Kong and the place to meet fellow travelers and zany characters. One thing travelers should really guard against is drugs; a few grams of hashish in your backpack could leave you in a lot of trouble.

The entrance to Chungking Mansions is via Chungking Arcade, a parade of shops that face Nathan Rd. You will find lifts labeled A to E with hostels in each block listed. There are just two cramped and over-worked lifts for each 17-storey block, and long queues form at ‘rush hour’. Otherwise there’re always the less-than-salubrious stairs. Be grateful for the stray cats as they keep the rats in check.”

Chungking Mansions is just around the corner from where the bus dropped me off. It's a huge building, like a mall almost, filled with hostels, food stands, money-changing counters, and hundreds of men with no apparent employment except harassing people. As soon as I came around that corner, the touts swooped in. Anytime they see a foreigner, especially one with a suitcase, they just swarm around offering hostel deals, business cards, Rolexes and designer bags, spa services, etc. Luckily my hostel had warned me, very explicitly, ahead of time (“Our only caution to our customers, COMPLETELY IGNORE (meaning No eye contact, No talking, NOTHING) TOUTS OFFERING ROOMS. It's very dangerous. Beware of Fake!! Beware of touts (Chinese or Indian guys)!! Ignore any strangers around you. They will pretending that they are merciful to help you, in fact they will misleading you to another hostel to get their commissions. We located in a very busy commercial building; there are lots of unlicensed hostels around us. Due to popularity and with a world-wide good reputation of us, as soon as you get off the airport bus or taxi, there will be touts trying to tell you that they are the manager or the owner , OR show you our business card. This is a LIE and NOT truth. Absolutely do not believe them, go to the place written on the board by the NO. 2 elevator. Or ask the uniformed security guard at information desk. You will find us easily. We DO NOT have anybody waiting for you at downstairs of hostel.”), so I knew where to go without having to ask any of those “Chinese or Indian guys.” As you can probably guess even without reading Lonely Planet’s description, the Chungking Mansions building itself is a dirty scary hole, so I was pleasantly surprised when I finally reached my hostel, the Park Guesthouse - my room was very clean, and I did have my own (also very clean) bathroom and air-conditioning. And not only did I have a room key, but also a floor key, which meant that they locked everything up at night.

There is plenty to see and do in Kowloon; it’s where I spent most of my time in Hong Kong. Just down the street from my hostel was the Peninsula Hotel. I visited one afternoon, and after 20 minutes in line I was seated for afternoon tea. I had read about this in my guidebook, and it was wonderful – the Peninsula is a really gorgeous, luxurious hotel, maybe the best in Hong Kong, with live classical musicians and really beautiful food. It was a relaxing way to start off my time in Hong Kong. Also close to Chungking Mansions is Kowloon Park. It's a nice little oasis, closed off from all of the craziness on Nathan Road – there are fountains, plant sculptures, and even flamingos!

A short subway ride away are Flower Market Road and Yuen Po Street. Flower Market Road is, of course, dedicated to selling a huge variety of fresh flowers; the weather in Hong Kong lets you grow anything year-round. Adjacent to Flower Market Road is the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden. This 'bird garden' was more of an alley filled with birds for sale. Apparently the Chinese like to keep songbirds as pets, and according to my guidebook, they are also supposed to be lucky. There were stacks of birds there - mostly little songbirds, but I also saw a few big parrots – along with a variety of cages for sale. And of course, birds have to eat, so you could also buy bags and boxes of live insects. The place was as noisy and as dirty as you can imagine, but it was fun to watch the vendors bagging up live grasshoppers with their bare hands!

I also visited a few street markets in Kowloon – the Temple Street Night Market and the Tung Choi Street Market, also known as the Ladies' Market. They sell anything and everything you can imagine at these places, especially the night markets. Neither was quite as lively as the Shilin Night Market in Taipei, but they were worth seeing just the same, and if you have a lot of energy it’s interesting to squeeze your way around and through the crowds. And like anywhere else, bargaining with the vendors is half the fun!

Just down the street from the Chungking Mansions, right in front of the Peninsula Hotel, is the Tsim Sha Tsui East Promenade, which runs along the edge of Victoria Harbor. This is the place to go for one of the most famous urban views in the world. You can look across the harbor to see the famous skyscrapers that make up the business and financial district of Hong Kong, on Hong Kong Island. And every night from 8pm to 8:20, there is a sound-and-light show, called the Symphony of Lights. Watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHWmFkpondw&feature=related.
It was very foggy the night I went, so the show itself wasn't as amazing as I had expected, but just the view of the cityscape across the harbor is worth it. You can walk along the water in Kowloon any time of day just to take in that view.

In Kowloon I also visited the Chi Lin Nunnery, which looked like a temple to me except it was much quieter than the Chinese and Taiwanese temples I visited on this trip - there were none of the New Year's crowds and vendors, just a very peaceful place with a lot of Buddha statues and some beautiful ponds with lilies and lotus blossoms. I didn't see any nuns, although I did have a discussion with some random Chinese guy about Christian heaven vs. Buddhist heaven. He explained it to me with a nice metaphor – after Buddhists die, they go on learning about how to become better people for their next life, with the ultimate goal of attaining enlightenment. So depending on their lifestyle choices and behavior while they were alive, when they die Buddhists go through either primary, high school, or university-level learning to become better people and prepare for the next life.

My last stop in Kowloon was the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple (what a name!). It was beautiful and busy; by now I'm getting used to the crowds and vendors and being shoved around in places of worship, at least around the holidays. This temple even had guards hustling people along, and arrows directing the flow of human traffic from one shrine or incense pot to the next. I love seeing all the different offerings - for most of the temples I saw on this trip, as you get closer to them on the street you start seeing vendors selling, not only the incense sticks, but also little plates of flowers and different kinds of food. Then inside the temples are long tables where people pile up their gifts. I don't know enough about the religion to know who exactly they are meant for, but I always wonder who ends up eating all of it!

As for the Outlying Islands, they are home to one of Hong Kong’s most famous sites – the Tian Tian Buddha on Lantau Island. It is a huge statue of the seated Buddha, apparently one of the largest in the world. You have to take a subway to the end of the line on Lantau Island, ride in a cable car up a mountain, walk through a monastery, and then climb 260 steps to finally get to the Buddha. I was a little disappointed because it was incredibly foggy the day that I went (it was like that most of my time in Hong Kong actually, but down in the city it wasn't so bad. Anytime I went up above tree-level it got really thick). I could barely see my hand in front of my face, let alone the gigantic statue, but it was still pretty cool - I could still get a feeling for the size of the Buddha, the monastery itself was beautiful in the fog, I bought some postcards, and now I have an excuse to go back sometime! They also have a piece of the real Buddha's bone in a museum there, for what that's worth.

Hong Kong Island is the financial and business heart of Hong Kong. It’s a very modern and beautiful concrete jungle; my guidebook lists specific skyscrapers to just look at as tourist attractions! On Hong Kong Island I visited Hong Kong Park and the Edward Youde Aviary. The aviary is really cool - you walk along an elevated wooden bridge on level with the tree branches, and more than 600 birds fly around your head. You can get quite close to some of them. Also on Hong Kong Island is the Peak Tram to Victoria Tower. The Peak Tram takes about seven minutes to pull a car up a very steep hill to the Peak, the highest point around. Supposedly you can look down through the tram windows, and from a viewing platform on Peak Tower, to an amazing view of the city (actually looking down on all the skyscrapers) but of course it was incredibly foggy again once we reached that altitude. Not as bad as when I visited the Tian Tian Buddha, but it pretty much ruined the view. It wasn't a complete waste though - that part of Hong Kong is very green and pretty, and there are lots of gorgeous green walks with hardly any crowds compared to down on the street level. Again, it’s just another reason for me to go back someday soon!

Also on Hong Kong Island, I watched some Cantonese opera at the Sunbeam Theatre. The Sunbeam Theatre is something of a historical, landmark building and one of the very few places to see Cantonese opera in Hong Kong. I bought the tickets with a credit card before I left Korea, and had no idea what I was going to see - the ticketing website was entirely in Chinese, including the name and description of the opera. I wasn't even sure if the price I had paid was in Hong Kong or U.S. dollars until I checked my bank balance a few weeks later. I just really wanted to see Cantonese opera at this famous theatre, so I chose a show that had good seats available on one of the few nights I was in Hong Kong (luckily the price did end up being in Hong Kong dollars, so it was really cheap). Chinese opera can be difficult for Westerners to get used to, and now that I've seen it in Beijing and Hong Kong, I've decided that the costumes, sets, and music, which are always gorgeous, definitely make up for the singing, which can be a bit painful to listen to (here’s an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txtwR9GW_8E&feature=related ).

Anyway, I ended up going on a good night because apparently it was a famous opera, based on a famous Chinese story, and the two main actors are among the most well-known performers in Hong Kong. I learned all of this from the lady I was sitting next to - we talked during the breaks between scenes, about her family and my travels; she also explained the story to me and tried to translate the title (I think what I saw was called “Dream of the Red Chamber.” If I’m right, this is another one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels, like Journey to the West). Cantonese opera is notoriously long, so I sat through two hours of the show and only saw half of it! The lady I was talking to informed me that the whole performance would probably take about four hours, and only the most dedicated fans sit through entire operas!

I only spent one afternoon and evening in the New Territories, so I didn’t see as much there as I did in other parts of Hong Kong. That afternoon I visited the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery. The monastery itself isn't very remarkable – it just reminded me of the several dozen other temples I've now seen in Asia - but the amazing thing about this place is the walk up there. It's a steep walk of more than 400 steps, lined on both sides with thousands of Buddhas (all together, according to my guidebook, the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery actually has more than 12,000 Buddhas). It was a sweltering walk up to the monastery, and a bit surreal with all of those statues looking at me. However, as I was dragging myself up there, a little pack of monkeys came running through - they climbed over some of the Buddhas, crossed the path and disappeared into the trees, right in front of me! There was even a little baby monkey. Hong Kong is such an urban jungle that it's easy to forget you're actually in the sub-tropics. That evening I met Diana's sister Kate and her husband Brian, who live in the New Territories, for dinner. We had a great meal (noodles and Chinese dumplings) and chatted about living in Asia and our attempts at learning Asian languages.

All in all, I really enjoyed Hong Kong – it’s an incredibly diverse, mixed-up place. Sometimes it was glaringly obvious that I was in Asia, and other times I could have been in any major U.S. city, or even Wisconsin. Along with Taiwan, I definitely intend to go back to Hong Kong before I leave Asia for good.