<A> SAMPANS, SAND, AND SEA : HONG KONG BECKONS YOU

Hong Kong, the Beautiful Mermaid

When we boarded the flight from Delhi to Hong Kong past 10 pm we did not expect to be served dinner on board at this late hour. We were also rather apprehensive of our matronly airhostesses who were well into their Fifties. It was a pleasant surprise however, to find the same cabin crew insisting on serving us drinks, and dinner. The service was good and bountiful. We enjoyed this hospitality, no doubt helped by the fact that we were also watching an interesting movie. The five hours of the flight passed pretty fast and we were soon at our destination.

The glittering and huge Hong Kong airport dazzled us. We did not need a visa for Hong Kong as it is granted on arrival at the airport. We learnt that visitors from most countries can enter Hong Kong without a visa for periods of seven days to six months, depending on their nationality. We were soon through the immigration formalities and into the Welcome Lounge so thoughtfully laid out. We were also delighted to find the luggage carts free for use. Many of us also took advantage of the telephone in the terminal for making local calls free of charge.

On landing in Hong Kong, we moved straight to Macau, and later Shenzen. Thus it was after our stay in Shenzen, that we decided to travel to Hong Kong by road in a coach. This is only a short haul of a few hours but it turned out to be a laborious process as we had to get down at two immigration checkpoints enroute. Here we had to go through immigration formalities twice, dragging our luggage along before boarding the same bus again. Our grateful thanks to the fellow who invented the strolley suitcase! I must add though that the immigration staff at all the points was very helpful and cheerful.

Hong Kong is divided into four areas - Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, the New Territories and the over 200 Outlying Islands. Kowloon and the New Territories are on a peninsula of the Chinese mainland. Hong Kong city itself is spread around the historical Victoria Harbour and has the main business and commercial areas. Kowloon is the old commercial area and the shoppers’ paradise.

Hong Kong had come under British control early in 1841 following the Opium Wars. In 1898, the British made the Chinese cede Hong Kong Island to them and also gained a 99-year lease on the New Territories. It was in 1997 that the British handed over the entire colony to China. Hopefully, under the policy 'one country, two systems', it will retain its pre-1997 social, economic and legal systems for at least 50 years. In the meanwhile, Hong Kong has picked up fast and the city is booming once again with its well-deserved title of being the financial power centre.

The Sights of Hong Kong
There is much to see in Hong Kong. We decided to sample the joys of Disneyland first. Disneyland is a popular tourist attraction and that is where we headed straight after entering Hong Kong by road from Shenzen. This Disneyland is a much smaller cousin of the one in USA but has similar features like its layout and ambience. The area is divided into Funland, Adventureland, and Tomorrowland with plenty of rides, shows and events. We took a ride in the futuristic cars. These were provided courtesy Honda; that does not mean it was free! The ride in the Flying Saucers was very enjoyable too, though my wife preferred to sit outside and wave to me on my flight. The 3D show featuring the popular Disney characters is a big hit and one does not mind waiting in line for one’s turn. It was a fabulous 45 minutes experience, when wearing 3D glasses you are transported into the virtual reality. Away from the comic books, to see the castle of Alice in real life is a wonderful experience for kids and adults alike. And when it is lit up at night, it turns into a fairy land. We witnessed the Parade at the end of the day to see all the Disney characters dancing away in gay abandon. Being Christmas time, the exhibits were festooned with Christmas decorations.

The fun-filled days

We spent lots of time at the Ocean Park which is also a major attraction in Hong Kong. With an area of 170 miles, it's one of the largest ocean parks in the world. The two entrances to Ocean Park are connected by cable-car and a trip on it is a novel experience. In the cable-car, we had a fantastic and spectacular view of Hong Kong Island and the South China Sea. The maritime displays comprise of Atoll Reef, Shark Aquarium, Ocean Theater, and Ocean Park Tower. At the Atoll Reef, one can view a variety of fish through glass windows. The Shark Aquarium is an underwater viewing tunnel to observe these dangerous creatures.

At the Middle Kingdom, there were many ancient structures like temples and pavilions. Two Hong Kong Jockey Giant Pandas were a good draw with us all. Then there were the Dinosaur exhibits and the Dolphins. The Ocean Theater seemed to be the most popular spot in the whole Ocean Park. It is an open-air theater in which dolphins and sea lions stage a wonderful performance. The Water Paradise had many slides and jumps but with the older age profile of most members of our group, we avoided these rides and were quite content watching others take these.

The currency in Hong Kong is the Hong Kong dollar (HK$), with 100 cents to a dollar. For long, value of the Hong Kong dollar has been pegged at HK$7.82 to the US dollar. As the banks, hotels and money changers charge a commission, do check the rate before encashing your money. Please also remember that if you have American Express travellers cheques you can cash them free of commission at any American Express Office.

We found moving around in Hong Kong to be a pleasant experience. There are three kinds of metered taxis, RED (Urban Taxi), GREEN (NT Taxi) and BLUE (Lantau Island Taxi). BLUE or GREEEN Taxis cannot access places on Hong Kong Island or Kowloon, except hospitals. However you can access any area in Hong Kong by taking the RED Taxi which of course has higher fares than the others. Other public transportation is plenty and excellent; the bus, ferry or train are efficient, and inexpensive. English is widely spoken and the signposting is in English as well.

The travel literature issued by Hong Kong Tourism Board is indeed a very useful source of information. There are plenty of museums in Hong Kong to hold your interest for days. Many of these are free of entry charge on particular days; so do find this out from the travel brochures available in plenty everywhere. Do also keep in mind that on these free days there would be plenty of visitors and so be prepared for the rush. The Hong Kong Museum of History on Tsim Sha Tsui takes visitors through the history from 6,000 years ago to the present. The museum is in a beautiful new building and on three levels that takes a whole day to go around. The Hong Kong Science Museum is close by. This complex is a fabulous source of education with over 500 displays on computers, energy, robotics, telecommunications and so on. For the space buffs, there is also the Hong Kong Space Museum.

The regal Victoria Peak with its 360 degree view of Hong Kong’s skyline is a wonderful attraction. There is a quaint tram to the top. This is an engineering marvel as it travels up at a 40 degree incline. However, we took the bus up and avoided the tram as there was a one km long queue for it. The view at the peak was indeed breathtaking with so many skyscrapers all around. The scene really came alive in the evening when the lights started coming on all over Hong Kong. The chilly wind at this time of December made us shiver and you would be well advised to go to the peak in the afternoon and return soon after it is evening. The whole place has excellent infrastructure support with a huge covered parking, the observation towers and the telescopes for good views and of course the eating places.

An unforgettable experience was the Harbour Cruise in the evening. We waited for our turn along with many other groups at the Ferry Terminal. We then boarded the comfortable ferry in an orderly manner. The upper deck had a better view and was thus full soon enough with everyone ready with their cameras. The sight of all the buildings around with plenty of neon signs is heavenly. At 8 p.m., you can watch the famous Symphony of Lights in Victoria Harbour. The place comes alive when over 30 select buildings around the harbour display a coordinated and dazzling show of lights and lasers with music and narration on radio. This multimedia event is listed in Guinness World Records as the largest permanent light show.

A trip down South takes you to Aberdeen, the largest satellite town. From being a pirates' den many years back, it is now a fishing village turned a modernized waterfront resort. Here traditional fishing life still prevails and one finds many junks and sampans serving as floating homes. Though one can take a sampan ride here, we rather settled on enjoying some good seafood.


Shopping is one good reason to come to Hong Kong. There are plenty of malls and branded stores all over the city. However, for bargain shopping, you need to go to Ladies Market in Mong Kok, Kowloon. This is where you get a good choice in leather goods like watches, handbags and suitcases, as also garments. Copies of branded stuff are all there for the asking. Of course like anywhere else in China, you have to haggle on the prices. Another good place for shopping is the Stanley Market.

We found Hong Kong easy on tips as there is no obligation to tip. For taxi drivers you can just round the fare up. You may tip the hotel staff ten HKD. Of course most hotels and restaurants add a 10% service charge to the bill. So do check up before you tip.

The timing of our trip in late December was perfect. And we brought in the New Year at a Gala Evening in our hotel. Hats and whistles, drinks and choice food provided a grand setting for merry making. The food choice and richness were awesome. Wine and champagne flowed easy.

Next morning it was time to say good bye to Hong Kong and head for home.