When people asked me what I thought of Hong Kong, I usually say that it reminds me of London's Chinatown if it was 7 million people strong. This reminds me of Uber-Travel Geek Rick Steves which has a great quote about London:
"London is more than its museums and landmarks. It's a living, breathing, thriving organism... a coral reef of humanity."
Likewise, Hong Kong is more than its food and shopping. The second sentence about the coral reef thingy is bang though - no doubt due to it benefiting from being a former British Colony. Unfortunately there are many perceptions of Asia that do not ring true. I've heard words such as "backward", "archaic", "dirty", and "rude" (to name a few) that are unfortunate. To offer a different viewpoint, here are some new words I would use to describe Hong Kong.
Refined
I'll admit coming here I did have a perception of people being rude based on our experience 6 years ago in China. I expected a lot of spitting, swearing, shoving, uncourteous, and aggressive behaviour. What I'm pleased to say that this was not the case at all - yes even the spitting. When the British gave Hong Kong back to China, there was a huge campaign put on by the Chinese government to curtail this behaviour. Apparently this worked!
Efficient
Dare I say it, but Hong Kong has got to be one of the most efficient cities in the world on many fronts. While there, we were able to travel using personal vehicles, taxis, MTR, cable car, trams, double decker buses, and ferries. The sheer availability, affordability, and efficiency that these modes of transport run at translates into most people not needing a vehicle. Some cost examples:
Taxis start at $3.50 CDN and you can get to most places for <$5 CDN
MTR on one line costs $0.50 CDN
Trams are a ridiculous $0.25 CDN
Bus are $0.40 CDN
Not only is the transport efficient, but so is the service. Want to add money to your Octopus card? It'll take you <10 seconds at a 7-11. Want to pay for your bill at a restaurant? It'll take you more time to get your wallet out than to complete the transaction. No wonder why when going to Canada, many of my Honger friends are impatient.
Cosmopolitan
What the heck does this word mean? I take it as a city that truly embraces its multiculturalism - where many people of many ethnic backgrounds, religions, and cultures live in harmony. You may think of London and New York - but I'd like to add Hong Kong to this list. It may not be as apparent as a London or New York since Asian culture is more in your face - but there are indeed pockets all over.
The question is not whether we'll be back to Hong Kong - it is just a matter of when.
2012-03-25
2012-03-19
Review on the Run: HK Disneyland (4 of 5)
Yes we are back - but we had some internet connection troubles the last few days there. Time to catch up.
Honestly - we weren't going to come here since we've heard nothing but negative reviews. We had some time though and decided to check it out since it is much cheaper than the ones in the US and Paris. I guess our expectations were so low for the place that it was easily beat. But make no mistake, this is a pretty good park in its own right with a major caveat - this park has little for people ages 10+. Reasons why we enjoyed it here:
Unexpected Demographic and lack of Crowds:
There are not many big time thrill rides like Indiana Jones, Tower of Terror, Aerosmith Roller coaster etc, It is however perfect for younger kids. That being said about 95% of the patrons were aged 20+. What this caused were big backlogs on the "big kid" rides like Space Mountain leaving the rest of the park for ourselves. Combine that with a cloudy day that had a high of 19 (cold by HK standards) and we had the park to ourselves at times, or so it seemed. Chloe and I literally went on Buzz Lightyear 12 consecutive times and didn't have to wait more than 10 seconds.
Food:
I guess when you are in a culinary city like Hong Kong, having bad food would be unacceptable. This was some of the best park food I've had any place. They featured regional Chinese cuisine at most venues. The Nanjing Beef Noodle Soup was great!
Price:
Although not as cheap as Ocean Park, I saying paying $50 CDN to get into any Disney Park is a steal. Chloe was only $35 CDN, while Isaac was free. Food and souvenirs were also at least half the price of its American cousins.
Before I stated that Ocean Park was much better than HK Disneyland. I would have to say that although similar, they each are different experiences that stand on their own and should be both visited with young kids. Ocean is more of an aquarium and zoo with rides - much like SeaWorld. Disney, you know what you're going to get: Polish, efficiency, and pixy dust.
2012-03-15
Review on the Run: Big Buddha (2.5 of 5), Po Lin Monastery (0 of 5)
For every highlight there is a lowlight that I can tell all my friends to skip. Although the Big Buddha was alright, the Po Lin Monastery was one of the worst sites we've ever seen. Right up there with the Palace of Knossis in Greece. If you want to see Buddha's and avoid the crowds and could only pick one, go with the 10,000 Buddha Monastery in Sha Tin instead of here. Less headaches and more impressive.
Big Buddha (2.5 of 5)
We should've took the warning sign more to heart. While at Central just about to transfer to Tung Chung to see the Big Buddha and Po Lin, we heard on the intercom that the cable car that takes you from the MTR station to the top was broken. We thought that we came this far anyways that we'd just take the bus up. What was advertised as a quaint bus ride taking you through the winding roads across Lantau Island to the top, turned into a white knuckle experience of motion sickness due to both our bus drivers (on the way up and down) treating the narrow roads as their own F1 track. Upon arriving, I'd have to say that the scene was quite mystical. It was *surprise* foggy and it added to the aura of the place. We climbed the ~300 steps to the top and it is exactly as advertised... a Big Buddha. Pretty neat but not too exciting when I hear of the ones in Thailand. Onto the adjacent Po Lin Monastery for a vegetarian meal and to see the hall.
Po Lin Monastery (0 of 5)
Ok. Where to start? The meal, understood was vegetarian, but I guess I was expecting more gluten products that looked like meat. It was by far the worst meal we've had in Hong Kong. Next on to all the grand halls in the Monastery right? There was a total of one building open for viewing. The rest of the place was under renovation. I'm giving this site zero stars because I felt it was just so tacky and a pure tourist trap. All the facades of the buildings were made of cement casts that looked really fake. Unless you wanted to buy incense (3 for 100HKD or 6 for 150HKD) there was nothing else to look at. In fact the Calgary Chinese Cultural Center looks more authentic than this place... yikes.
Big Buddha (2.5 of 5)
We should've took the warning sign more to heart. While at Central just about to transfer to Tung Chung to see the Big Buddha and Po Lin, we heard on the intercom that the cable car that takes you from the MTR station to the top was broken. We thought that we came this far anyways that we'd just take the bus up. What was advertised as a quaint bus ride taking you through the winding roads across Lantau Island to the top, turned into a white knuckle experience of motion sickness due to both our bus drivers (on the way up and down) treating the narrow roads as their own F1 track. Upon arriving, I'd have to say that the scene was quite mystical. It was *surprise* foggy and it added to the aura of the place. We climbed the ~300 steps to the top and it is exactly as advertised... a Big Buddha. Pretty neat but not too exciting when I hear of the ones in Thailand. Onto the adjacent Po Lin Monastery for a vegetarian meal and to see the hall.
Po Lin Monastery (0 of 5)
Ok. Where to start? The meal, understood was vegetarian, but I guess I was expecting more gluten products that looked like meat. It was by far the worst meal we've had in Hong Kong. Next on to all the grand halls in the Monastery right? There was a total of one building open for viewing. The rest of the place was under renovation. I'm giving this site zero stars because I felt it was just so tacky and a pure tourist trap. All the facades of the buildings were made of cement casts that looked really fake. Unless you wanted to buy incense (3 for 100HKD or 6 for 150HKD) there was nothing else to look at. In fact the Calgary Chinese Cultural Center looks more authentic than this place... yikes.
2012-03-14
Review on the Run: 10,000 Buddha Monastery (4.5 of 5), HK Heritage Museum (4.5 of 5)
We had a dinner to attend to in Kowloon City so we took advantage of this and made our way to Sha Tin in the New Territories for what turned out to be the best day of sightseeing in HK so far!
10,000 Buddha Monastery (4.5 of 5)
Located right by the Sha Tin MTR station in the New Territories, this temple (technically not a monastery since there are no monks living there) was finished in 1957. When you start the trek of more than 400 steps to the top, the path is lined with hundreds of life sized monks that are painted in gold - no two looking alike. Making your way up to the top is really the highlight. At the top though, there is a temple with 13,000+ (not 10,000 like advertised) miniature Buddhas and offers some great panoramic sights of Sha Tin. There is also a 9 story pagoda you can climb and another couple hundred gold monks for good measure. Stroller alert: even though there is a ramp along with stairs, the ramp I believe is meant for a motorcycle to haul goods up to the restaurant. It is like a 45 degree incline the whole way...
HK Heritage Museum (4.5 of 5)
Even though we go here a little too late to take in everything - we were seriously impressed by the exhibits. Located only a 10 minute walk from the 10,000 Buddha Monastery, the Heritage Museum is dedicated to displaying different cultural aspects of HK - like fashion, music (opera and modern), visual arts, and crafts. One of my favourite displays were featuring the works of Huang Xinbo who pioneered Chinese woodcut art. Check out some examples here.
10,000 Buddha Monastery (4.5 of 5)
Located right by the Sha Tin MTR station in the New Territories, this temple (technically not a monastery since there are no monks living there) was finished in 1957. When you start the trek of more than 400 steps to the top, the path is lined with hundreds of life sized monks that are painted in gold - no two looking alike. Making your way up to the top is really the highlight. At the top though, there is a temple with 13,000+ (not 10,000 like advertised) miniature Buddhas and offers some great panoramic sights of Sha Tin. There is also a 9 story pagoda you can climb and another couple hundred gold monks for good measure. Stroller alert: even though there is a ramp along with stairs, the ramp I believe is meant for a motorcycle to haul goods up to the restaurant. It is like a 45 degree incline the whole way...
HK Heritage Museum (4.5 of 5)
Even though we go here a little too late to take in everything - we were seriously impressed by the exhibits. Located only a 10 minute walk from the 10,000 Buddha Monastery, the Heritage Museum is dedicated to displaying different cultural aspects of HK - like fashion, music (opera and modern), visual arts, and crafts. One of my favourite displays were featuring the works of Huang Xinbo who pioneered Chinese woodcut art. Check out some examples here.
2012-03-12
Review on the Run: HK Science Museum (3.5 of 5), HK History Museum (4 of 5)
The day of the wedding we wanted to tire the kids out so they would ideally have a nap and have energy for the wedding... it didn't happen. Isaac napped for only an hour and Chloe stayed up from 9am - 12:45am the next morning. There seems to be no off switch on these kids. Here's what we did though.
HK Science Museum (3.5 of 5)
Unlike the rotty HK Space museum we saw, this is a state of the art place that will keep the kids occupied for hours. It was extremely interactive and the place was so big in fact that we didn't have enough time to go through it all while the kids kept on calling for more. The kids favourite was the hall of mirrors where they have neat gimmicky tricks using reflection. One of the more impressive structures though was a three story high marble machine - except they use bowling balls instead. Total cost: 25 HKD for the family... which works out to a little over $3 CDN. Yes you read that right. I believe the new Telus World of Science in Calgary is $25 CDN/person!
HK History Museum (4 of 5)
This museum is attached to the Science Museum, and I didn't know what to expect when coming here - but we've never seen anything like it in Asia. It displays the full history of the Hong Kong area from the dinosaur age, to first settlement, pre-occupation, opium wars, and to modernization. The displays were all first rate and really gave you a feel for what it was like back in the day. Total cost: Again a mere 25 HKD.
HK Science Museum (3.5 of 5)
Unlike the rotty HK Space museum we saw, this is a state of the art place that will keep the kids occupied for hours. It was extremely interactive and the place was so big in fact that we didn't have enough time to go through it all while the kids kept on calling for more. The kids favourite was the hall of mirrors where they have neat gimmicky tricks using reflection. One of the more impressive structures though was a three story high marble machine - except they use bowling balls instead. Total cost: 25 HKD for the family... which works out to a little over $3 CDN. Yes you read that right. I believe the new Telus World of Science in Calgary is $25 CDN/person!
HK History Museum (4 of 5)
This museum is attached to the Science Museum, and I didn't know what to expect when coming here - but we've never seen anything like it in Asia. It displays the full history of the Hong Kong area from the dinosaur age, to first settlement, pre-occupation, opium wars, and to modernization. The displays were all first rate and really gave you a feel for what it was like back in the day. Total cost: Again a mere 25 HKD.
2012-03-11
The Most Spectacular Wedding I've Ever Attended...
So the big day has finally come and gone. The whole reason (and excuse) for us coming to Hong Kong is to see our good friend Vicki get married. The wedding left us floored by how swank the production really was. Everything from the decor, to the food, to the ambiance was perfect. We've had some great opportunities to see some friends and family get married in great locales that include Jamaica, Hawaii, Scotch Creek, and Banff - but this blew all of them away and makes our wedding at Marco Polo (yes the one closed down because of mice) in Edmonton look ghetto... which it was.
Some random thoughts that caught my attention:
Some random thoughts that caught my attention:
- A huge 3d sign that spanned 10 ft high and 20 m long with "Victoria and Keith Tie the Knot" engraved in wood.
- The Grand Ballroom with 3 story high ceilings and full windows offering great views of the harbour.
- Instead of putting all the dishes in the middle of the table and every man for themselves, they did individual portions on the side and brought them to us... which I'm totally not accustomed to.
- Unique dish of the night - Seafood stuffed avocado.
- Best dish of the night - Grouper fish... so good!
- I saw about 10 people attended the wedding wearing jeans... come on who does that?
2012-03-09
Review on the Run: Victoria's Peak (2.5 of 5), HK Zoological & Botanical Gardens (3 of 5)
Victoria's Peak (2.5 of 5)
Since the day we got here, Hong Kong has had a foggy haze plaguing the city. The forecast didn't look any better over the next week and with the Tram closing for maintenance starting on Sunday, the chances were dwindling to go up. The view at the top turned out to be just as expected - NO VISIBILITY past 20 feet... yes you read that correctly. It was the journey though that made the trip for us though. We took the Ding Ding train (which is a really old cable car) to Central Pier. From there, we got to ride an open top bus to the Tram which takes you up to the top. You could take a cab up, but really the tram is a lot of fun. The climb is so steep that buildings appear to be slanted - which turns out to be a neat effect. I'd go as far to say that without this tram, there is little left to the entire experience. The same cannot be said though for the Sky Gallery - the highest point where to see Hong Kong. Save the $25 HKD and go to the open terrace in the Peak Galleries which are free and offer just as good a view. When you are on top, taking one of the hikes is refreshing. If you don't have kids, try the circle hike. If you do have kids, hike to the playground that is a 10 minute walk.
HK Zoological & Botanical Gardens (3 of 5)
Once we came down from the Peak, we hiked it over to the gardens which was only 10 minutes away. There you will be taken into a little sanctuary in the heart of the city that houses many animals. It is essentially a small zoo that is free. You can see monkeys, lemurs, and jaguars. Much like the Nan Lian Gardens, there were only a few dozen folks scattered throughout. The same theme seems to reoccur quite often in our travels in that many locals don't seem to enjoy what they have in their own city. Unfortunately, I know we're guilty of this same thing in Calgary.
Since the day we got here, Hong Kong has had a foggy haze plaguing the city. The forecast didn't look any better over the next week and with the Tram closing for maintenance starting on Sunday, the chances were dwindling to go up. The view at the top turned out to be just as expected - NO VISIBILITY past 20 feet... yes you read that correctly. It was the journey though that made the trip for us though. We took the Ding Ding train (which is a really old cable car) to Central Pier. From there, we got to ride an open top bus to the Tram which takes you up to the top. You could take a cab up, but really the tram is a lot of fun. The climb is so steep that buildings appear to be slanted - which turns out to be a neat effect. I'd go as far to say that without this tram, there is little left to the entire experience. The same cannot be said though for the Sky Gallery - the highest point where to see Hong Kong. Save the $25 HKD and go to the open terrace in the Peak Galleries which are free and offer just as good a view. When you are on top, taking one of the hikes is refreshing. If you don't have kids, try the circle hike. If you do have kids, hike to the playground that is a 10 minute walk.
HK Zoological & Botanical Gardens (3 of 5)
Once we came down from the Peak, we hiked it over to the gardens which was only 10 minutes away. There you will be taken into a little sanctuary in the heart of the city that houses many animals. It is essentially a small zoo that is free. You can see monkeys, lemurs, and jaguars. Much like the Nan Lian Gardens, there were only a few dozen folks scattered throughout. The same theme seems to reoccur quite often in our travels in that many locals don't seem to enjoy what they have in their own city. Unfortunately, I know we're guilty of this same thing in Calgary.
2012-03-07
Review on the Run: Yuen Po Bird Garden (1 of 5), Flower Market (1 of 5), Goldfish Market (1 of 5), HK Space Museum (1 of 5), HK Arts Museum (2 of 5), Star Ferry (1 of 5)
Yuen Po Bird Garden (1 of 5), Flower Market (1 of 5), Goldfish Market (1 of 5), HK Space Museum (1 of 5), HK Arts Museum (2 of 5), Star Ferry (1 of 5)
You know that saying about the whole is greater than the sum of its parts? Well today was a great example of the true meaning of that statement. Each individual sight we saw by itself was a big disappointment - yet the whole experience turned out to be a lot of fun. Our day started like most - to the MTR station and headed to Prince Edward in Kowloon. The Bird garden was quite lame. Several old guys showing off their birds to one another and it turns out to be a social gathering more than anything else. Both the Flower and Goldfish markets turned out to be a couple of dozen stores on a couple of streets all selling the same thing. The Space Museum looks like it didn't update any displays since the early 1980's... which is why they still had a display touting the next Challenger space shuttle launch... in 1986! The Arts Museum didn't do it for us and the much hyped Star Ferry felt more like you were docking a fishing vessel on its way to get the morning stock of fish. Did I mentioned it rained on and off the entire day? So why was the sum of all these disappoints fun? The attractions were such a disappointment that it was comical so we made the best of a bad situation. We had a good laugh at the old guys being macho with one another. Sort of like a car club in America except with birds. On the way through the Flower and Bird markets, we had the best Stinky Tofu we've had since Taiwan - which brought back fond memories. On Nathan Rd, I was tempted several dozen times (since that's how many watch stores there are) in finally purchasing that RADO that keeps staring me in the face. I swear there were 5 Chow Tai Fook's on Nathan in a 6 block stretch.
Hopefully better luck tomorrow - but this is a day we won't soon forget for all the right reasons.
You know that saying about the whole is greater than the sum of its parts? Well today was a great example of the true meaning of that statement. Each individual sight we saw by itself was a big disappointment - yet the whole experience turned out to be a lot of fun. Our day started like most - to the MTR station and headed to Prince Edward in Kowloon. The Bird garden was quite lame. Several old guys showing off their birds to one another and it turns out to be a social gathering more than anything else. Both the Flower and Goldfish markets turned out to be a couple of dozen stores on a couple of streets all selling the same thing. The Space Museum looks like it didn't update any displays since the early 1980's... which is why they still had a display touting the next Challenger space shuttle launch... in 1986! The Arts Museum didn't do it for us and the much hyped Star Ferry felt more like you were docking a fishing vessel on its way to get the morning stock of fish. Did I mentioned it rained on and off the entire day? So why was the sum of all these disappoints fun? The attractions were such a disappointment that it was comical so we made the best of a bad situation. We had a good laugh at the old guys being macho with one another. Sort of like a car club in America except with birds. On the way through the Flower and Bird markets, we had the best Stinky Tofu we've had since Taiwan - which brought back fond memories. On Nathan Rd, I was tempted several dozen times (since that's how many watch stores there are) in finally purchasing that RADO that keeps staring me in the face. I swear there were 5 Chow Tai Fook's on Nathan in a 6 block stretch.
Hopefully better luck tomorrow - but this is a day we won't soon forget for all the right reasons.
2012-03-06
Review on the Run: Ocean Park (4 of 5)
Ocean Park (4 of 5)
If Seaworld and Disneyland ever had a kid, it would result in Ocean Park. Built in 1977 and located on the south part of Hong Kong Island, Ocean Park is where the locals go when the tourists go to Disneyland Hong Kong. Ocean park had an authentic feel to it that wasn't over the top and reminded us a lot of Parc Asterix during our stay in Paris - except a heck of a lot more efficient. Ocean Park has two parts to it: The Summit and The Waterfront that are physically separated by a huge mountain in the middle. To travel between the two, there is a 10 minute gondola ride where you get awesome views of the South China Sea. On the summit, they have a Shamu-esque show and many standard adult rides. We spent most of the time though in the Jelly Fish exhibit, which boasts over 1000 jellyfish, the Chinese Sturgeon Pavilion, and watching the dolphin show in the main stadium. The Waterfront had way more rides for Chloe though and had the best Panda exhibit that I've seen. We finished the day going to the Grand Aquarium which is 4 stories high and had a 20 foot high tank on display. If given a choice to only see either Ocean Park or Disneyland HK - I'd highly recommend Ocean since Disney is never gonna be close to their American cousins and it'll give a unique theme park experience - complete with BBQ cuttlefish ;)
2012-03-05
Review on the Run: Wong Tai Sin Temple (3.5 of 5), Nan Lian Gardens (4.5 of 5), Chi Lin Nunnery (4.5 of 5)
Our first full day of site seeing took us to the NE part of Kowloon and some under appreciated sites that in our opinion shouldn't be missed.
Wong Tai Sin Temple (3.5 of 5)
Serving as the largest Taoist temple in Hong Kong and located right at the MTR station of the same name, this temple was built in dedication of Wong Tai Sin [a Chinese Deity associated with the power of healing] and draws thousands of tourist each day looking for there fortune to be told. The temple it self was comparable to many others we've seen - but what made it more special was the often forgotten Good Wish Gardens located in the back that took up more than half of the facilities. While most were lining up to get there fortune told, the gardens had all of 10 people where there were dozens of turtles in the ponds, caves, bridges, and waterfalls that made it a serene place.
Nan Lian Gardens (4.5 of 5)
When we went to Japan in 2005, we read how the Japanese learned many gardening techniques from the Chinese. We've seen no real evidence of this during our trip to China in 2006 until arriving at the Nan Lian Gardens yesterday located just the next MTR stop [Diamond Hill] from Wong Tai Sin. It was as if you were in Kyoto (one of our favourite sites in the world) and visiting the Kinkakuji temple. Perfectly manicured gardens surrounding a temple in the middle that is completely covered in gold was something special to see. The big plus, there were only about 100 people in the gardens.
Chi Lin Nunnery (4.5 of 5)
Speaking of Japanese influences this reminded me of the Byodoin temple in Kyoto. The nunnery is an architectural masterpiece as it was built using traditional techniques of interlocking pieces of wood with not a single iron nails used in the place. Connected by a bridge to the Nan Lian Gardens, the entrance is extremely dramatic and often goes unnoticed from the side of the road. A sign that the Nan Lian Gardens and Chi Lin Nunnery is under appreciated (besides the lack of crowds) was when we took a taxi to the sight, the taxi driver had no clue where these places were.
Wong Tai Sin Temple (3.5 of 5)
Serving as the largest Taoist temple in Hong Kong and located right at the MTR station of the same name, this temple was built in dedication of Wong Tai Sin [a Chinese Deity associated with the power of healing] and draws thousands of tourist each day looking for there fortune to be told. The temple it self was comparable to many others we've seen - but what made it more special was the often forgotten Good Wish Gardens located in the back that took up more than half of the facilities. While most were lining up to get there fortune told, the gardens had all of 10 people where there were dozens of turtles in the ponds, caves, bridges, and waterfalls that made it a serene place.
Nan Lian Gardens (4.5 of 5)
When we went to Japan in 2005, we read how the Japanese learned many gardening techniques from the Chinese. We've seen no real evidence of this during our trip to China in 2006 until arriving at the Nan Lian Gardens yesterday located just the next MTR stop [Diamond Hill] from Wong Tai Sin. It was as if you were in Kyoto (one of our favourite sites in the world) and visiting the Kinkakuji temple. Perfectly manicured gardens surrounding a temple in the middle that is completely covered in gold was something special to see. The big plus, there were only about 100 people in the gardens.
Chi Lin Nunnery (4.5 of 5)
Speaking of Japanese influences this reminded me of the Byodoin temple in Kyoto. The nunnery is an architectural masterpiece as it was built using traditional techniques of interlocking pieces of wood with not a single iron nails used in the place. Connected by a bridge to the Nan Lian Gardens, the entrance is extremely dramatic and often goes unnoticed from the side of the road. A sign that the Nan Lian Gardens and Chi Lin Nunnery is under appreciated (besides the lack of crowds) was when we took a taxi to the sight, the taxi driver had no clue where these places were.
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