Day 22 – Hong Kong

January 15th 2009

So we're into our third week and I have to say the travel and pounding of the streets is beginning to put a bit of a strain on the old legs, mum was right (yes, it does happen) to suggest that we'd need a holiday when we got back, I'm feeling quite tired most of the time right now.

However, we've thought of that, and it is officially wind down time here in Hong Kong. We have our day of relaxation tomorrow and today we expect to do the last of the walking tours in the guide.

After a quick breakfast we MTR it down to Hong Kong Island for the Central & Western District walk.

Stopping briefly at the Western Market – which has had a number of roles including housing and a food market but is now a small arts and crafts centre – we head into an area dedicated to wholesale of various goods. This is a very real side of Hong Kong trading, no other westerners here, just people going about their business. The produce is very alien and we haven't got a clue what much of it is and to be honest am thankful of that lack of knowledge. There seems to be a heck of a scrummage at a shark products shop, must've had some sort of rare delivery or something. Sharks fins are something that can been identified and they're expensive, I see some at £400 each, which explains why Shark Fin soup is so pricey in a restaurant I suppose! Ingredients for herbal remedies, nuts, dried mussels, dried squid, dried just about everything are all available.

Leaving this area we pass the point where “modern” Hong Kong began. Possession Street is where the British landed in 1841. Again, this isn't actually on the waterfront anymore but it's a steep climb up to a road that you can imagine was the coast road many years ago, Hollywood Road, which we follow and eventually leads to Central.

As part of this walking tour we briefly go on the Mid Levels escalator, at 800 metres the longest covered escalator in the World. Only disappointment is the stretches of the escalator are actually very short. This wasn't here last time I came and I had pictured in my head standing on it for great distances, alas not, we don't see a bit that's any longer than a standard shopping centre escalator.

Having walked around Soho and its vast array of restaurants we come to Lan Kwai Fong which is where we had drinks and watched the United game on our first night so we decide to end the walking tour here and head down into Central as Sarah has run out of reading material – she's completed 5 books so far, but won't finish another as she now has Ken Follett's World Without End to wade through, all 1237 pages of it!

Back to the hotel for a bit, we're winding it down now remember, before we get changed into something more appropriate. Appropriate means smartening up as we're going for afternoon tea at the Peninsular Hotel which is a very pleasurable experience indeed. Not cheap, but then again comparable with back home when you'd actually expect it to be much dearer, I'm amazed at how filling the dainty sandwiches, scones and chocolate actually is. We of course finish everything that's put in front of us, but those with money to burn sitting around us seem to leave elements to be taken back – some people eh? Those who are fully aware of my decaf tea obsession will be shocked that I drank cup after cup of Peninsular Afternoon tea which, by the slight bitterness in there, definitely contained caffeine. All I can say is I'm completely wired at the moment!

To the hotel again for another change, we're winding it down remember(!), before we head back down to the Kowloon waterfront for the 8pm lightshow of which I'm expecting great things.

After getting a welcome second wind we get down to the waterfront, the Avenue of Stars (think Hollywood style stars and handprints just without many handprints), for the start of the lightshow which is crazy in a who on earth thought of putting this together but brilliant to watch as various buildings show different patterns of light all the way up and down the bay, many with laser light shining from the roof, the effect really has to be seen to be appreciated.
Carrying on we promenade along the front fully taking in the vista before turning back inland on the hunt for something to eat.

Having read about it in the book we seek out Knutsford Terrace (those who know we hope to move there one day will appreciate the “it's a sign” twitter comment) which is one of those tucked away places that you'd have no idea existed if a guide didn't show you exactly where to go. There's a string of restaurants with cuisine from all round the world. As we've decided to have what we hope will be a top notch Chinese meal for our last full night tomorrow it's time to take a break from all the Asian food we've been devouring so we stop at an Australian Bar and Grill. It's amazing what a difference having courses makes, everything coming in an expected order!

Back to the hotel and completing this blog entry in the hotel's main bar which has live jazz but unfortunately no free WiFi which we had inferred from the hotel directory, but sadly mistaken. With us unlikely to leave the hotel on Friday other than to go out for dinner this will therefore be severely delayed as have a number of postings while in Hong Kong. Oh, forgetting the jazz, the singer, an Australian girl is very good ably supported by Piano and Bass. All very civilised, as is the very nice Sauvignon Blanc I'm enjoying too...