Hong Kong
HONG KONG
We flew out to Hong Kong the next morning. It’s another amazing metropolis. Built on the side of a mountain, it’s a real workout to walk. We walked down to the harbor to take a boat on a guided tour across to Macao, China. On our return we took a series of escalators up through the town – through one shopping mall after another – until we reached the level where we could walk horizontally to our hotel. Our room was on the 25th floor. Yes, we had elevators.
We took a bus tour around the island. Surprisingly, on the opposite side of the island was a pretty beach resort, Repulse Bay Beach, near the town of Stanley. And, unlike the city of Hong Kong, much greenery.
Which reminds me. Back in the days of our B&B, 167 Water, we entertained a Hong Kong couple. It was early autumn when we took them on a tour of our countryside. We stopped at Cider Hill Farm at the peak of the apple-picking season. They were amazed at the beauty and the taste of the produce. Now we can see why.
A few interesting statistics:
Population: 7.5 million
Hong Kong is a wealthy town. It has the second highest number of billionaires in the world. The economy is based on services: banks, financial centers, a busy port. Our taxis to and from the airport were Teslas.
British rule for 156 years ended in 1997 with takeover by China. Apparently a 99-year lease, plus some, had expired. There were a few years of anti-China demonstrations. Now everything appears calm.
Macau
Across a narrow strip of the South Sea of China lies the Peninsula of Macau, aka Macao. Attached to mainland China by a tiny strip of land and three bridges, it is famous for its gambling casinos. We took a short ferry trip, with the sole objective of claiming that we had visited China. We took a bus tour of this rather large city. Christmas decorations everywhere. A LEGO museum. We had lunch at a Sheraton.
A bit of history: For centuries Macau was considered a colony of Portugal, even though it was part of China. After many years of sometimes violent back and forth between the two countries, it is now considered a part of China governed by Portuguese. You can be sure that the Peoples Republic of China receives a goodly portion of the gambling profits. And no, we didn’t visit a casino.
By the way, anyone remember Sheldon Adelson? He’s the guy who came from Las Vegas and made Macau the gambling capital it is today.
Back to Hong Kong. Took a funicular to the top of Mount Victoria — 3100 feet. From there we could really see and understand the scope of the island – the port, the countless skyscrapers, the population density and the difference in density from one side of the mountain to the other.
Hong Kong is worth visiting with its:
Astonishing buildings.
And culinary arts. Peking Duck and gourmet ice cream cone shaped like a rose, and a flower on our coffee!
