10/14 Hong Kong Day 1

We sailed into the Hong Kong Harbor right on schedule. Of course, we’re not really in the harbor proper, more like on the outskirts. We’re too big to dock at the Kowloon Ocean Terminal and because of the schedule change, we can’t even dock at the container port as usual. So we’re hanging out in the middle of the water and tendering into Hong Kong.

It’s not the prettiest day in the world. It’s very hazy and beginning to heat up. From our perch here, south of Hong Kong, we can barely see the buildings that make up the harbor front. There are high rises closer to us on shore that we can make out, but distance viewing is not an option. We’re hoping the skies will clear as the day goes on – but we’re equipped for anything, rain or shine.

There are 3 things we want to do while we’re here for our overnight stay: 1) hike Lamma Island, 2) hike Cheung Chau island, and 3) hike Victoria Peak (is anyone surprised?). We’re trying to determine the order in which to do each hike. The islands require ferry rides, while the Peak will be easily accessible once we are off the tender. Ed, being his usual organized and prepared self, has all the ferry schedules, the costs and the hikes mapped out. We decide we’ll do an island first, which island will just depend on the time we hit the pier and which ferry leaves the soonest.

The tendering is a pain, but it actually may turn out better than being docked at the container port. If we were at the port, we’d be on the Kowloon side and have to take a shuttle to the ocean terminal. Then we’d have to take a ferry across the harbor to Hong Kong to get the ferry to the islands. This way we arrive right at the same pier as the Lamma ferry and one down from Cheung Chau. So – we may be in better shape. Of course that depends on the tendering! But we know the drill – supposedly they will start giving out tender tickets at 8:30. Since we aren’t Elite yet (they go on whenever they want to by just flashing their key card) or in a suite (they get priority tender tickets), we’ll have to stand in line. We’re prepared – and arrive at 7:30 to wait our turn. We’re about 50^th in line then, and by the time they start handing out the tickets it’s mass bedlam behind us.

We are just about last on the first tender. This is actually a very good thing in a couple of ways: 1) we’ll be one of the first off because we’re actually upstairs by the doors, and 2) we didn’t have to sit on the ferry tender (we’re not using our own boats, but hired big ferry boats as tenders) because it’s WAY rough out there and that ferry tender is bobbing around like a cork. We finally take off, and it’s actually better once we start moving. We hit the ferry pier at about 9:25 and haul you know what around the corner to the Lamma ferry which leaves at 9:30. Amazing Race moment!: We get to the ticket taker and she says we need exact change – we have to run around the corner, change our paper money for coins, then run back and give her the exact amount. The ticket taker is great – she picks out the coins she needs from my open palm – and waves us through. We run down the ramp and get at the very back of the queue, just in time to make the ferry. The alarm sounds, the gates close and it takes off before we’re even in our seats!

It’s only a little under a 30 minute ride to Lamma – and it’s very relaxing. We sail through the harbor and hug the coastline of Hong Kong island before pulling around and mooring in the little harbor at Lamma. The island is the third biggest island in the area, but one of the least populated with only about 6,000 residents. There is a big ex-pat community here and the town is known for its artisans and musicians. There are no automobiles allowed on the island, just little emergency vehicles, so it’s very relaxing and tranquil.

There are two main towns on Lamma: Yung Shue Wan, where the ferry docks is the bigger of the two, and Sok Kwu Wan which appears to be little more than village of restaurants along the harbor waterfront. In between the two towns is a concrete path about 1.5 miles long that takes you past the little beach and into the hills. We’ve read about the trek and are prepared to walk between the two towns.

We make a pit stop in Lamma to mail our absentee ballots for the November election (we figure the mail from Hong Kong should be the most reliable on the whole trip), then strike out through the sleepy little village with it’s winding alley like lanes lined with storefronts. We’re too early for much to be open, but we can imagine what it will look like in a few hours when all the stores and restaurants are open and the hustle and bustle of the day begins. For now, it’s nice to peacefully walk along the little lanes, looking at the architecture, the temples and shrines, and enjoying the day before it gets too hot. It takes about 15 or so minutes to get to the  little beach of Hung Shing Ye. Just a nice strip of sand with a BBQ pit at one side, where you could imagine hanging out all day. Restaurants and some shops line the walkway on the other side of the tree dotted beach.

We stop to enjoy the view and also to make a phone call (work is never very far away!!!). Once that task is handled, we head out into the hills for Sok Kwu Wan. The path is nice and even, but none of the articles we read prepared us for hiking Pike’s peak! This thing gets steep! By the time we reach the summit of the path (and it’s not even the summit of the highest hill, Mount Stenhouse at 1,076 feet. We purposely avoided that hike when one of the guidebooks said it was “grueling” – ha!) we’re soaked with sweat and have the muscle burn going! Oh well – in for a penny, in for a pound (of lost water weight that is!).

The views are very nice from up top – if you can just crop out the power plant that sits right at then end of the harbor. It’s the plant for the whole of hong Kong we think, and it’s not attractive. But, if you just turn your head and look at the Yung Shue Wan harbor, it’s a very pleasant view.

Continuing on, we cross the summit and head down around the other side of the hills to get our first view of Sok Kwu Wan. A very cute, miniature village wrapped around a harbor filled with fishing junks. There are great photo op’s as we continue down the path overlooking a Chinese pagoda on the hillside, and get closer to the village. We’ve timed our hike to allow for lunch and still make the 12:40 ferry out of Sok back to Hong Kong.

Not a problem with lunch spots! That’s all there seems to be in Sok Kwu Wan! We settle on the Lamma Mandarin Seafood restaurant, mostly because the hawker/owner was the only one who talked to us as we walked past the many restaurants set up by the water. After checking to make sure we knew where the ferry dock was located and confirmed our 12:40 departure, we plopped ourselves down at our own waterfront table.

2 beers – San Miguel beer no less - and food! That’s what we want! (I’m getting quite used to drinking beer, since wine is not really an option over here. It’s not that good, and when you can get it, it’s either 1) expensive or 2) expensive and red!) We ended up ordering the special meal – where it’s one price and you get a whole bunch of dishes. Our “special” meal today included Fried squid, Garlic/salt roasted shrimp (yes, with the heads on – they don’t come any other way!), scallops with garlic and rice noodles, fried rice, and a plate of local vegetables, in this instance, bok choy. Everything was incredible tasty and we all (Pietro included) thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere and tranquility of the harbor and village.

Back to the ferry pier, board the 12;40 right on time and off we go. I’ve gotten smart and figured out to use the ferry bathrooms because they are all western. No toilet paper, but I’ve come equipped for that! Back on Hong Kong island a little after 1:00 and we decide we’ll hike Victoria peak today. It looks like the haze has cleared a bit, so we’ll give it a go now and then save Cheung Chau for tomorrow.

We figured we’d walk to the Peak tram, an ancient incline that goes up the mountain at incredible angles. It looks within walking distance on the map, and the city information guy on the ship said it was. But, as we are leaving the ferry pier we see a free city shuttle to the tram and Stanley market. We hop on – and are very glad we did! It’s a long walk to that tram station – and it was really confusing the way the bus got there! Up we go on the tram – it’s totally cool. Almost at a 50+ degree angle at times, with some really wild perspectives on the city. You get to see just how Hong Kong is built up – and how the high rises are built on all these different levels. From sea level, it just looks like a nightmare mish mash of high rise buildings – too many to conceive or even count. But as you ride up this tram you get to see them at different angles, levels and plateaus – not to say it isn’t a nightmare mish mash – but it just seems a little more organized from the tram!

At the top of the Peak, we’re let off in the “Tower” – a shopping and restaurant complex with a viewing platform. We dutifully pay our dollars to go to the viewing platform so we can look out over the glistening steel and glass that make up Hong Kong. It is a huge,  bewildering, but pretty in its own way, city. The haze hasn’t completely cleared but it’s enough to take some semi-decent pictures.

After the scenic views, we strike out on the Peak circuit path and walk all the way around the top of Victoria Peak. Another pretty walk, on a paved road with lots of trees and shrubs for shade This is where the British elite built their villas in the 1800s when they wanted to live in cooler temperatures. Now the Peak has multi-million dollar homes and fancy, expensive apartments to lease. The houses are all hidden away from the path, only rarely glimpsed from our vantage points. You can see why someone  would want to live up here. It’s quiet, cool and lush. With fantastic views looking down on the steel jungle of Hong Kong city.

The walk takes us a little over an hour. We wanted to hike down the back of the peak, but the trails are closed due to the recent rain – so we decide to take the old Peak road down. Oh man – talk about exercise! Our thighs and knees are burning for sure. There are some sections of the switchback trail that had to be at least 45 degrees. Talk about grueling! And as we were coming down, there were actually a few hardy soles walking UP! And one guy running – I was astonished!

Don’t know how long it took to get down from the peak, and while it was really hard walking, it was still fun to see how far up/down we were. First above the top of the buildings, then level with them, then below them and right in the middle of the heart of Hong Kong. We navigated our way down, down, down through residential areas and past the botanical gardens and zoo. We ended up in the shopping district on Queens Road and after about 2 blocks of Gucci, Rolex, Chanel and assorted other high line stores and complexes we ditched that scene for the harbor! Not only were we sweaty and hot, in our capri’s and shorts – we just wanted out of the frenzy and back to quiet. Not likely in the midst of Hong Kong, but we definitely weren’t into all that upscale trendiness!

So we headed to the piers, stocked up in a 7-11 (they are all over the place here) and grabbed the next tender. We hopped on the top deck, outside rail and waited to sail off to the ship. I had great hopes of seeing the 8 pm light show from the upper decks – I was hoping we were close enough to make it out. As the ferry left the pier, we started wondering what was going on. We were going in the exact opposite direction from the ship. We kept sailing and sailing, right past Hong Kong and away from where we had anchored. As it turns out, the ship had moved! The waters were so rough where we initially anchored that the captain had to move. And move he did! Wow! Instead of our 15 minute tender ride, it ended up being 30 minutes – and then another 30 to disembark the tender (our mistake for being up top and in the back!). My hopes of seeing any lights were completely dashed – heck – we’re practically in Vietnam at this anchor point! And going back in to see the show was totally out of the question, not with that long a tender ride. Oh well – nothing to do about it. We just cleaned up, went to dinner and said – what the heck! It’s just another light show after all!