2016 Grand World Voyage Reaches Hong Kong

Cruise Specialists hosts Steve and Wendy Bodenheimer are continuing to share their journey with us from aboard the 2016 Holland America World Cruise. Previously they shared the experience of navigating the Panama Canal, sailing the Pacific in to French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Australia and now they have begun the Asia portion of their journey.

We’ve had three days in the glitzy city of Hong Kong. We were here 25 years ago and again about 8 years ago and much has changed. As overbuilt as it was before, it is more so now. There is no place to go but up and are they ever doing that! Cranes and scaffolding are visible in every direction. Every major corporation is represented, especially the banks, with ever taller and more interestingly shaped buildings. As we sailed into Victoria Harbor, it was clear there is big money here. Amazingly, the scaffolding is all made of bamboo, even in the tallest skyscrapers. It’s an old fashioned but effective technique along side the other very high tech equipment. As a way of expanding their building areas, they are narrowing the waterways, reclaiming the land, and building huge structures there.

Our ship is docked in a perfect location, just beside the Star Ferry terminal that takes people from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. It’s an inexpensive and very efficient way to get across the harbor. We are also docked right next to a place called Harbor City, an elegant and very large (over 450 shops) upscale shopping mall that extends for several blocks and is several stories high. On our first day, we headed out into the streets of Kowloon. Traffic is heavy but it’s more the masses of people in the streets that get your attention. It’s the streets of mid-town New York City, but worse. We were impressed by how they cue up for buses. Everyone seems to understand the concept of waiting in an orderly line.

We visited Kowloon City Park, a green oasis in the middle of the high-rise jungle. We walked Nathan Road, the main shopping street – more of the designer brands on display. The Peninsula Hotel is right here – a massive and beautiful old building out of another era. It’s still a popular place for afternoon tea. In the evening we had some traditional Cantonese food at a pretty restaurant on the fourth floor of an office building. It’s a bit more exotic than the Chinese food we are used to in the states – like abalone and chicken feet – but it was good. Then after dark we walked up to the Temple Street Night Market. Here you find those wonderful souvenir stalls, along with clothing, jewelry, leather goods, etc. This springs up every night and disappears during the day. We actually had a mission to get some new chopsticks to use at home and we were successful.

On day two, we took the Star Ferry across the harbor and walked across town to the Victoria Peak Tram. It’s a steep ride up to the top of Victoria Peak, the highest point on Hong Kong Island and one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the city. The views are spectacular, even though it seems to be hazy here most of the time. We decided to take the walk down, which was wonderfully peaceful – not many people do it since it is very steep. Our main objective for the afternoon was a dim sum lunch, which we planned to find somewhere near the ship. So we wandered back through the crowds, made a stop in the zoo for a while, and then took the ferry back. The tourist office sent us to a very nice restaurant in the Cultural Center, which specializes in the dim sum lunch. For those who have never had it, dim sum is like the Spanish tapas. Small plates of a wide variety of specialty dishes are served family style for sharing. We love the baked pork buns, but we had some more exotic things like a South African abalone tart, roast goose pastry, and steamed dumplings stuffed with shrimp paste. Yum!! We were surprised to find that we were the only non-Asian people among several hundred customers.

Even with three days, there is not enough time. Since Steve and Wendy couldn’t do it all, we wanted to share some of the amazing sights enjoyed by Cruise Specialists guest Jeff!! His fantastic trips included Shatin Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, Nan Lian Garden and the Chi Lin Nunnery. Really proving there is absolutely more to see and do here than can possibly be done in 3 days, but which makes it a great chance to find out what you’d like to see more of on a longer trip! Getting custom made clothing here is a popular activity. Day one you get measured and pick out you fabric, day two you go for a fitting, day three you pick up the finished product – all at reasonable costs. We have several friends who did this. Can’t wait to see the finished products.

And this is, of course, a jumping off point to enter main land China. There are day trips to Macau or overland adventures of several days to Beijing and the Great Wall, or to Xi’an and the Terra Cotta Warriors. It’s a fascinating part of the world and a stark contrast of old and new.

Don’t miss your chance to see the world with a Cruise Specialist host onboard on an upcoming World Cruise!

Click here to learn more >>

Photo source