Thursday Morning, 22 January 2014
Sailing the Coast of Vietnam
Halong Bay to Da Nang

Before heading back for a visit to the Man Mo Temple, I will try uploading some Sunday morning photos from Hong Kong:

Star Ferry

New Kowloon Development

Central, Hong Kong Island



IFC Center Towers

IF Center Mall Oval Atrium

IF Center Mall Oval Atrium

Des Veoux Street Tram

Travelator

HSBC Headquarters

Sunday, 19 January 2014
After Lunch in Hong Kong
The Man Mo Buddhist Temple, just a few steps down Hollywood Road from lunch, is a popular site for serious local adherents as well as for tourists.  Not the formal, serene atmosphere one might expect from Buddhist contemplation, this temple greets you with a cacophony of sounds and the heavy aura of incense. A large crowd swells into the tight space which is colorfully decorated with images of the Buddha and all the offerings of food, clothing, and cash brought by supplicants.  While there are many people--suprisingly of all ages--seriously into the rituals and ceremonies, there is an equal number of tourists snapping pictures and gawking happily.

From here Hollywood Road continues downward, criss-crossed by narrow, steep streets, some composed of only stairs, with quaint names ("Ladder Street," "Cat Street") and small houses crammed with shops and studios.  The sense here, as in all of HK, is to use every inch of available space in this most-densely populated environment.  I catch one of the double-decker trams still plying their way along Des Veaux Street, connecting all the neighborhoods (Central, Admiralty, Wanchai, Causeway Bay, Happy Valley) in this part of the island.  Public transportation is very inexpensive and very crowded, but  I find a seat on the upper-level to watch the parade of people and traffic below.  Before tracing my steps back to Central and the pathway to the ferry terminal, I spend some time in another large, new mall, Pacific Place.

The ferry ride back to Kowloon gives me another chance to view the amazing buildings on both sides of the harbor and it's only two short blocks back to my hotel and a brief rest before dinner.  I take the suggestion of the Lonely Planet Guide Book and head to Din Tai Fung, a large and very popular Shanghai-style restaurant close to the hotel.  There is a large crowd waiting for tables, but the number system is well-organized and because I am willing to share a large table (but not the food) with others, the wait is not very long.  But even a longer wait would have been worth the four thin Shanghai shrimp and chicken egg rolls (easily the best I've eaten in any restaurant anywhere), and braised beef noddle soup--more like stew than soup; the brown broth is heaped full of narrow Shanghai noodles, onions, and very tender chunks of beef.

The walk back to the hotel takes me through the neon-lit streets of Kowloon, at 8pm still thronged with shoppers (stores are open 7 days a week from 10am to 10pm) waiting on line to enter all the high-end boutiques.  Although the crowds are large and pushy, I do not feel threatened or unsafe (unlike in some European cities that shall remain unnamed).  The only real bother is all the touts offering great bargains on hand-made suits, Rolex watches, and gold jewelry.  Next time I come to Hong Kong I shall wear a sign around my neck that says:  "I am retired.  I don't need any suits!"

And with that it's off to sleep.