Tuesday Morning, 20 January 2014
Sailing the South China Sea from Hong Kong to Halong Bay, Vietnam.

The temperature and humidity are slowly rising as we make our way through the South China Sea, but weather is clear and the sailing is smooth.  I had a good night’s sleep and am enjoying a not-so-quiet day at sea.

But first I’ll give the lowdown on my time in Hong Kong.

Sunday, 18 January 2014
Hong Kong

It’s 7am local time and I am ready to explore the neighborhoods that run along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island.  The forecast promises a warm and sunny day, although the morning haze still lingers over the harbor. The historic Star Ferry is the best way to begin a visit to HK, and I ride the open-sided lower deck—better for photos of the ambitions of over 200 years made manifest in the form of glass and steel skyscrapers.  Each new building sets new records for height and number of floors.  And each new building, of course, costs billions more than the last.

From the ferry pier there is a long (several blocks) series of interconnected covered pedestrian bridges that takes me (along with the crowds of Sunday shoppers) to my first stop, Tower 2 of the IFC Center, the 2nd tallest building in HK.  Like most of the tall buildings here, a large five-story mall underlies the whole complex.  Each mall vies to be the biggest and best and offer not only extraordinary shopping and eating, but truly grand contemporary architecture.  Although you see many of the same shops in each mall—mostly name brands way our of my league (kind of like the Crystals Mall in Las Vegas—multiplied many times larger), you also see many shoppers carrying many packages, most of them dressed either in the latest expensive trends or classically tailored fine clothes.

The “Oval Atrium” at the center of the mall is five-stories high with a roof garden at the top.  It’s still early enough that the garden is very quiet (even for HK) and gives extensive views of the area and harbor.  I stop for a hot latte at “The Open Kitchen,” a bistro-coffee shop inside the atrium.  Fully fortified I continue through the covered walkways to the heart of the city’s finance center, hemmed in by tall buildings.  It takes a while to figure out directions, since I cannot see beyond my immediate surroundings even though the harbor and mountains are close by.

Statue Square (one statue really) is crowded with Sunday shoppers and permanent squatters (everywhere).  The HSBC building designed by Norman Foster is closed on Sundays, but the open plaza is still filled with the last of the protesters still encamped.  Most are relaxing or playing cards, and you don't see many more of them in other parts of the city.  St John’s Cathedral is on a hill (via steps, lift, or moving stairs) behind rows of buildings on Queen Street.  The building is one of the few reminders of the city’s past as a British colony.  At the moment mass is being celebrated with a chorus, so I can look in through the open doors, but cannot go round to explore.

After a short walk west—with brief stops in the local markets on the matching East and West Li Yuen Streets and a sporting shoes store to buy new NB sneakers—I take the Central-to-Mid-Levels Escalator, an incredible part of HK’s transport system.  Built over 20 years ago, the semi-enclosed series of travelators whisk pedestrians from the low-lying business district to the older and more traditional Mid-Levels neighborhoods.  In the early am the travelator heads downward taking people to jobs and the ferries.  But after 9am, it travels upward until late at night.  Getting back down takes a long series of stairs or, my choice today, the easy slopes of local streets lined with shops and eating places.  Hollywood Road is the center of activity here, heading east-west.  On either side, heading north and south, are steep hills and streets made entirely of steps.

I have lunch at a local place, “The Classified ,” with quick and friendly service and delicious chunk chicken over greens, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and olives, with a Balsamic vinegar dressing.  Almost right next-door is one of the tourist highlights of HK, Man Mo Temple, still very much in use by local and visiting Buddhist adherents--with which I will begin the next posting.