A couple of days stopover in Hong Kong en route to Japan.
Haven’t been here for decades, not since the handover to the original owners from the Brits in 1997. Hence lots of change. Many towers of up to 50 stories of tiny boxes that accommodate most of the 1.5 million inhabitants of the island. The intensity of the shopping opportunities is a far cry from the gentle pace of sleepy little “Lonnie”.
Interesting breakfast at the hotel offering great noodles, curries, dumplings, laksa and so on. All the Asian fare that you could wish. But I felt that their a full English breakfast lacked a certain mojo or dingdooram. A tram ride on a double decker tram to the other end of the line cost HKD 1.30 for us seniors. That is about 25p in Aussie currency. We were on our way to catch the cable tram up to the peak. Same old tramway but now leading to a vast multi story tower with stunning views over the city, and again endless spending opportunities. We settled for chili prawns at a wild west themed eating place high in the sky.
On the way back down, we caught a view of a high rise building under construction. Obviously one of the 50 story plus jobs. Amazingly clad in bamboo scaffolding under the green plastic stuff. No steel scaffolding anywhere. And the bamboo is always lashed together with something that looks like a cross between cable ties and thin black gaffer tape. The long walk up Hollywood Road was a chance to revisit the pottery and jade shops that had so impressed me all those years ago. The crowded little pottery trash and treasure places are all gone.
Hollywood Road is now very select and up market. In one shop the manager explained that the items were either the work of studio potters or authentic very old pots. An old soup bowl caught my eye. A good honest potter’s pot. Pleasant fish decoration. It had a rim that was badly chipped in a couple of places. Believably claiming to be Japanese, a few hundred years old, the price was Just over AUD 10.000.
Down the steep steps to the Star Ferry terminal to ride over to the mainland for arvo high tea at the Peninsula. Pushing our way past the glitterati who had arrived via Rolls Limo from their first class or charter fight jet with an attendant truckload of shopping and frocks, we settled in for a pleasant afternoon.
I thought “I can’t possibly eat all of that!” Sweetiepie suggested that I might leave some for her. We had expected the gentle sound of a string quartet from the musician’s gallery. However, we hadn’t anticipated the drum kit, skulking behind the quartet, that definitely had lots of mojo and dingdooram. All in all, delightfully memorable.
Off to Japan tomorrow.
scatterbrook 
lovely to hear your travels. Have not visited HK for so long, sounds like a different place. Did you buy the bowl? Enjoy Japan. W xx
Dear Bob & Helen We’ve only just caught up with all of this batch of travel blogs.
What a memorable journey you’ve had and thank you for entertaining us with your quirky humour.
Welcome home.
xx Heather & Nick