We arrived to Kowloon, Hong Kong, on a rainy evening and, in the morning, things hadn’t improved that much. The sky was still covered in gray clouds. We walked along Nathan Road, the main drag of Tsim Sha Tshui (the south part of Kowloon) in search for breakfast and, by the time we reached the harbor, we were carrying a couple shopping bags. Forget Singapore! Hong Kong is where the bargains are!
We took the Star Ferry across the water to Hong Kong Island, trying to snap a few pictures of the hazy skyline while we were at it. From there, we took a really long covered walkway that connected the pier to the central escalator, and were amazed by the hundreds of women camping on the floor, having lunch, giving each other pedicures or simply chilling out, sheltered from the rain. When I say camping, I mean it. These ladies looked like they were ready to spend a very long time there, and they had made themselves at home.
Taking the central escalator is a great way to see central Hong Kong. The escalator runs from near the harbor all the way to the so-called mid-levels, halfway to Victoria Peak, passing through different neighborhoods in the process. Sometimes it runs really close to the apartment buildings, and I guess the people who live there, even on the third and fourth floors, don’t have a choice but to keep their curtains shut at all times. As a curiosity, the escalator only runs one way. In the morning, roughly to 10am, it goes down. The rest of the time, it goes up and you’ll have to use the traditional stairs alongside it if you want to descend.
We got out at Hollywood Road, dubbed Antiques Street because of its many antique stores, and made our way to Man Mo temple. It’s very similar to A-Ma temple in Macau, with its cone-shaped incense sticks and several different altars, only smaller and all indoors. Then, figuring that the weather wasn’t going to get any better, we decided to try and go to the Peak. The taxi ride to the Victoria Peak took a long time, as the clouds turned into fog. By the time we got all the way to the top, it was impossible to see anything beyond two or three meters of distance. Hence, all we could see from the viewpoints was white. Not even a glimpse of a building or a tree. Nothing. We had something to eat and, by the time we were done and ready to go back down, the fog had cleared only so slightly. We took the tram down. It was a steep and quick ride.
Back in Central, we walked through the Graham Street Market, an open air market that sells, fruit, vegetables, fish and meat. Then we took the escalator again to Soho (“South of Hollywood Road”, for those who were wondering) and sat at a nice bar, relaxing with a few glasses of beer and sangria. There was still light out, so we rode the escalator all the way to the top and, while coming back down, decided to stop for one more drink and conversation with some expats at a different bar, before we had to go back to Kowloon.
This time we took the subway, which is nice and efficient, but not as modern as Singapore’s, all the way to Jordan, and made our way to Temple Street. We had some local food outside, hawker-style, with toilet paper for napkins – at least there were some kind of napkins! – and proceeded to browse the famous night market. I have to say I was slightly disappointed, because the market had been hyped a lot and it was just a really long row of stands selling your typical souvenirs and junk, like t-shirts, sunglasses, mobile phone charms, lighters, canto-pop CD’s, et cetera. Still, we were able to find a couple of “treasures”. By then it was getting pretty late and we were dead tired, so it was a good thing that the hotel was within walking distance.
The next morning we repacked, took a few pictures around the hotel area, and took the subway down to Tsim Sha Shui again, looking for a very specific pair of sneakers from a very specific store (long story.) The fact is that we managed to get ourselves lost several times, as all the streets around that area are full of shops on all floors and most buildings are connected to form a giant shopping mall. Unfortunately, there aren’t that many bargains to be had here. A few hours passed quickly and we grew tired again, so it was time to refuel at “the best dim-sum in Kowloon”, according to Lonely Planet. The dumplings were pretty unusual, but it was a good meal. After that, we only had the time to get back to the hotel, grab our bags and take the ferry back to Macau, from where we flew back to Singapore.
Looking down from our hotel, a typical Kowloon street
Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui's main street
Taking the subway to Jordan
Jordan Street, by our hotel, on the way to Temple Street Night Market
The tents and stalls (and the many customers) of the night market
Local food by Temple Street: noodles and sweet and sour pork ribs
The foggy view from the top of our hotel, on the second morning
Hong Kong Island's central skyline, seen from the tip of Kowloon peninsula...
..and the skyline of the Wan Chai area, featuring the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.
Steve with the Bank of China building and a few others in the background, at the ferry pier.
Going up on the central escalator
In Hong Kong, dozens of ads like these hang over almost every street.
The interior of Man Mo temple
Me in front of the shops at Victoria Peak, once the fog cleared a little
Coming down on the tram, all you see looking up is still white
At the entrance of Graham Street Market
Meat displayed outside at a butcher's in Graham Street Market
The central escalator, seen from a window on a third floor
A cruise ship on the harbor, with Central's skyline on the background. As you can see, the weather got a little better on the second day, but just for a few hours. By the time we left, it was raining once more.