Travel Agent Runaway Bay

I went on a famil [familiarization trip] in July 2007 with 20 other travel agents. It had been 10 years since I had been to Hong Kong. I had spent 3 years in Asia so I had passed through Honkers, as it was affectionately known, at least half a dozen times.

Each time I was fascinated, especially by the spectacular harbour, and all the buildings perching precariously on the hillsides. Construction is everywhere, although now it is less apparent in the city and concentrating on the outer regions. The forest of high-rise apartment buildings makes Hong Kong one of the densest populations in the world.

The new airport, now situated on Lantau Island, is an efficient mega centre including shopping and business areas. I did miss the excitement of arriving at the old airport which was certainly more thrilling than a Disneyland ride. The planes would fly very close to the surrounding high rises [you could literally see people going about their daily life] and land on a runway jutting out into the harbour. Extra air traffic and safety concerns saw the demise of this very central airport with the move to Lantau. Still this has terrific efficient and fast connections into the main centres of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Departing is even easier with check in capabilities at the Central train station.

Our itinerary for our four nights was jammed packed with tours and inspections. We didn’t have time to venture north to the rural hinterland of the New Territories but we were allowed some free time for shopping and some nightlife. Many markets are open late where you can grab a bargain whether it’s electronic goods, clothing, jewellery or fake goods.

A tour of Hong Kong island is a must – first travelling up the very steep Peak Tram to Victoria Peak [don’t look behind you if are scared of heights]. An awesome view awaits and you can see most of the island plus Kowloon area and the outer islands as well. Just fantastic. I am a country girl and love the wide open spaces and this is the exact opposite, but you can’t help appreciate the engineering feats that have gone into building what they have, where they have.

Also on HKG island is the famous Stanley market which although a standard tourist market still has great value if you look hard enough. Of course no tour is complete until you have cruised around Aberdeen fishing village on an original sampan. There are fewer of these boats in the harbour now but still a bright sight. The cheap star ferry across the harbour is a must too.

We had a day at Disneyland, located on Lantau Island, starting with inspections and breakfast with some characters at the Disney hotels. This Park is still growing and at present is very small compared to its counterparts. Perhaps best to fill in time before a flight departure.

Another day tour took us to Kowloon, a bustling eclectic hub where you are likely to find Gucci and Prada on one block then noodle kitchens, Indian tailors and fake handbag salesmen on the next. We went to some local markets, temples and a traditional café to sample the HKG signature Chinese tea “milk tea”. The Jade market was a complete contrast with its air conditioned showrooms displaying a huge array of fabulous and pricier jade.

Still when the humidity was as high as it was this was a welcome relief. So too was the yum cha restaurant where we had lunch followed by a cooking lesson in making several dim sum.

One evening we went to Lamma Island for a delicious seafood meal and on the return, the boat stopped in the harbour to watch the nightly “Symphony of Lights” show, the largest permanent light and sound show where laser beams danced from many buildings.

I had generally stayed in Kowloon on previous visits but we were accommodated this time in a hotel overlooking the Happy Valley race course on Hong Kong Island. The advantage of staying here was that it was close to the Lan Kwai Fong area which has a street of many international restaurants and bars. This was important as I discovered a bar where free vodka flowed for women on certain nights and I had a very enjoyable night here indeed!!! I still have the priceless souvenir gadget of spinning lights with Chinese disco music to remind me of that night!

Happy days.