Lovin' the Conrad in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is often our entry city into Asia. It is a wonderful place to visit so we usually plan to spend three or more days there getting adjusted to the time difference.  Hong Kong is comprised of Kowloon Peninsula and 100s of islands. Getting from the airport on Chek Lao Kok Island to the Conrad Hotel on Hong Kong Island was very smooth as it always is in HK. After picking up our baggage we bought a ticket and boarded the sleek train that took about 30 minutes to get to Hong Kong Island where there are normally buses to transport people to their hotels but is was near midnight so the buses were not running but there was a line of taxis waiting so the transition was as smooth as possible. I wish it was that easy everywhere. 

The Conrad is located on the top 61 floors above Pacific Place shopping area.  The views from our room and the 59th floor Executive Lounge were mesmerizing. We have been to HK many times in the last 15 years and it seems each year there is a new jaw-dropping building in the skyline. The city has more than 1200 skyscrapers and more buildings over 500 feet than any other city.  

Hong Kong has wonderful parks and Hong Kong Park is just steps

from the Conrad. It has walking trails, fountains, ponds, an aviary, and a variety of other attractions.  It is home to the Tea Museum. Taking a walk in a park is a great way to eliminate jetlag. Another park we visited had an exercise area. The equipment was rather simple with senior citizens in mind. One of the activities was supposed to improve circulation by walking shoeless over upright small stones. Truthfully, it is a bit painful.  I think all parks should have such an area. Another park had a display of herbs with descriptions of their medicinal benefits.

Another thing that we love about Hong Kong is the Tourist Boards Kaleidoscope offerings.  They are only available to foreign visitors. There is a HK Tourist Board desk in the airport where arriving visitors can sign up and another in Kowloon near the Star Ferry Terminal. It is necessary to show one’s passport in order to sign up. Some of the programs fill up fast and a couple charge a nominal fee. We have enjoyed several of these free or nearly free activities including Cantonese Opera Appreciation Class which we highly recommend.  Once we understood the history plus the

nuances of the makeup and costuming we found the performance very enjoyable. We really enjoyed our Tea Appreciation Class at the museum in Hong Kong Park but there is so much to learn about tea and tea ceremonies that we need to take the class again. There is a tour for everyone interested in learning about Chinese history and culture from tai chi to feng shui to Chinese medicine and much more.  I wish more cities offered such programs.  There are also self-guided walks and other free things to do plus most museums are free one day a week.  

It often pays to upgrade to Club Level. HK Conrad Hotel’s Executive Club Level includes breakfast, tea time, cocktail hour with a bevy of offerings which, for us, usually serves as dinner, plus internet making it a great value. I liked the presentation of some of the food items in trendy canning jars. 

More great things to do in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Tourist Board lists a slew of free activities under the name Kaleidoscope. We have taken advantage of the following great things to do: Cantonese Opera Appreciation, Tea Appreciation, and Wife Cake making.  Plus, the museums are usually free on Wednesdays.

We have been to Hong Kong many times.  It breaks up the long trip from New York to SE Asia where we like to spend the winter.  The flight from Chicago to Hong Kong was 15.5 hours. That’s not counting the flight to Chicago from Syracuse.  Our United credit card gives us two free passes each year to their VIP Club so we used them this time which was good because it included a continental breakfast and snacks later on.  There was a 1.5 hour delay leaving Chicago.  I am always amazed by the fact that United uses such old planes to high-end destinations.  There were no back of the seat monitors and no laptop plugs.

 

Arrival in Hong Kong International Airport is very well organized and getting from the airport to our hotel was seamless.  After exiting the baggage area there is a desk where we bought tickets to the Ibis Hotel on Hong Kong Island. The immaculate electric train is entered directly from the airport and runs every 10 minutes. When it arrives on Hong Kong Island 25 minutes later there are free buses waiting to take passengers to their hotel door.  After such a long flight it was much appreciated.

We like to stay in hotels in different locations because it allows us to explore a new area.  We have done a lot of the typical touristy things in Hong Kong so we look for new things to do.  One of the most popular Buddhist Temples was just a short distance from the Ibis Hotel but it was uphill so we took a cab and walked back.  The colorful temple filled with the heady smell of incense honors the god of literature. Temples are free but, of course, they would like a donation.

Do you have anyone who annoys you and you can’t do anything about it?  Well, in Hong Kong you can.  Under a triple overpass where there is good feng shui you can find the Petty Person Beating area. By the way, feng shui is the Chinese system of orientating things so that there is a positive flow of energy. The historic 1904 tram stopped outside our hotel.  It is very affordable, especially for senior citizens.  We took it to the Petty Person Beating area.  There the elderly ladies will exorcise the Petty Person for about $6.  First John wrote the annoying person’s name on the top of a special paper. He chose someone we did not personally know. Incense and candles were lit in front a Buddhist shrine. She took a paper with sketches of people on it and beat it with an old shoe.  Then the papers were set on fire and smoke fanned around John and finally the paper with the name on it was set on fire and the ceremony was over.  There were several ladies there and they were busy so there must be a lot of annoying people in the world.  I like it when a city as modern and upscale as Hong Kong still has places where I can find traces of the “old” culture.

Exploring Hong Kong's Lantau Island

We have been to Hong Kong many times. It is a wonderful place to spend a few days recuperating after a 16-hour flight. This time we decided to check out Hong Kong’s Lantau Island instead of going into the city center. Lantau Island is home to Hong Kong International Airport and Disneyland. We stayed at the Airport’s SkyCity Marriott which was perfect in many ways. We arrived late in the evening and it was just a short jaunt from the airport to a good night’s sleep. In the morning we ready to go with the minimum of jetlag. Like many airport hotels in Asia, the Marriott is a full service hotel with several restaurants and a spa. In the morning I headed to the spa for foot reflexology which is a wonderful way to get rid of any ankle swelling that occurs during long flights.

Before we left the States we had booked a Lantau Island tour on-line with Splendid Tours. It worked out perfectly because they picked us up at the hotel. Lantau Island is called “The Lungs of Hong Kong” because it is so green. There are some huge hi-rise buildings in one area but most of the island is a place where the people like to hike and camp. On the tour our first stop was the 360 Ngong Ping Cable Car for a 25-minute aerial tour of the island. It was a misty day so the views were not as outstanding as they are on a clear day but it was still a great ride. We were amazed at the number of people walking the trail to the top which takes two to three hours.

At the top, after the cable car, we were transported to the Giant Buddha. The tour bus dropped us at the base of the 112-ft Buddha which eliminated the 240 steps most people use to get to the statue. The Buddha, sitting on a lotus flower, is the world’s largest brass sitting Buddha. Outside on the walkway around the statue are six life-sized bronze statues known as "The Offerings of the Six Devas." They are posed offering flowers, incense, lamp, ointment, fruit, and music to the Buddha. Inside the base were displays depicting the building of the statue and a Hall of Remembrance honoring people’s ancestors.

The tour bus then transported us to the bottom, once again avoiding the many steps, where we visited the Po Lin Monastery. The pathway leading to the monastery is lined with 12 stone guardians, each with an animal on its head, one for each of the Chinese year signs. This year is the Year of the Dragon. Inside the monastery there was a Happy Buddha and four large bronze statues representing the cardinal directions.

Our last stop was Tai O fishing village which is a sharp contrast to the super modern rest of Hong Kong. The historic village is lined with small shops and is especially noted for it dried seafood and traditional way of life. Of special interest were the fish bladders (maws), some of which were huge, used in many Chinese recipes. The tour was excellent and most of the people returned to central HK via the ferry. We took a cab back to the Marriott where we enjoyed a wonderful dinner. I passed on the seahorse soup but loved the sizzling Kurabuta BBQ pork loin.

Celebrating Chinese New Year in Hong Kong

“Kung hei fat choy” is the traditional New Year greeting; it means, “Wishing you success and prosperity.” This year Chinese New Year celebrating begins on January 23 – the Year of the Dragon. A few years ago we were in Hong Kong during Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is like our Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year celebrations all rolled into one. It is a time to give thanks, celebrate with the family, and look forward to a new year with optimism.

Hong Kong has one of the most elaborate Chinese New Year Celebrations. Most of the modern skyscrapers, some of which are 30 stories high that line the harbor have huge neon holiday decorations on the harbor side. Like all holidays Chinese New Year is set in tradition. Houses are cleaned to a fare-thee-well and decorated with flowers. Families visit the flower market to get a kumquat or tangerine tree, which would be like a Christmas tree in the Western world. Kumquats and tangerines are considered symbols of good luck because they are golden, the color that signifies money. The word for tangerine in Chinese has the same sound as the Chinese word for "luck." The most common flower for Chinese New Year is the narcissus. If it blossoms on New Year’s day, it is an indication of good fortune. Every facet of Chinese New Year has a special meaning.

Like Western holidays it is traditional for the whole family to gather for a huge meal with fish being the most important food because the Chinese word for fish sounds like the word for abundance. During Chinese New Year it is traditional to give children red envelopes with money inside. These are called lai see envelopes which means “lucky.”

On New Year’s morning we awoke at the Langham Hotel to find a red silk bag on our doorknob filled with New Year goodies - traditional candies and gold covered chocolate coins. To usher in the year there was a Lion Dance in the lobby to bring good luck and happiness in the New Year. The Lion (two people in a lion costume) danced around to the beat of large drums and clanging of cymbals to drive away evil spirits. One of the most amazing aspects of the performance occurred when the lion had to stand on his back legs and jump up to reach pieces of lettuce that were hanging from the high ceiling. The word lettuce sounds like money in Chinese. The lion dance has been popular for over 1000 years and most neighborhoods have similar version.

Hong Kong hosts a magnificent parade, which can be watched in a traditional manner from the street, but we were lucky enough to get tickets for the finale. For more than an hour the marching and performing units from a variety of countries paraded through the arena pausing to put on a short performance. The next night we joined thousands of people along the waterfront to watch the amazing fireworks.

Essentially all business comes to a halt during Chinese New Year, which lasts well over a week. Even though there are many public celebrations, for the Chinese New Year’s week is a time for family and for some the only vacation of the year. We were fortunate to be able to ring in the new year twice – once in the US and once in Hong Kong.

Making Wife Cakes in Hong Kong

Hong Kong never fails to impress me. The airport is very nice but the best part is the transportation into the city. After exiting the baggage area there is a transfer desk where John and I purchased train tickets into the city. Without leaving the airport we boarded the fast, clean train for the 30-minute ride into Kowloon, one of the main districts of Hong Kong. Once the train arrived in Kowloon we took the elevator up one level to the bus that delivered us to our hotel. The bus is included in the ticket. It was smooth and hassle free which is important as our flight from JFK was 16 hours. Getting around Hong Kong is painless especially considering that Hong Kong is located on several islands. But between the bus, subway, and ferry systems it all works smoothly and senior citizens are half price.

Hong Kong is considered one of the world’s most expensive cities but the Hong Kong Tourist Board has one of the best tourist programs we have ever run across. Their Kaleidoscope program offers many free tours based on the culture, history, and nature of Hong Kong. We have taken several. This time we signed up for the Chinese Cake Making class. John and I joined eight other people at the Wing Wah Cake Shop to learn how to make Wife Cakes. Wife Cakes are actually made by men for their wives. It seems that long ago a wife sold herself into servitude to get money to pay for medical treatment for her father-in-law. The husband was so impressed by her sacrifice and wanted his wife back so he created the Wife Cake which he sold in the market. They became very popular so he was able to earn enough money to buy back his wife.

Most of the Kaleidoscope programs are free but the junk boat ride cost about $5. It is the only authentic junk boat still plying the waters of Victoria Harbor. The views of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island from the junk boat are incredible. Hong Kong Island is lined with skyscrapers that continue back from the waterfront and seem to climb up the mountain. The average residential skyscraper is home to between one and two thousand people.

The junk boat, named Duk Ling, dropped us on Hong Kong Island where a short walk took us to Exchange Square where we caught a bus to Stanley, best known for its bargain market. Hong Kong is a shopper’s delight offering everything from the most exclusive shops to unbelievable bargains.

We spent our first three nights at the InterContinental right on the waterfront. Each morning at 6:30 we met Master William Ng on the pool terrace for a free Tai Chi exercise class. From our room we are able to watch the nightly laser light show emanating from both sides of the harbor

The last three nights we spent in the Peninsula Hotel, considered the best hotel in the world. They have a fleet of Rolls Royce cars to serve their guests, their own helicopter, and just added two Mini Coopers, which they say are perfect for shopping trips. Walking into the Peninsula’s pillared lobby is like walking into another era. The in-house musicians play while people enjoy afternoon tea. No matter how many times we visit Hong Kong there is always something great to see and do.