This
was Anne's and my second visit to Hong Kong, and we looked forward
to again being in such a wonderful city. I can recall the first time
we visited Hong Kong in 1984. 1984 was a wonderful year for the frequent
travel programs. During 1983 all of the travel related businesses
were getting on board and joining the airline's frequent travel programs.
During that single year I earned enough frequent travel awards to:
Get two free tickets anywhere on TWA courtesy of Avis Car Rental,
get 6 free tickets on American Airlines, and two free tickets on Pan
Am and a week at any Holiday Inn hotel worldwide courtesy of Holiday
Inn.
For our two free tickets on TWA I brought home a TWA Getaway Tours
brochure and told Anne to take a look and pick something. I figured
she'd pick a trip Europe and be done with it. Boy was I surprised.
She picked a combination land and sea cruise of the Aegean. We boarded
the boat in Athens and made a stop in Rhodes and Alexandria, Egypt.
Leaving Alexandria we sailed to Port Said, Egypt where we disembarked
for a week's stay in Egypt. While in Egypt we visited Cairo, Luxor
and Aswan. Following our week in Egypt we rejoined the cruise ship
and made stops in Israel, Turkey and another Greek Island, Patmos,
before returning to Athens. On our way home we stopped for a few days
in Rome. That was our May, 1984 trip.
To use the free air tickets on American we decided to take the whole
family to Hawaii. Anne and I, Jeannette, our daughter, and my Mother
for two weeks in the Sun of paradise. On the way home we stopped in
San Francisco for a few days where we were joined by my father. That
was our September, 1984 trip.
For our final trip, the free air on Pan Am and week in any Holiday
Inn hotel I picked Hong Kong. I can remember it now. Anne was not
happy about going to Hong Kong. She thought is was to far to go for
just a week and, in some ways, she wasn't wrong. Reluctantly she got
into the program and by the time the trip materialized in November
she was looking forward to going. She absolutely loved the city! So,
when this second trip came up she was not at all hesitant about going
back to Hong Kong. She looked forward to it eagerly and with much
excitement. This time we would be joined by our friends Ken and Darla
which would make it all that much more fun for everyone. |
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Hong
Kong is truly a magical city for the tourists with much to see and
do. Just walking around the city and enjoying its many sights is a
pleasure. There is one thing you must be careful of though ... the
traffic coming from the wrong direction. Being an English territory
they drive on the wrong side of the road (as seen from an American's
perspective) and it takes some getting used to. Another thing that
might have made someone worry a bit was the approach to Hong Kong's
Kai Tak Airport (now closed). It was not for the faint of heart. During
the final approach to land you were literally flying between buildings
on both sides of the plane that were higher than the plane was. Not
an airport with much room for errors on approach at all. It was, tough,
exciting and made even more exciting by our knowing what lay in store
when we landed.
Visiting Hong Kong there are three major areas to consider: Hong Kong
Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. |
Look
Left When Crossing! |
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| Hong
Kong Island is the centerpiece of Hong Kong and contains some of the
world's most valuable property. It is a modern city of skyscrapers
and concrete that is always bustling with activity. |
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Anne
checking out "things to do and see"
in Hong Kong |
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| Anne
and I arrived before Ken and Darla giving us most of the day to ourselves
before they arrived. We decided to visit one of our favorite spots
from our previous trip to Hong Kong ... Victoria Peak. The Chinese
name for Victoria Peak is "Tai Ping Shan," which means Mountain
of Great Peace. It is better known, however, as a mountain of wonderful
views from its 1,805 foot vantage point. |
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Anne
by the
Peak Tram Fountain |
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A
view of Hong Kong Island with Kowloon in
the distance taken from the tram. |
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The
Peak Tram
approaching the station. |
Hong
Kong harbor separates Hong Kong Island from
Kowloon. It is one of the busiest harbors in the world.
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A
Ming Lion overlooking
Hong Kong from Victoria Peak |
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Anne
with Hong Kong background |
Arriving
at the top of Victoria Peak there are some dramatic views of Hong
Kong Island and Kowloon in the distance. Having enjoyed the views
of the city Anne and I then proceeded to follow the walk around Victoria
Peak. It is a pretty walk that goes completely around the summit and
deposits you back at the tram station. From the walk you will have
various views of Hong Kong Island and the harbor, and there are numerous
playgrounds throughout the park where you can watch the children running
and playing. Suggestion: Anne and I usually bring several bags
of balloons with us to give the children. They don't take a lot of
room in the suitcase and they aren't heavy. The reward you will get
from watching the children's faces light up is wonderful. |
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Yours
truly standing by
one of the observation areas
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Yours
truly by a trickling
waterfall on Victoria Peak |
Anne
reverting to her
childhood days climbing trees |
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Anne
(left) yelling "I'm stuck up a tree and can't get down ... help
me!" No matter where you go or what you do one of the greatest
pleasures in life is watching the children. Whether they're the big
or little variety makes no difference. The little girl (right) has
just received a balloon from Anne and is delighted with her new possession.
The expression on her face proves indeed that we are "one world
and one people." |
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By
the time we had completed our walk around Victoria Peak, about an
hour, lunch time had arrived. We stopped at the Victoria Peak Cafe
for a light snack. The cafe was new since our last visit in '84 and
much improved in terms of food quality from what was there before.
However, the previous cafe had a nicer menu with a panoramic view
of Hong Kong taken at night which Anne and I brought home and framed.
We have this habit of liberating menus and using them as home decorations.
The current menu wasn't even a temptation. But it was nice to sit
back and enjoy our lunch in the open courtyard to the restaurant. |
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The
true magic of Hong Kong can only be felt by riding the Star Ferry
across Hong Kong Harbor
between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. To ride it transports you
back to the "World of Suzy Wong."
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| Leaving
Victoria Peak we headed to the Star Ferry for the ride across Hong
Kong Harbor to Kowloon. For some reason the Star Ferry in Hong Kong
is one of those things that, for me, is absolutely magical. It's a
wonderful experience, one of those mystical experiences that, for
some reason, does something to you. Perhaps it's the magic created
from the movie "Susie Wong," or maybe it's just the realization
that you are in such a wonderful and exotic place as Hong Kong. |
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Join
us on the next page to enjoy the magic of Hong Kong by night and discover
the New Territories, the land between Kowloon and Mainland China ... |
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