Trevor & Jonathans Cruise & Trip to the Far East and Australia 2016

Day 39 - Friday June 17th 2016 - Ovation of the Seas - Hong Kong, China

So the day started with an alarm call. Why oh why is it that when you have to get up (you know what’s coming, right?) you have a really bad night’s sleep? Well that’s what happened so we were in fact awake before the alarm but we laid there wishing it was not that time at all. Managing to pull ourselves through the bathroom we found ourselves going for only our second posh breakfast on Ovation. When you do posh there really is only one choice to have and it has to be the eggs benedict, it’s like a cruise tradition that has to be adhered to.

The ship is actually docked at the old airport, Kai Tak Cruise Terminal (as it’s now known). Hong Kong’s old airport (Kai Tak) used to be infamous as you had a really steep descent from the mountains through the middle of Hong Kong and all the skyscrapers and tall tower blocks. Apparently it used to feel like the wings would touch them and then the actual runway went out to sea, a manmade road floating on the ocean. It’s on that runway that the terminal for cruise ships is now built,complete with roof top garden and parklands

around.

This is actually our fourth time in Hong Kong so although we were really looking forward to getting off the ship we were in no rush, there was only one thing on the list (well two if you count some shopping that Jonathan wanted to do) and we had all day. Our next appointment was a booked excursion with the cruise line at 18:45 tonight so we had all day, turns out we really needed it!

We left the ship, walked through the huge (and I mean huge) terminal and onto the free transfer buses that would take us to the nearest MTR station (MTR is the metro/ underground station). It’s really easy to navigate around Hong Kong on the MTR, there are very few lines, the island is very small and so is the main area of Kowloon and it’s all in English so in a heartbeat we had purchased our tickets and were heading for our first stop called Causeway.

Causeway is fundamentally a shopping area, full of both high end brands and department stores but the reason for our visit was the Apple store. Yes, after much umming and arghing Jonathan had made a decision. He was buying an ipad pro the whole 12.9 inches of the beast would be his (along with the apple pencil). Hong Kong has no taxes, well not on electronic goods so it makes it over £150 cheaper than it would be in the UK so the saving is significant.

The staff in the Apple store were really great, their English excellent and they seduced me with all the reasons as to why he should go ahead with his intended purchase. He will be using it mainly for drawing and editing photos and stuff like that, it’s going to be a creative tool (well if he can learn how to use all the apps). So although he was going to buy one we would have to come back for it as we did not want to lug it all around with us all day so a return visit would be needed.

We left the apple store behind and saw a bus go whizzing by to our planned next destination of Stanley on the north of the island, an area we had never visited. This bus was a much better idea than the route we had found on the web which was a real mixture between the MTR and bus and buses are always much more fun as you actually get to see where you are going. Now maybe I should not use the term bus as actually it was a small little green mini bus that only carried about 16 people. We found the bus stop and waited and every right bus that went past us was full. Like everyone else at the bus stop with us (all local Hong Kong types) there was a general air of frustration and they all started walking down the street…….we followed!

They led us to the buses start point and we got on and then the bus was full so we headed off into the unknown.

As we left the commercial district behind us an up and down winding mountain type ranges we entered into a side of Hong Kong we have never seen or ever even imagined would be here. This was green and lush with sandy beaches meeting the south china sea. It was very residential (and very expensive). We passed huge palace type houses, modern townhouses, beaches and green spaces, a Ferrari garage (gives out a big clue to the wealth in this area) until eventually we found ourselves in Stanley.

The bus dropped us off on the cliff level overlooking a very modern shopping centre that was orientated towards the bay and the old town of Stanley below. We walked through its shops, viewing decks and down its many escalators until we reached ground level finally and the beautiful town or district of Stanley.

From what we could make out Stanley was positioned around a series of bays, huge green mountains separated it from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong and it felt more like Manly beach in Sydney than the reality of where we were. It’s a really cute, very colonial town. All the bars sell fish and chips and it really feels like the British expats and old colonials hanging on to a past that is slowly being erased. It got its name from the first British lord that was sent to ‘look after’ Hong Kong on behalf of the empire Lord Stanley and it felt like the British had never left. It’s main claim to fame is its traditional market now selling tourist tat and the odd fake good but in all honestly we felt that the market was the poor relation to the actual setting itself. Down by the waterfront off to one of the side bays you could honestly think you were in the Caribbean. Beautiful sandy beaches, golden rocks and boulders, rubber trees and exotic vegetation, really surprising. You can totally understand why the real estate in this area is some of the most expensive in Hong Kong as it’s a real get away from it jolt of life away from shiny stainless steel and glass, a place with real character.

Now Stanley is really not that big, not big at all so it did not take us long to walk everywhere that you can walk so we stopped off for a much needed refreshment (Starbucks) to cool down then headed back up the escalators to the little green mini bus and Causeway once again.

Yes, we went to the apple shop, yes Jonathan spent a small fortune but he’s very happy…. now to learn to use it! After the apple store we mooched around the shopping centre a short while before heading back onto the MTR and Central station.

We made a brief stop at A&F (nothing purchased), a lunch stop, another mall before heading down the raised platform walkways down to the waterfront and the Star Ferry to take us back to Kowloon and ultimately towards the ship. The Star Ferry is an icon in its own right, connecting Hong Kong to Kowloon and giving you some of the best views of both sides all for about a £2.00 crossing fee. Being on board really bought back memories of the last time we were here, with my sisters Janee and Caroline on our way to Australia to surprise Janee’s son Joe who had emigrated there and was about to pass out from the Australian Police Force. We caught this boat many time going around the place and all the photos that we took of that time flashed through my mind….

So back to today, we crossed the harbour then went on the hunt for some batteries on the Kowloon side. As soon as you step ashore on Kowloon the change is very real and very abrupt compared to the island side. Here in Kowloon everyone is asking you if you want watches (fake Rolex anyone?), fake handbags, waiving boat trips and other paraphernalia in your face, you just don’t get that on the island for some reason. We mooched, we went in and out of shopping malls but didn’t find the batteries we needed for Trevor’s hearing aid so it was off to the ship for us again, time had been ticking and we had to get the MTR and a bus to get back to the cruise terminal.

The journey back went really quickly actually with no issues apart from a very brief moment trying to find the right bus stop. We made the significant trek back through the cruise terminal before getting back to our cabin and dumping all the stuff off. There was no time to sit or relax though as our night excursion was coming up so it was straight up to the Windjammer on deck 14 for something quick to eat before we would be pounding the streets yet again.

So tonight’s trip was to watch the light and music show from Kowloon waterfront and to visit The Peak on Hong Kong Island at night (something we had never done). The buildings that line the waterfront on Hong Kong Island basically light up all the colours of the rainbow, some with laser beam and react to the beat of the music. We had seen it before and it is pretty. The best part is just seeing the skyline lit up in such a Disney way, it makes it come alive. Before we got there though we had to go through the rigmarole of a group tour and it was made even more difficult as this was taking place on the majorly rammed streets of Kowloon.

We left the boat, made the massive walk through the terminal (again) and boarded our packed coach (this tour was popular). The thing is when you put people of all ages together they all move at very different paces and our group was no different. As we made it to the Kowloon and disembarked the coach we had to walk through a shopping centre and it was painful trying to keep track of everyone and where we were heading for….to many tortoises in the group with a few hares racing off!

Somehow we did make it through and we were left to our own devices to watch the sound and light show. This was not quite how it was sold by Royal Caribbean as they used the term “we promise you the best seats in the house” when in actual fact you get no seat and you have to find a gap along the railing yourself and that’s not that easy when you turn up ten minutes before the show starts. Luckily we did and we did enjoy it. It’s not like watching a light show that’s has been rigged up and managed to perfection but it’s a great way of high lighting the skyline and using the architecture to turn it into something memorable and fun. To be honest we booked the trip for the next part which was a trip up the Victoria peak as the last time we were here (with my sisters) the queue was ridiculous and we ended up walking away, also, we had never been up to the peak at night so that was going to be a new experience for us.

Our motley crew of tour members headed back to the coach and off to the peak tram station. We still had to queue but it was not so bad, the last time we were here the queue went round onto the other side of the road and round and round like a Disney ride. This time we were virtually inside the terminal with only about a half an hour wait. The tram itself is just that, modelled on an early wooden Victorian tram complete with wooden bench seats. The tram we travelled on today is actually a replica of the old trams used when the peak tram started in ……. Our guide thanked the British for providing all the infrastructure to Hong Kong and the tramways that cut across the island are a real testament to that. The peak is actually really steep! As you travel up in the tram you really get a sense of the incline, the cables pulling this tram up the slope must be very very strong indeed.

Once at the top, you get off the tram and arrive straight into the middle of a gift shop which in turn leads to a series of escalators that eventually take you to the peak itself (or the top of the building that rests on the peak). The view is mammoth, you see the whole of the business district and commercial district of Hong Kong island and then views across the harbour and Kowloon and the outlaying districts. It really is a vertical city both in residential housing and the shiny skyscrapers of the business district.

From up here at the peak, Hong Kong is a city of lights, like something from the film Bladerunner, a very futuristic city.

Needless to say this is a tourist attraction and it rammed, coming up to the peak at night is obviously a very popular thing to do and finding a space to gaze and take it all in is actually quite tough and there’s quite a bit of jostling for spaces that goes on.

Funny thing though is that all the crowds seemed to be at one end of the viewing platform. As we went to make our way back inside we found a whole platform virtually empty with the views being just as good….

We had now been on the go since around 06:45 and it was now getting on for 22:30 and it was time to head back on that coach. Our tram ride was one way and we got the coach back down the very windy road to the waterfront of Hong Kong and through the tunnel to Kowloon and ultimately the cruise terminal. It had been great to see the city at night despite all the crowds, photos never do justice to things like this but our memories will.

Back on board we were shattered. It was nearly midnight and we needed some downtime and a drink! We headed to the Schooner Bar with Laurence on the ivories, we sat down but soon left, it was just too noisy for our level of tiredness and we wanted that quiet drink before bed. We went down a floor and ended up in Boleros (a bar we never normally go to as they normally have a live full band on) and ordered gin and tonics all round.

We got comfy and chilled when the band came on again so seeking that bit of peace and quiet we jumped bars again and ended up in Vintages…. peace at last!

What a day, what a long day! Getting to sleep tonight was going to be no problem at all!