what to do in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is an incredible city. We arrived here at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. Having had a good night's sleep on the plane thanks to Singapore Air's superb business class service, we immediately began our explorations.

Our first day was devoted to exploring the area of Kowloon Island near our hotel (The Langham). Kowloon is a great place for leisure travelers to stay because of the great view it offers of Hong Kong's skyline. Be sure to make at least one night visit to the harbour. At 8 p.m. there is an incredible sound and light show, using the lights of the skyscrapers and green lasers mounted on rooftops. I consider this a must-do attraction for every world traveler to experience. It's a beautiful sight.

Kowloon is full of shopping malls. Although there are a lot of stores with brand names familiar to American shoppers, Hong Kong possesses a unique sense of design. The malls were clean, colorful, and visually interesting. Make a point of visiting a supermarket just to see the different assortment of products available, as well as to see the different ways in which familiar products are displayed.

I engaged a private guide for our second day. We took the Star Ferry over to Hong Kong island -- a cheap, quick, and fun little cruise across the harbour. Using a combination of public transportation and taxi cabs (also cheap and convenient), we explored one of Hong Kong's dried provisions markets, visited Man Mo Temple, and shopped in some of the antique stalls in that neighborhood. We took a tram to the Peak for a great view of Hong Kong, then took a taxi to Aberdeen where we enjoyed a great Dim Sum luncheon at the colorful Jumbo Floating Restaurant. I had never before tasted crispy fried noodles (not readily available in the US), but I highly recommend the dish! A final stop at Stanley Market (billed as "retail therapy") is probably a good bet for shopoholics (but, personally, I would have used the time differently).

One other highly recommended activity in Hong Kong is to take the escalator up the hill. (It begins going "up" the hill at 10 a.m.) Get off on some of the side streets to explore an older, more traditional section of the city. We had a great lunch on the way up at Lotus, a terrific Thai restaurant (on Pottinger Street just below Hollywood Road).

Topping off the day was Afternoon Tea at The Peninsula Hotel. A traditional British hotel with white-gloved doormen, this is a great opportunity to get off your feet and see the colorful parade of visitors passing through the ornate lobby.


copyright (c) 2007 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
.