Eric Prokesh in Hong Kong

[The port at Hong Kong]

Sorry, Eric, I was supposed to be keeping up with these and posted Cambodia before Hong Kong. I was never very good at geography. Anyway, it’s a gorgeous port, isn’t it?

Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific flight from Tokyo. Few flights in Asia are short-haul. This one takes five hours. Asian noodle meal and the sound of slurping, not impolite in Asia, is magnified in the close quarters of a packed cabin.

What is striking about Hong Kong is how little it seems to have changed since the British handover in 1997. Although the Chinese flag now flies over buildings, Sikh doormen still guard hotel porticos, Bentleys and other posh cars are still thick on the ground, the Queen’s portrait is still seen on the distinctive foliate coins-the Chinese, no doubt, find it useful to have an outpost with a convertible currency. Unlike China, no visa is needed for Hong-Kong. Unmolested, commerce and building continue apace.

The beauty of Hong Kong’s setting is enchanting. My hotel room on the peninsula affords me a view of the island, with cruise ships, container boats and picturesque junks in the intervening bay. Hong Kong even gives trade romance. This island-peninsula-city-state gives the impression of a 21st century Venice in its prime. At night the towers of Hong-Kong put on their impressive light show.

And yet perhaps because it is a tropical city, the financial district doesn’t feel as manic as New York or the City of London. With its many calm gardens, parks and green spaces the place seems pristine. It would be even more pristine if it weren’t for the almost constant haze from guess where.

The short ferry ride lands you at the edge of the financial center. Like Singapore, the streets seem almost deserted during working hours except when the young turks of business from every corner of the globe spill out of the office buildings at lunchtime. A short walk and you arrive at a park and statue of Thomas Jackson who formed a company called The Hong Kong-Singapore Banking Corporation, better known to us as HSBC, one of the few banks which doesn’t seem to be worrying these days.

Penetrate farther in and you reach the Chinese markets which are alive with activity. Smells. Overwhelming, constantly changing breaths of tea, spices, herbal medicine, and sandalwood. Streets crowded with shoppers and vendors. Hollywood Road contains the antique shops. Most of the merchandise is dodgy. There are shops which sell beautiful porcelain-celadon, blanc de chine but it comes dear. It should be remembered that the record price setting auctions for Chinese porcelain are held here. Ascend by steep, scary cable car to Victoria Peak for stunning and unfortunately hazy views of the Island and Peninsula.

Lunch at Maxims in the Municipal Building, near the Ferry landing, is a good idea. Always crowded, it is so vast, maybe 500 diners at a given time, that the wait is never very long. Carts containing every form of delicious Dim Sum ply the aisles and the views of the city are great. We tried another Anthony Bordain of No Reservations fame, recommendation-Luk Wot for roast goose Peking-style. This involved a subway ride and a 30 minute train ride to Tai-Po, a working class neighborhood in the New Territories. The long train ride was a reminder that much of Hong-Kong, 60%, is rural (it contains a bird sanctuary).

The restaurant, not easy to find, in a main shopping square is in a small store-front with roast pork, goose and pigeon hanging in the window. We were seated at a large round table with locals on their lunch hour. A loop of the Bordain show plays on a large T.V. . The goose was not remarkable and must have resulted from a ‘Where do you eat roast goose?’ query to a member of the local crew. Not much better than similar local places less far afield and not worth the schlep, unless you want to get an idea of Hong Kong’s sprawl.