There was so much going on and so many things to do while in Hong Kong.  Here are some observations and other parts of the trip that haven’t fit into earlier reports.

Chris and Tehlin, the couple with whom I stay, live in the Bel-Air Residences, a series of towers build right along the coastline on the south side of Hong Kong Island, just about a 5-minute drive west of Aberdeen and a minute east of Cyberport.  They live in the second phase of what I believe will be a four-phase development.  The third phase is being built across the street from them, literlly blasted into the bedrock of the island.

Here is a view from their kitchen window (a very nice kitchen and huge by HK standards) of the construction of phase three.  Notice how the very large backhoe in the lower left of the picture is dwarfed by the enormous size of the hillside. 

Proof that wherever there is land in Hong Kong, there is some money to be made no matter the obstacles.

On Friday evening when I had my two dinners, the first one was at Peking Garden in Central.  I didn’t include this picture with my earlier entry about the dinner, but the chef came out to the dining room and made hand-pulled noodles.  I’ve seen this done before at a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco’s Japantown and it is really neat to watch.  The noodles have a wonderful texture, very toothy, and are so much better than machine-pulled noodles.

I also really liked that the group of diners in the picture were a group of middle-aged women who were having a marvelous time, enjoying each others’ company.  It is always nice when friends get together over a meal and have a good time.

On Monday morning, which I’ll talk about some more in tomrrow’s entry as there was a lot that happened, I had a few hours to kill so I did two of my favourite inexpensive sightseeing activities: riding the cross-harbour Star Ferry and riding the Island Tram.

The Island Tram operates several lines up and down Queensway Road running from Kennedy Town in the west to Shau Kei Wan in the east with a side branch running to Happy Valley.  This 100-year old operation is one of only three tramways still running in the world of this type, and it is the only one to operate exclusively double-deck trams.  Most of them are in traditional, reserved colors but a few have been decked out with advertisements.

For only HKD 2.00 (about US$ 0.25) you can take the 25-minute ride from one end of the line to the other, sitting in breezy comfort in the low-ceiling upper deck.  Unlike all other forms of transportation in Hong Kong, on the tram you pay when exiting.

When rounding corners, it always feels like the tram is top-heavy and will topple over, but it doesn’t.  Especially if you can get a front seat, it is a fun way to take in the city.  Here’s a brief clip that shows the view from the front seats.

While on the tram, I took a series of pictures of a young man who was carrying a bouquet of lilies.  While I’m not certain, I don’t think he was a delivery person. 

So I was thinking about all the interesting stories that would explain why he was carrying that bouquet:

Where was he going?

To whom would he give the flowers?

Why was he giving them?

What do you think his story is?

In addition to riding the Tram, I took a ride across the harbour on the Star Ferry.  These distinctive green and white boats have been plying between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon for more than 100 years and with fares ranging from HKD1.70 for the lower deck to an outrageous HKD 2.20 for the partially air-conditioned upper deck, you’ll likely find this to be the best value for ten minutes you’ll find when visiting Hong Kong.

For those of you using low speed connections (Hi, Grandpa) I’m sorry that I didn’t take any still pictures of the Star Ferry, only video clips.  For those of you with high speed connections, here’s a two-minute video of the Star Ferry complete with narration.  Has anyone else noticed latent filmmaking tendencies beginning to surface in my blog, visible through the increasing use of edited video clips with voice overs?  I figure it is time I make some use of my bachelor’s degree!

Tomorrow: Hong Kong Disneyland