Final Day in Hong Kong

It's very comforting to know that there's always a Starbucks near with wifi, a cool beverage and comfortable seating to rest your weary, walked to death feet.  Surprisingly in Hong Kong, where everything else is super cheap, especially the food, a Starbucks Iced Coffee is just over $3 CAD.  But hey, for a small reminder of home, it's kinda worth the deal.


I decided to have a bit of a quiet day considering how much I've done over the last three days in Hong Kong and Macau.  With my flight being midnight (and of course, this time, I am sure of when my departure time is...), I had pretty much a day to kill, and it was time to explore a bit more of the Kowloon side of this city.  

It's no surprise that the day has been perpetually cloudy (see the exhibit above).  It's been pretty much like this for the entire time I've been here.  However, walking along the Avenue of the Stars this morning, having this cloud cover really helped because in this climate, you can either fight the humidity or the sun, not both.  The Avenue of the Stars is located on the Kowloon waterfront with a gorgeous view of Hong Kong Island.  Hong Kong, the Hollywood for Asian cinema, has its own mini walk of fame with the most famous icon being that of Bruce Lee's statue - in honour of the king of Kung Fu cinema.  My advice, get there early - like 8am early as tour groups start rolling in around 930am and to get a clear shot of the statue sans mainlander tourists, you're looking at at least a 10 minute wait if you want them to clear out.

Hiya Bruce.

After the stroll along the promenade, it was time to visit Kowloon park, located conveniently beside Tsim Sha Tsui (or TST) station.  This park is so big, it even has it's own McDonald's stall selling iced drinks and ice cream.  Smart.  

Kowloon Park Art Piece.

I saved the afternoon for museums as they were in close proximity to one another and all had free wifi and air conditioning.  There are three points of interest here:

- The Hong Kong Museum of Art
- The Hong Kong Space Museum
- The Hong Kong Cultural Centre


If you're stuck for time, the latter two can easily be avoided.  The Space Museum was ancient with exhibits from when I was a child visiting the Ontario Science Centre for the first time.  I guess it's a commentary on our progression as a race on space travel.  We've stalled in our progress to put people into space.  With the shuttle program coming to an end last year, it's so sad that the passion we had for space travel when I was a kid in grade school has started to fall by the wayside.  

The HK Space Museum - a sad commentary on our progressions with space travel with horribly dated exhibits.

My walking tour ended with a stop at the Kowloon docks where you can catch a ferry to HK Island, which used to be the main form of transportation before the MTR, now it's mostly a tourist pursuit.  At the docks, you'll find the HK Cultural Centre - a quick pit stop for air con and then head outside to take a photo with the famous clock tower.  Sneak in one more photo of the view of HK Island.  It's worth it.

Clock tower.

I've seen that Junk ship before at Stanley Point!

I've been really impressed with this city - four days was a perfect amount of time to take in the sights, sounds, tastes and the nightlife.  It was great to meet up with friends that I haven't seen in a while and even better navigating a city (well, two if you count Macau) solo but feeling like you were a pro.  I guess I'm a bit seasoned now traveling on my own.  A friend once asked me, "doesn't it get lonely being a solo tourist?"  It does get annoying at times that no one is there to take a photo for you, but what I love about being by myself in a foreign place is that I dictate everything - where I go, at what time, what I eat, what I spend.  Nothing makes me happier than being a super control freak on vacation.


Of course, there's always a downside to every place you visit - HK is the less hygienic cousin of Singapore, with random water droplets falling down on you as you roam the sidewalks (just don't think about it, and if one gets in your mouth, it's time to take that Immodium).  HK is a good place for only a couple of days - not an extended stay unless all you want to do is shop.  And there are some social problems that you notice that get to you - including the shocking amount of seniors who pick out of garbage cans and beg on the street.


I'm lucky I've gotten to see some of the major ports of call in Asia like Taipei, HK, Singapore, KL and Saigon.  Each have their own personality, grit and polish.  Of course, I'm biased when I say that there's no place to me that beats Taipei.  It truly has become my home away from home.


This ends my Asian journeys for now, until I go to Japan and Korea with a few friends in the wintertime.  Can't wait to see what Tokyo is like in the winter.  So for now, zai jian Asia and hello Europe!