Day 3 in Hong Kong - Star Ferry, Xi Yan Sweets, and a "Nap"

We woke up with the sun on Friday, got dressed while watching “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” on HBO and reading the South China Morning Post,

WAY more fair and balanced than other news outlets...

and jumped in a cab to Kowloon Harbor. The driver left us at the intersection of Canton and Salisbury across from the Star Ferry terminal. 

Willie and Helen from E*TRADE Hong Kong had agreed to let us take them to lunch (see below how we get snookered on that deal and Helen snakes the check under the auspices of “cultural sensitivity”), but we had some time before we needed to be in Hong Kong to meet them, and so we explored some. First was a coffee break at Starbucks and checking out the storefronts of a few custom tailors (men’s two piece suit, shirt and tie for $2350 HK). Then we wandered up Nathan Road, Kowloon’s legendary shopping district. Eyewitness had warned us of the touts and "hawkers" who would harass the tourists with the whispered lure of “Copy watch” or “Men’s suit.” But either it was too early or Eric’s imposing stature (seriously, he towers over everyone here. On any given MTR car, he’s the tallest person for 4 car lengths that we can see) frightened them, but we weren’t harassed much. We weren’t much interested in the shopping. We had seen our fair share of high end stores already, and the low end stuff looked a lot like low end storefronts in NYC. 

One thing that fascinated us throughout HK was the technique for scaffolding made of bamboo. 

Bamboo lashed together with twine and zip ties

We decided that panda teeth must be very strong.

From there we walked to the Peninsula Hotel dating back to British Colonial times but still retaining its stately grandeur. 

Thanks for the suggestion, Jim Ballowe

The Peninsula once had a harbor view, until a landfill project created land in front of it now occupied by the Hong Kong Space Museum. We wondered what might be in the space museum (Did Hong Kong send a man to the moon, and we missed it? Surely he would have been disappointed to find there wasn’t a Prada), but were not curious enough to visit.

That used to be a view of Victoria Harbour...

...but HK built more land and it now sits blocks off the water.

Finally we walked down to the terminal and boarded the Star Ferry. 

The Star Ferry has run between Kowloon and Hong Kong since 1888, and remains today a popular commuter route despite the construction of the MTR and harbor tunnel. The crew still wears the blue and white British sailor uniforms. The trip takes less than ten minutes and offers an unbelievable view of Victoria Harbor and the staggering expanse of the Hong Kong skyline, the epitome of “anything you can do I can do better.” Each building is taller and more ornate than the next. 

Star Ferry Terminal on Kowloon

View from bow of Start Ferry

Karen about to alight (British term). Note the seats are reversible so no need to back in or out of terminals

Boarding the Star Ferry

Upon our arrival on the Hong Kong side, we set out in the manner of locals for the street tram. The tram dates back to 1904, making it the longest continuously operated tram in the world. It is also the only double decker tram system in the world. We used our trusty landmark, the Dolce & Gabbana store, to signal the place where we board the tram and disembarked at the Pacific Palace. We had about a half hour before we were due to meet Helen and Willie upstairs at E*TRADE, and so we wandered into the sprawling Hong Kong department store Seibu. Karen found a delicious light wool coat, vanilla colored, that she loved. Unfortunately it was too big. The sales woman called the other store on Causeway Bay, but they too were out of Karen’s size. “It’s sale time,” she explained.

We went upstairs for our 12:15 appointed meeting time with Helen and Willie. The previous day we had suggested to them Xi Yan Sweets for lunch. They took our suggestion and led us on a dizzying route through Pacific Place 1, 2 and 3, down escalators and through tunnels until we emerged at a street corner where the restaurant was located. The walk was about 10 minutes and when we emerged we could have been in another country or next door; we wouldn't have known the difference.

We must give a shout out to Liz Cook who had suggested Xi Yan to us after her own trip to Hong Kong. It gave us mad street cred with Helen and Willie, and also it was awesome. Helen and Willie took charge of the ordering. This was one of the cooler moments so far. In a foreign country where you don't speak the language and locals are speaking Cantonese ordering up an array of foods typical of the culture. They consulted with each other and the waiter, and put in the order. What arrived at our table was an array of deliciousness that seemed to just keep coming. We can’t say exactly what it all was, except very satisfying. Here’s an attempt to describe what we ate:

Preserved eggs with roe

Tofu with pickled veggies

Spicy chicken with peanuts and cashews

Ramen noodles with peanuts and beef

HK style shrimp crispy fried rice

Soft shell crab

Winter melon with vegetables

Helen and Willie expertly served each dish and demonstrated how to eat it, using the various bowls, plates, spoons and chopsticks set on the table. Lunch took almost two hours, between the food and the lively conversation as we got to know them better and talked of life in Hong Kong and the U.S. The top personal income tax bracket in HK is 17% and no sales tax. When the bill came Eric and Helen bothed reached for cards. Those of you that know Eric know he rarely loses this battle, but in this instance he was faced with something he'd never seen; the "cultural sensitivity defense". Helen insisted it was culturally appropriate that she pay for lunch. Eric was dumbfounded and we were both extremely appreciative. She and Willie also mapped out on the back of the placemat what we should do with our remaining two days in Hong Kong – a visit to the Big Buddha and the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car, a stop at the lively Lai Kwan Fong for Friday night happy hour, and a trip to the Temple Street Market on Kowloon. If you read the success of the prior day's events (also planned by Helen and Willie) you know we weren't going to question their skills.

When we were done, we plunged back into the underground world of Hong Kong. Helen and Willie said their goodbyes at Pacific Place 2, promising to visit us in the States sometime so we might return the hospitality. We headed back towards the tram and the MTR, with a brief stop at Marks & Spencer (nothing purchased, again). On the MTR, we debated making the trip to see the Big Buddha immediately but with only three hours before the last cable car, we decided to go in the morning so we would not be pressed for time. Frankly, we were kind of tired (food coma, perhaps?). We arrived back at the W and decided to take a nap, which stretched until morning on Saturday.Seriously. Eric put his head down at 430pm and was next conscious at 400am. Good thing we have two more days here! 

And don't worry, the Big Buddha, cable car and Temple Street were still to come.