Christmas, 2011, in Hong Kong

We took the last two weeks of December off. The first week we tooled around Chennai; used the Lonely Planet guide and tried to explore places we hadn't been before. I went shopping with a friend - we were seeking treasures and souvenirs. Mr. R and I visited Pondicherry and Mamalapuram, two cites south of Chennai which we have visited many times but this time with the Lonely Planet as our guide to find new places to check out.  I think I am done using the Lonely Planet books.

Off to Hong Kong for Christmas! We left late Friday night (all international flights from Chennai leave after midnight) and arrived Saturday morning, Christmas Eve. I expected Hong Kong to be a little gritty and to smell like I remember China smelling (not entirely pleasant). But it was just a great city. We marveled at how clean it is, how pedestrian-friendly with good signs in English to help you get around very easily. We bought passes that got us easily onto the subways, buses, trams and ferries- it was very simple to explore the city on our own. Plus most people spoke good English.

Mr R holding his Octopus pass for public transport. Easy!

We actually stayed in Kowloon, which is on the mainland facing Hong Kong island. Our hotel was right in a major shopping district and, it being Christmas Eve, the shops were closed to cars so people could flood the streets. It was exciting to be part of the crowd. 

On Christmas Day we took the subway onto Hong Kong island. It's a city filled with skyscrapers all crowded between cliffs and the ocean. One section has escalators that get you from one street to the next as they climb the hills. We rode a double-decker tram to see more of the city once our feet got tired.

Monday we took a one hour ferry ride to Macau. Interesting. Both Hong Kong and Macau are part of China, but both had separate immigration processes and currency. Also, we had a 5 year old tour book for Macau which focused on the old Portuguese colonial neighborhoods (Portugal gave Macau back to China shortly after Britain gave Hong Kong back). But in the 5 years since that book was published Macau has been taken over by casinos and the focus now is on the very Vegas-like strip, complete with a Venetian and MGM casino. We checked out both aspects of the area and headed back to the ferry terminal.

When we left Hong Kong in the AM we had purchased our out-going ferry ticket and a voucher for a return ticket. So when we returned to the terminal that evening we expected to get a return ticket no problem. But, due to the holidays, all the ferries for that evening were sold out. We had a few moments wondering where we would spend the night and lamenting out pre-paid Hong Kong hotel (which was also where all our stuff was) before the clerk offered us first class ferry tickets without any sort of credit for the return vouchers we had already paid for. But we were glad not to have to look for a place to sleep that night and gladly paid the $50. 

Tuesday was for more exploration of Hong Kong island. We took the 10-minute ferry ride across Victoria Harbor (pretty and fun) and then picked up the bus which climbed over the hills to the south side of Hong Kong.

We rode on the top of a double-decker bus and Mr. R reported, from his seat on the cliff side of the bus, that there were tiny guard rails that would not keep the bus from tumbling over the side. But we made it just fine. 

Apparently the south side of the island is where the rich folk live in high-rise apartments perched on cliffs overlooking the ocean. But they kindly allowed us tourists in to poke around.

We had lunch at a beach-side cafe, sharing a table with a group presided over by a very friendly fellow.

Wednesday was our last day. We did some more exploration of Kowloon, got fantastic foot massages, and finished up our trip with drinks at the bar of the Ritz Carlton hotel, on the 118th floor with the other skyscrapers below us. When dusk fell that was our cue to pack up, get back to the hotel for our luggage, and a drive to the airport. Goodbye, Hong Kong!

Traveler's tip: When getting into immigration lines avoid the lines headed by female immigration officers. I think the power goes to their heads and they get very persnickety and are slow. Always get in the line of a male immigration officer. And look for the ones who smile- their lines tend to move fastest.