DESTINATION REPORTS
HONG KONG AND MACAU I recently returned from a quick vacation in Hong Kong and Macau. I had never been to Asia and decided to take advantage of a very good airfare offered by Singapore Airlines on their San Francisco-to-Hong Kong route. I am not much of a shopper, and my goal for this trip was to do as much sightseeing as possible. The first day I explored Hong Kong Island. I took the tram up to Victoria Peak, which offered a wonderful panoramic view of the city. I visited the neo-Gothic St. John's Cathedral built in the late 19th century and explored the nearby Botanical Gardens. The Hong Kong harbor is one of the most beautiful in the world; it is lined with 50- and 60- story office buildings of striking and varied architectural design.
The next day I took the Star Ferry on its 8-minute ride across the harbor to Kowloon. For the equivalent of about $4.50US I purchased a ticket for unlimited trips on a bus that makes a loop that connects 15 of the major tourist attractions. I could not see them all, but I enjoyed my stops at the bird and flower markets, the colorful Wong Tai Sin temple, and the new Chi Lin Nunnery with its spectacular Tang Dynasty style architecture. I ended my day at the Waterfront Promenade, which offers a great view of Victoria Harbor and the Hong Kong Island skyline.
On my third day, I took a one-hour ferry ride to Lantau Island where I then took a bus to the Po Lin monastery, site of the world's tallest statue of seated Buddha. It is a very impressive sight and well worth the time and effort involved in getting to it. I then followed a hiking trail down the other side of the peak. It was a one-and-a-half hour walk through woods and valleys which frequently passed by various Buddhist hillside retreats. I stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Hong Kong Island. Like all other Ritz Carltons, the service was impeccable. There is maid service twice a day, and the ice bucket in my room was always filled with ice. It has a great rooftop swimming pool which I used every day. The location, just two blocks from the Star Ferry terminal, is very central and convenient.
The following day I rode a jetfoil ferry for the one-hour trip over to Macau. Macau was settled by Portuguese explorers in the mid-14th century, three hundred years before the British came to Hong Kong. As Portugal's influence declined it became for many years a sleepy colonial outpost, reverting back to the Chinese government only two years ago. It is probably like Hong Kon was 30 or 40 years ago. There are still many baroque-style churches, colorful squares with a European feel, and beautifully maintained old public buildings. It has some excellent museums which provide an overview of the history and culture of Macao. It also has many restaurants featuring Portuguese and Machines cuisine. Though I did not visit any of its seven casinos, Macao is a popular place for gambling. Though it may not be for everyone, my two days in Macao were the highlight of my trip. I returned to Hong Kong by jet foil the following afternoon in time for my evening flight back to San Francisco. The return flight was "only" 11-1/2 hours and seemed like a flight to Houston in comparison to the one going over. The sights I saw and experiences I had were well worth the time it took to get there, and I am looking forward to my next trip to Asia. I might even buy something next time. Getting there: I connected at the strikingly modern new San Francisco international terminal to a Singapore Airlines 747 for the 15-hour flight to Hong Kong. The beautifully uniformed flight attendants provided efficient and courteous service. Each seat had its own personal video screen which allowed a choice of 8 or 10 movies, 10 other programs, or computer games. The time passed more quickly than I had expected, and soon we were landing at the new Hong Kong Airport. Baggage claim and customs were easy, and I was quickly on a train for the 25-minuteride in to town. The train stops both in Kowloon and Hong Island.
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