Star Ferry and Hong Kong Island

(Nik Dombrowski)

After a restless night (I awoke twice, the first time due to an unknown Jamaican number calling my cell phone) and with breakfast shoveled down, Ola, Abby, and I walked down from the hotel to the Star Ferry pier, which is the most famous and convenient method of transportation from Kowloon, where we are staying, to the actual island of Hong Kong and our destination that morning, Man Mo Temple. Despite Mrs. Viz’s reports of how romantic the ferry is supposed to be, the many couples on board seemed unaffected. 

After docking, we walked down an open pier for a photo op, and then made like squirrels and climbed into the maze of branch-like elevated walkways which connect many of Hong Kong’s most popular and busy attractions. The walkways are quite clean for an open-air public space, and, interestingly, are a very popular place for locals to gather and visit, picnic, or nap. The preferred method involves breaking up and laying flat a repurposed cardboard box, and then proceeding to do whatever you want on top of it, such as serve tea to friends, eat and check your messages, play games on your iPhone, or nap under an umbrella with your handbag in the open next to you. The cardboard boxes are provided by an unseen third party and appear in piles in corners and next to stairways where visitors can take them, use them as they please, and then return them. 

Using the walkways and escalators to ascend the hill, and getting quite lost upon returning to ground level, we finally found Hollywood Road, a long street lined with antique shops, nice restaurants, and boutiques which terminates at Man Mo temple.

The temple, a facade of carved stone with a sloping green tiled roof, was so packed with faithful that we could barely squeeze in, which is understandable considering it was New Year’s morning. While it is not an ancient temple, it is clearly not designed as an aesthetic treat or tourist attraction. It is a revered holy site, and we visited on the biggest holiday of the year. Incense was burning on every surface, including in coils hanging from the ceiling, and the heat and scent from burning was tangible and incredibly intense (we smelled, frankly, like a barbecue upon exiting). The shrines hold various golden statues, the two main figures being the gods of war and literature, though most people seemed to be there to burn incense for their deceased loved ones.

Leaving this temple, we followed the elevated walkways to a supermarket and a super pretentious bakery chain that sold delicious macaroons. After consuming our improvised lunch on a park bench (we forwent the cardboard panel), we crossed the harbor towards the Diamond Hill complex. This time, we amused ourselves on the ferry by watching a rowdy European couple with a confusing relationship and fantastic bone structure.

Diamond Hill is a listed Subway spot, which made the already very positive experience of riding the subway all the easier and faster. A brief walk from the station brought us to the front of a packed Buddhist temple that was built relatively recently. Chi Lin Nunnery and the Nanlian park are beautiful, with intricate wood works and gigantic golden statues of the various Buddhas. We said a silent prayer to the Buddha that ensures good health, and moved into the sprawling garden area, which was centered around a golden pagoda. We walked for a while, and enjoyed exhibits on traditional wooden architecture, enamel and cloisonné in the pavilions.

 
The New Year’s fireworks display began promptly at 8:00 and threw everyone to the floor in surprise. The show lit up the sky over the harbor, and the hills and mountains caused a bone-rattling reverberation every time a volley exploded. We expected to be able to see the display from our rooms, however we could not, which precipitated a mad dash down to the front entrance, where we pressed our noses into the glass for the half-hour show.

After the fireworks, we had a late dinner at a pleasant restaurant called Peking Garden. The food was delicious, though our waitress was a master at ignoring our attempts to get her attention. Ola, Abby, and I escaped dinner a bit before the check came, as we were about to fall asleep with our faces in the plates. I hope for a good rest tonight, as we must be up early tomorrow to get our things ready for departure.