And you thought you were safe? Not in New Zealand, according to the South China Morning Post's front page as sharks anticipating their next meal at Matarangi prowl in the shallows.Read all about it.The sun has come out filtering through the haze. After a leisurely breakfast we booked an afternoon excursion to Hong Kong Island, but decided first that Bill needed a dose of culture. The hotel boasts a rather large collection of Chinese contemporary art in paint and sculpture. A complimentary self-guided tour is offered with you connected to an IPod. Takes about 40 minutes which takes you through the entire collection from the Street level to the top of the hotel. Very informative and also makes us look cultured and learned, which we all need at times.Our afternoon excursion was fun. We were a party of 20 including a lively group of aussies, and a great Chinese tour guide called Terri, who called herself “Angelina Terri” (the trademark pouty lips were a virtual feature) The tour was called Hong Kong Island Orientation and was about 5 hours long allowing for the traffic .Hong Kong Island is the main business district so most Hong Kongians work there. Victoria Peak was our first stop and is supposed to offer one of the best views in the world… when the sky is clear. It was not a clear day and the smog was not about to leave for our enjoyment. An American we met who visits HK regularly on business said you need a decent storm to blow the smog away to appreciate the view. He informs us sadly that it has gotten worse in the last 15 years. So much for the Kyoto initiative.Victoria Peak has a funicular style tram which can take you to the top. The queues are legendary so we were not even going there. The peak is much commercialized with a mall perched on the top at tourist trap prices.A snapshot of us compliments of the tour photographer, proved we had done the peak along with trusty travel companions Buzz and Woody. This has now been immortalized for eternity on a Hong Kong porcelain plate. Anybody who laughs gets to keep it so watch yourselves.Our next stop was the Aberdeen Fishing village. This is the area where the famous “Jumbo” floating restaurant is located. From here we had a Sampan ride to view the floating community of Fishermen who live on their boats. It is mainly elderly people now so in time this community will die out. The Aberdeen fishermen still supply 25% of the Hong Kong seafood.The tour also included a gem factory visit with an opportunity of course to purchase the merchandise. We had researched gem and gold prices in NZ before arriving in Hong Kong so were well versed in prices and what was considered value for money. We discovered quickly that the prices were overinflated by about 50%. We purchased nothing despite the intense efforts of a very pushy sales assistant. Unfortunately they let themselves down by not letting you have a decent browse and constantly interrupt you, so her fate was sealed for some other unwary victim (from amongst the next busload entering as we were leaving).Our final destination was Stanley, the site of a former navy garrison and charming fishing village, and the site of yet another famous market. On the way we travelled through Repulse Bay which has great views over the South China Sea and I would imagine the place to live if you can afford it. One apartment block has a gigantic hole in the middle of it. The reason being is that the dragon’s breath can reach the sea. Great Feng Chui if you are a devout Taoist. The perfect mix supposedly of Yin and Yang if you are into that stuff. Stanley market is quite charming and we had only 40 minutes to explore it but were able to spend the last of our limited stash of Hong Kong Dollars.After battling the appalling traffic and after being dropped off at our hotel we decided to return to the Ming Court Cantonese restaurant for a second visit. Our last night in Hong Kong. This is the restaurant with the Michelin 2 rating and well deserved. The food is wonderful, beautifully prepared with fantastic service and from now on we will compare all Chinese restaurants to this one. Hong Kong is a place you have to visit just to experience the culture. We only scratched the surface of this culturally diverse place, and our strong NZ dollar was great price wise too.
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