Hong Kong Tops Travelers' List of Places to Go in Asia by Various Travel Authors on Creators.com

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Hong Kong Tops Travelers' List of Places to Go in Asia

By Robert Selwitz

While Shanghai justifiably claims to be China's most dynamic city, Hong Kong's geography, architecture, history, food and intriguing sights — and the fact that for visitors, life under the Chinese flag feels virtually the same as it did during British oversight — keeps the city on many travelers' itineraries.

Easy train links between Hong Kong's efficient airport and the Kowloon terminal quickly bring new arrivals just a short cab ride from major hotels. Hong Kong's prime draws are on Kowloon and Hong Kong lsland. Connecting them is the famous Star Ferry and the smoothly efficient MTR, one of the world's most comfortable subway systems. For those with more time, exploring several of Hong Kong's outer islands and the New Territories, which extend between Kowloon and the mainland border of the People's Republic of China, is also rewarding.

A walk along the promenade that lines the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbor provides a spectacular view. Particularly at night, the illuminated office towers across the water in Hong Kong Island's Central district are truly stunning.

During the day, a great way to sample the city is to walk away from the Kowloon-side harbor and head for bustling Nathan Road. There, amid hordes of hawkers trying to sell "copy watches" or "copy bags," it's possible to get a real sense of fever-pitch trade. Nathan Road is packed with electronics stores, other small shops, hotels and eateries. People-watching and the street scene are always exciting.

Beyond Kowloon City Park and several blocks to the left of Nathan Road are Saigon Street and Temple Street, whose bustling meat and poultry markets are full of vibrant commerce. Daytime highlights are watching how merchants carefully bind crab claws so customers don't lose their fingers and visiting the jade market, where a plethora of green objects are for sale, some of them actually jade. At night Temple Street hums with fortunetellers (including a legendary bird that pecks out fortunes on a typewriter) and souvenir sellers.

Farther along and to the right of Nathan Road action also throbs on blocks dedicated to selling women's clothing or electronics. Daily markets feature fish for home aquariums and colorful pet birds.

While museums also abound in Hong Kong, two of the best are the Hong Kong History Museum and Hong Kong Art Museum. The sprawling Hong Kong History Museum, vastly expanded from its original colonial mansion digs, is one of Asia's best. It blends Hong Kong's fascinating history with splendid museumography that allows visitors to walk through sets depicting life in Hong Kong during various historical periods.

Starting with a review of Hong Kong's geology, one quickly segues into the city-state's human lore. One exhibit explains the 1839-1842 Opium Wars in which Great Britain, seeking a commercial outlet for its India-produced opium, attacked and ultimately conquered Hong Kong after its rulers first refused to be a marketplace for the drug. There are also mock-ups of sampans, stores, a Chinese Opera theater, giant puppets and plenty of other stick-in-the-mind visuals.

One could easily spend hours here.

The Hong Kong Museum of Art is another must, featuring a blend of exquisite modern and ancient Chinese and Hong Kong works that include rare 17th and 18th century scrolls depicting city life. The museum is part of the Hong Kong Arts Center, a complex just steps from the Star Ferry that also is the center of the city's performing art offerings. A recent production of Mozart's "Magic Flute" (a co-production with the Norwegian Opera) and a steady run of top-quality concerts by the renowned Hong Kong Philharmonic typify the offerings that appeal to locals as well as visitors.

When it's time to dine, you can't go wrong at the Golden Island Birds Nest Chui Chau Restaurant, right cross the street from the museum on the second floor of the Star House building at 3 Salisbury Road. Minced pigeon wrapped in lettuce leaves, noodles and hundreds of other culinary wonders are available at reasonable prices.

Eating is also a highlight of life on Hong Kong Island. An inexpensive 10-minute crossing on the Star Ferry leads to the daily dim sum lunch in Hong Kong's City Hall, a 15-minute walk away. Women with pushcarts continuously circulate steamed and fried dumplings, fried wontons, pork buns and other choices. You pick what you want, and your server counts the number of empty dishes left on the table after you can't eat anymore to tabulate the bill.

Back toward Central, free escalators ascend from harbor level to well up the mountain. One alights at various cross streets, such as antique-packed Hollywood Road or Cat Street with its flea-market offerings. Visitors also want to explore temples (particularly the Man Mo temple) and fascinating alleyways that bisect this area.

Another Central must-see is Victoria Peak. A bus near the Central Star Ferry stop links to the start of the tram that slowly wends its way to the famous peak. On a clear day this spot affords views of Central, Kowloon and myriad buildings that appear to be perilously rooted in sharply angled hillsides.

While all of Kowloon and much of Central is jam-packed, much of Hong Kong Island is actually quite rural. A 20-minute cab ride through stark hills and forests leads to Stanley Market. A favorite place for souvenir and bargain-hunters, the end of the commercial maze reveals a lovely point with plenty of seaside restaurants.

Bus No. 973 takes an hour and a half to return to Kowloon, but there's lots to see and think about. The bus wends through numerous communities, past harbors and tony Repulse Bay, providing a fabulous overview of Hong Kong's diverse attractions before crossing, via tunnels, back to Kowloon.

IF YOU GO

For general information: Hong Kong tourism, www.discoverhongkong.com

To get there: Cathay Pacific Airways, www.cathaypacific.com/us

For places to stay: Hotel InterContinental, wwwintercontinental.com, and Langham Hotel, www.hongkonglanghamhotels.com

Robert Selwitz is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.