Hong Kong

In preparation for our debarkation tomorrow, we spent the morning packing up. Our first of two tours for today didn’t start until 1:45pm so we had time for lunch before heading off on our tour.
Our guide today was delightful 44-year-old man whose Chinese name is Kio. He explained that at a certain age Chinese children are allowed to pick their own name that could be different from the name given to them by their parents. He chose the name Pluto, because he liked the name because it was an important planet. However, when Pluto was downgraded, and no longer called a planet, he changed to Kio.
Giving us some personal glimpses into life in Hong Kong he said that:
-Almost everybody has an air conditioner because in the summertime temperatures can reach 36 to 37° with 99% humidity. He said that without air conditioners, water in the air would condense on the walls and would have to be wiped off and there was a constant the risk of mold.
-30% of the people in Hong Kong live in subsidized government housing because the cost of housing is incredibly high. For example, to rent a 500 sq. ft. apartment could cost as much as $2400 US and averages $1800 US per month.
-He lives on the 35th floor of a government subsidized building and his rent for 250 sq. ft. is only $240 US per month.
-The cost of gas is between three and four dollars per litre
-Parking spaces for cars is more expensive than house renting.
-There are two cruise ports. The one that accepts the larger ships in Kowloon is on the site of the former airport. The smaller one, where our ship is docked, is near the Star Ferries terminal which operate 24 hours a day and takes you from Kowloon on the mainland across the Victoria Harbour to Hong Kong Island.
-There are a total of 260 islands that make up Hong Kong, only four of which are populated. There are 5 existing underground tunnels and one more in the works that go under Victoria Harbour from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island.
-It is estimated that 80% Hong Kong tourists come from mainland China which borders on the New Territories part of Hong Kong. The distance from the Chinese border to Kowloon is only about 40 km.
- He told us about the importance of Feng Shui in Hong Kong. Feng shui originates from an ancient Chinese respect for the environment and the belief that cosmological influences strongly affect our everyday lives. Many people in Hong Kong believe that good feng shui can result in prosperity while at the same time ward off bad luck. Feng shui is integrated into many aspects of Hong Kong life, including architecture design, and personal decisions. Feng shui is used in the design of homes, offices, shopping malls, and other buildings. For example, the HSBC headquarters has a garden in front to collect energy, and the IFC building has a crown-shaped roof that wards off bad luck. Even goldfish and cats come into play. Needless to say, it is very complicated.
-The number 8 is the luckiest number in Chinese culture. The pronunciation of 8 in Chinese (bā) sounds like the verb to make fortune (fā). - 13 is a lucky number but 14 is not. So he told us that because our bus number for the tour was 8 and we had 13 passengers on the tour, we were in a very lucky bus. The number 4 is considered unlucky in Chinese culture because it sounds similar to the word for "death" This phonetic resemblance has led to the number 4 being associated with misfortune.
- In 1941, Canadians played an important part in the Japanese defensive war against China. For Canada, the defense of Hong Kong came at a great human cost. Approximately 290 Canadian soldiers were killed in battle and, while in captivity, approximately 264 more died as POWs, for a total death toll of 554. In addition, almost 500 Canadians were wounded. Of the 1,975 Canadians who went to Hong Kong, more than 1,050 were either killed or wounded. This was a casualty rate of more than 50%, arguably one of the highest casualty rates of any Canadian theatre of action in the Second World War.
- A Canadian, sergeant-Major John Osborn, earned the VC in the battle. The end of the long story goes like this. “but eventually the Japanese worked close enough to throw hand grenades into the Canadian position. Osborn picked up many of these grenades and threw them back at the enemy. Finally, a grenade fell where he could not get to it in time to throw it back. Without hesitation, Osborn shouted a warning, pushed a soldier aside and selflessly threw himself on the grenade. It exploded and killed him instantly.”
Our first stop was to see two incredible bridges that were quite close to each other. As we walked towards the bridges, we saw a fascinating Purple Orchid tree which can grow up to 35ft. high. The fragrant, orchid-like flowers are usually 10 to 15 centimetres (3.9 to 5.9 in) across, and bloom from early November to the end of March. The Bauhinia double-lobed leaf is similar in shape to a butterfly. It is sterile, which means it does not produce seeds or fruits, and is a hybrid. Propagation can only be accomplished by cuttings, layering, or grafting onto seedlings of one of the parent species. All existing plants are descendants of hybrids cultivated at the Hong Kong Botanical Gardens
The first bridge we came to was the Tsing Ma Bridge, the world's 17th-longest span suspension bridge, and was the second longest at the time of its completion. The bridge was named after the two islands it connects, namely Tsing Yi and Ma Wan. It has two decks and carries both road and rail traffic, which also makes it the largest suspension bridge of this type. The bridge has a main span of 1,377 metres (4,518 ft) and a height of 206 metres (676 ft). The span is the longest of all bridges in the world carrying rail traffic. The 41-metre-wide (135 ft) bridge deck carries six lanes of automobile traffic, with three lanes in each direction. The lower level contains two rail tracks and two sheltered carriageways used for maintenance access and, traffic lanes when particularly severe typhoons strike Hong Kong and the bridge deck is closed to traffic.
There was a full-size section of the Tsing Ma Bridge main suspension cable on display here which Lee stood beside while I took a picture. The cable is 1.1 metres in diameter!
From the same lookout, we could see the Ting Kai bridge. Unlike the suspension cables of the Tsing Ma Bridge, Ting Kau Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that is 3,861 feet long having very picturesque suspension wires.
Next, we visited Repulse Bay, one of the most expensive housing areas in Hong Kong. The CEO of Tenet Health Care Company bought a house there for US$57 million in 2014. In 2018, twin townhouses were sold for $127 million US or about $90,000/sq ft. In 2018, Li Ka-shing, the richest man in Hong Kong, was living near Repulse Bay.
The bay features an extensive man-made beach and the colourful Tin Hau Temple which people visit and make prayers for every conceivable situation. There was a 5’ high statue of Tsoi San, God of Wealth that promises prosperity. People rub paper currency over the statue as a wish for financial prosperity. Just to the left of that was a white marble Buddha with small boys and girls sitting around and people could rub their choice of boy or girl in the hopes that that would be the sex of their next child. There was a 10-foot high gold fish with an open mouth that one gentleman was throwing coins into in hopes of whatever. And there were statues of 3 large white goats at which people could wish for whatever. As an aging senior male, I thought there was one statue that was noticeably missing.
Following that, we drove to Victoria Peak and took some sensational pictures of the city below. This ended our tour, and we drove back to the ship for a very quick dinner before heading out again for a nighttime tour. It was too bad to be rushed because the dinner was Chinese themed with all the servers in colourful costumes. But we were on holidays so not wanting to waste any time, we rushed out to the bus that would take us to the first part of our nighttime tour, starting at 7:30pm, on the open top deck of a Hop On Hop Off bus, of the colourful night lit streets of Hong Kong. At the end of this tour, we got off the bus and walked to the Temple Street Night Market. Very colourful displays of all kinds of merchandise, including some pretty ladies also for sale.Read more