escape to n hong kong & macau
Street life Former colonial outposts Hong Kong and Macau have continued to burgeon under Chinese rule and offer experiences that are worlds apart yet just a ferry ride from each other. Peter Ellegard takes to the streets to explore these pulsating Asian siblings t was Sunday morning and time for tea in the tiny Hong Kong café where my fellow travellers and I were sat. Milk tea, that is – a local favourite. And it was doing a roaring trade, with the few seats grabbed as soon as they were vacated and locals queuing to buy take-away snacks and drinks. Actually, café is probably too grand a description. This was an industrial-looking dai pai dong, or open-air food stall, although inside a food market. Once widespread, relatively few now survive as a result of strict licensing and controls. Finding such gems would be impossible by yourself. But we were on a behind-the-scenes tour of Kowloon, the mainland part of Hong Kong, discovering hidden delights off its well-trodden tourist circuit. After haggling for trinkets in the Jade Market, we visited a pearl shop for some rather more expensive bargaining, then set off exploring on foot. First stop, a lively street market full of exotic fruits, meat and fish, followed by one of Hong Kong’s oldest streets, Shanghai Street, then a park with locals playing board games in the shade and, tucked between buildings, an elaboratelydecorated temple where incense hung heavy in the air. Finally it was time for dim sum lunch, at the awardwinning Super Star Seafood restaurant – only we would be making it ourselves. With expert guidance by the chefs during our hour-long lesson we tried our hands at creating various dumplings, with varying degrees of success. But we were all awarded certificates before tucking in to our home-cooked meal, which was unexpectedly tasty. A fitting end to a fascinating tour. Hong Kong is very much a destination that draws you in so that you feel part of the hubbub of daily life. Hardly surprising, given the former British colony’s compact
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Peter Ellegard
n Kowloon street market
n The Hong Kong skyline Hong Kong Tourism Board
Autumn 2011
tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
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escape to n hong kong & macau
escape to n hong kong & macau
size and the huge population crammed into it. One of my abiding memories from visits there is of flying in to land at the old Kai Tak Airport and passing so close to high-rise apartments that you could wave at the residents on their balconies.
n Tai Chi on The Peak, Hong Kong
Hong Kong Tourism Board
n Lantau Island’s Giant Buddha
Escape the noise and bustle of its crowded streets by taking the tram up to the top of Victoria Peak (www.thepeak.com.hk) on Hong Kong Island, known locally as The Peak. You may not escape the throng, as it is Hong Kong’s most popular attraction, but you are rewarded with wonderful panoramic views of the city’s soaring skyscrapers and Victoria Harbour, as well as forested mountains and smaller islands. Get there early enough and you can join in free beginners’ tai chi classes, held on four days a week as part of the tourist office’s Cultural Kaleidoscope programme. Avoid the tram queues and walk back down the path, gaps between the trees and luxuriant vegetation suddenly opening up stunning vistas. It is also worth visiting The Peak at night, with the city spectacularly lit up below you. The Peak trip can be done as part of a day-long Hong Kong Island tour, also taking in a harbour sampan ride at Aberdeen fishing village and a scenic drive via pretty Deep Water Bay and Repulse Bay to Stanley, where you can barter with traders for silk pashminas or Chinese emperor-style dressing gowns in Stanley Market (www.hk-stanley-market.com) before reviewing your bargains over a leisurely lunch. You can also escape the hectic street life on a sunset boat trip to Lamma Island, visiting the Fisherfolks’ Village, where you can try fishing, followed by a seafood dinner before returning to watch Victoria Harbour’s dazzling, nightly Symphony of Lights sound and light show, played out on its high rises. If you are not on a boat, the best place to watch it from is at Kowloon’s Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, reached by a short crossing aboard the Star Ferry from Hong Kong Island.
n Kowloon’s Jade Market
Peter Ellegard
n Take a harbour cruise on the Duk Ling junk
Hong Kong Tourism Board
lantau island
n Aberdeen Harbour, Hong Kong Peter Ellegard
ria Peak and the Symphony of Lights, you can watch horse racing at Happy Valley (www.happyvalleyracecourse.com), home of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, or go clubbing in the Lan Kwai Fong and Wan Chai entertainment districts as well as in Causeway Bay, where you also find great local restaurants. Stanley, Kowloon and Tsim Sha Tsui are other good places to eat without breaking the bank. But there are many top-class restaurants if you want to dine in style, particularly at upmarket hotels such as The Langham (www.langhamhotels.com), the Renaissance Harbour View (www.marriott.co.uk) and the Island Shangri-La (www.shangri-la.com). Just 15 years ago, Hong Kong was in its last days under British rule and was facing an uncertain future as a holiday destination, with many wondering how it would change after its handover to China. The fears were misplaced, as it has not lost any of its vibrancy and has even more to offer visitors now than ever before.
required planning followed by what seemed like a route march, while the casino itself was a vast windowless cavern with endless rows of jangling, flashing slot machines interspersed by dozens of gaming tables. It felt like Dante’s Inferno on speed. The 3,000-suite hotel – Asia’s largest single structure and the world’s second-largest building – also features more than 350 shops in its Venice-themed Grand Canal Shoppes retail area, complete with a canal and gondolas, as well as 30 restaurants, a 15,000-seat arena and the 1,800-seat Venetian Theatre, which is home to the permanent Cirque du Soleil show, Zaia. Matching it for spectacle is the Theatre of Dreams, with its £250 million House of Dancing Water spectacular, in the Cotai Strip’s City of Dreams (www.cityofdreamsmacau.com). Most of Macau’s large hotels have resident bands as well as clubs, bars and restaurants. You’ll also find buzzing nightlife in the trendy clubs of waterfront theme park Fisherman’s Wharf (www.fishermanswharf.com.mo).
n The bright lights of Macau
Macau Government Tourist Board
Peter Ellegard
tai chi
macau
If you are in Hong Kong for a few days, other things you can do include visiting the Ocean Park marine theme park (www.oceanpark.com.hk) at Aberdeen, heading to Lantau Island for Hong Kong Disneyland (www.hongkongdisneyland.com), the Giant Buddha, Po Lin Monastery (www.plm.org.hk) and Ngong Ping Village (www.np360.com.hk), enjoying panoramic views from the Ngong Ping cable car, or perhaps hiking in the New Territories parks, taking a harbour cruise on the Duk Ling (www.dukling.com.hk) junk and shopping in Tsim Sha Tsui’s Nathan Road and nearby Mong Kok, where the Ladies’ Market belies its name and offers n Kowloon market bargains for all. fishmonger At night, besides Victo-
The same can be said of former Portuguese colony Macau, which reverted to China just two years later to become a Special Administrative Region like its nearneighbour. Less than an hour from Hong Kong by fast ferry and often linked with it on twin-centre holidays, Macau is undergoing huge investment in its tourism industry. Much of that has been in mega casino hotels, notably in the Cotai Strip (www.cotaistrip.com.mo) – dubbed Asia’s Las Vegas. Queen of the Cotai Strip is The Venetian Macao, a $2.4 billion resort that opened in August 2007. It is on a positively gargantuan scale, as I discovered when I flew in as an invited guest for its grand opening. Our coach pulled into what seemed like a giant aircraft hangar, although actually its own dedicated bus terminal, the illusion underlined by a marshal waving the driver into a parking bay using airport-style glowing wands. I have been to most of the casino hotels in Las Vegas, but the sheer size of this edifice was staggering to take in. Walking from my room to any of the public areas
hong kong and macau tips l Hong Kong is more than just a city – 70% of the land is rural and there are more than 260 islands, plus over 30 beaches. l Hong Kong can easily be combined with other destinations in Asia or Australasia. l Hong Kong and Macau are a gourmet’s paradise. You can find any kind of cuisine, including dim sum, in Hong Kong while Macau’s cuisine has a strong Portuguese element. l Ride Hong Kong’s iconic, double-decker trams – known locally as Ding Dongs – to get a real flavour of the destination, hopping on and off to explore sights. l Macau’s 17th-century Guia Fortress is the oldest lighthouse on China’s coast. l Top festivals in Macau include the Dragon Boat Festival, held in June at Nam Van Lakes, and the International Fireworks Display Contest, held over three weeks until October 1. l Hong Kong’s events include its own Dragon Boat Festival, in June, as well as the Tin Hau Fishermans’ Festival in April/May and Cheung Chau Bun Festival in May/June.
Peter Ellegard
16 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine
www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
Autumn 2011
Autumn 2011
tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
17
escape to n hong kong & macau
n St Paul’s ruins, Macau
hong kong and macau facts when to go n A-Ma Temple statue, Macau
Peter Ellegard
Hong Kong and Macau have a tropical climate with high humidity. OctoberMarch is the most pleasant time of year, when humidity levels are lower.
getting there
Peter Ellegard
Direct Hong Kong flights from London are operated by British Airways (www.ba.com), Cathay Pacific (www.cathaypacific.com), Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com), Qantas (www.qantas.co.uk) and Air New Zealand (www.airnewzealand.co.uk). Macau has its own airport with regional flights but most people go by fast ferry, with direct services from Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong Island and Kowloon taking an hour or less.
world heritage site
18 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine
www.tlm-magazine.co.uk
getting around Public transport in Hong Kong is world class, with frequent services on its bus, tram and MTR underground networks. Buy an Octopus Card, similar to London’s Oyster Card, for best value. Cross-harbour services are operated by Star Ferry, while other ferries link outlying islands. Taxis are also plentiful and good value, as they are in Macau, where buses and pedicabs are other ways to get around.
accommodation All top hotel chains are in Hong Kong, offering accommodation and service levels of the highest quality. If you have a head for heights, stay in the world’s tallest hotel, the newly-opened Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong (www.ritzcarlton.com) or perhaps grande dames such as the historic Peninsula Hotel (www.peninsula.com/hongkong) or Mandarin Oriental (www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong). Macau’s hotel scene is dominated by luxury casino hotels. Choose from The Venetian Macao (www.venetianmacao.com), Wynn Macau (www.wynnmacau.com), Hard Rock Hotel (www.hardrockhotelmacau.com) and others or, for a quieter getaway, the Westin Resort, Macau (www.starwoodhotels.com), the only resort on Macau’s Hac Sa Beach.
tour operators
Hong Kong Tourism Board
But what sets Macau apart, and for me what makes it such a special place, is its rich blend of Portuguese and Chinese heritage. It was a Portuguese colony for over four centuries until its handover in 1999 and its historic centre was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005. Macau’s historic heart spans eight elegant squares and it comprises the most complete array of European architectural legacy in China. Gems include the ruins of St Paul’s, the façade of a church originally built in 1594 but ravaged by fire in 1835. It is the symbol of Macau. Facing out across St Dominic’s Square is the ornate, yellow-painted St Dominic’s Church, dating to 1587 and the first church built in China. An annual spectacle not to miss if you are in Macau is the Procession of Our Lady of Fatima, in which women clad in white bear a statue every May 13. Adjacent Senado Square, with its wavy-patterned cobbles surrounded by glorious old buildings, is another crowd-puller. Make sure you take in Macau’s Chinese heritage, too, at places including the tranquil and beautiful, red-walled A-Ma Temple, with the flowing tiles of Barra Square in front. There are plenty of other attractions to explore, too. Museums encompass the Maritime Museum (www.museumaritimo.gov.mo), Macau Museum (www.macaumuseum.gov.mo) and Grand Prix Museum (http://gp.macau.grandprix.gov.mo), celebrating the annual Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix. Then there’s the cone-shaped Macau Science Centre and Fisherman’s Wharf, featuring three themed areas with restaurants, cafés, shops and street entertainment, as well as the landmark, 1,100ft Macau Tower (www.macautower.com.mo), from which the brave can hurl themselves off on the Bungy Jump or take a more sedate, 20-second journey down with a SkyJump, while others can simply take in the view from on high in the revolving 360º Café. At just 11 square miles, Macau packs so much in you will wish you had allowed more time for your stay. Combine it with Hong Kong and you will have a fascinating and action-packed twin-centre break that will have you planning your return as soon as you leave.
Companies offering packages include Virgin Holidays (www.virginholidays.co.uk), Audley Travel (www.audleytravel.com), Kuoni n The Peak (www.kuoni.co.uk), Bridge & Wickers tram at night (www.bridgeandwickers.co.uk), Premier Holidays (www.premierholidays.co.uk), Funway Holidays (www.funwayholidays.co.uk) and Hayes & Jarvis (www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk).
tourist information Hong Kong Tourism Board: www.discoverhongkong.com/uk Macau Government Tourist Office: www.macautourism.gov.mo
Autumn 2011