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The Dragon's Playground
Once again he caught a strangeness on the wind, neither pleasant nor unpleasant, neither odor nor perfume — just strange, and curiously exciting. "Superintendent, what's that smell? Casey noticed it too, the moment Sven opened the door." Armstrong hesitated. Then he smiled. "That's Hong Kong's very own, Mr. Bartlett. It's money."- From James Clavell's Noble House Once known as The Fragrant Harbor Hong Kong has attracted adventurers, buccaneers, traders and moguls for more than five centuries. Transformed by the hands of British colonials, it became a gleaming beacon of commerce and has since maintained its color and joie de vivre in spite of upheavals such as the Japanese Occupation of WWII, the Chinese Civil War of the 50s or its transfer of sovereignty in the 1990s. But there's more to this place than ancient culture or freewheeling wheeling and dealing. The ancient dragon sighs and winds through the streets of this enchanting and vibrant city. And if you keep your ears open and your wits about you, you'll hear its heart beating in time to your own. Hong Kong Garden – The Dragon's Playground The first time I landed in Hong Kong was for my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary in 1996. I found myself back again a decade later and each time after would be like coming back to an illicit lover: exciting, intoxicating, forbidden and almost like what Clavell said, smelling like newly-minted cash. Hong Kong is a majestic creature that is both ever-changing and always the same, regardless of whether its masters hoist the Union Jack, bow to the Rising Sun or uphold the Party's ideals. Hong Kong will always be its own. At Home in Your Lair We set ourselves up at the Lan Kwai Fong Hotel, a slender, dainty boutique hotel that manages to somehow rise to 33 floors in dinky Kar U Fong Street in Central Hong Kong. The room I got was a unique mix of Old World Imperial elegance, 21st century creature comforts and a smattering of cute. As my unit stretched no more than 30 square meters, every inch was tastefully conceived to maximize as much legroom as possible. Ancient geometric designs made for pleasing patterns for golden brocade dragons to frolic on the mahogany wall panels and mirrors surrounding the room. I had an enthralling view overlooking the harbor and neighboring Kowloon, which I could enjoy whilst playing my music on their MP3 dock or surfing via my choice of broadband or wi-fi. Downstairs, hearty breakfasts were served at the 7th Lounge and lunches at one-star Michelin restaurant Celebrity Cuisine. It's a place truly fit for a dragon, or a member of the Celestial Court. Shopping For Your Treasure Horde Wandering the city was made more informative and entertaining by our guide, a Hong Kong resident named Fred. Taking his lead, we began our excursions into Gough Street just a block away from our hotel. Gough Street is an inclined, slim filament of a road peppered with various wine bars, boutiques and the occasional teahouse. What makes this place worth a peek are the various trendy shops that offer off-the-wall, off-the rack, offbeat objects d' art, furniture, clothes and other not-so-sundry sundries. One shop chain called Homeless has three shops on Gough Street, one to specifically showcase the whimsically surrealist works of its lead designer, painter Carrie Chau. The other two shops are for home décor oddities such as ninja star coat hangers that seem embedded to the door, mirror boxes that make a short row of candles seem to stretch into infinity and flower vases in the shape of Glock 17 pistols. Ecols, another Gough denizen, espouses eco-friendly fashion such as handbags made of tire inner tubes, soda tab earrings and bracelets and plastic jewelry cut with the intricacy of French lace. From there, we strolled over to Halo where the sweet aroma of leather permeated the tiny shop. Conservatively cut handbags, satchels and clutch bags opened to reveal cunningly wrought patterns and modern nuances. Other goods caught my eye such as riding boots, antique leather-bound foils and epees. Conversely, Cat Street is a nook-and-cranny parkway of chintzy street goods and antiques. Rows and rows of stalls run by amicable (but extremely savvy) peddlers purvey a plethora of kitsch. We haggled for Feng Shui charms that promise the bearer good luck, jade jewelry, brass Kuan Yin statues, Bruce Lee posters, Chairman Mao alarm clocks, steampunk pocket watches and other assorted souvenirs. Vinyl records and other 70s and 80s one-man's-junk-is-another-man's-future-junk knickknacks were there for the picking at little shops barely wide enough to squeeze David Bowie's pants through. Hotfooting it into Hollywood Road took us once again into a place that's so out-of-this-world, it should've been in Gough Street. Goods of Desire or more commonly known as G.O.D. greeted us with the naughtiest pastries I'd ever seen. The store was advertising moon cakes for the Chinese lunar festival, except they took the mooning a little too literally. Various pastry rumps in the state of mid-fart were carved in cheeky poses such as The Split, Full Monty and T-Back in burnished, chewy dough. Fred took us deeper into the store and showed us the Delay No More clothing line, a series of t-shirts, boxer shorts and belts with the unusual slogan. He explained that Delay No More was phonetically close to a Cantonese swear word that involves certain lascivious acts and one's mother. Ah, that's one bit to avoid during polite conversation, I thought, as I perused through the Tetris and Space Invader ice cube trays. Never a dull moment here – I guess you could say that G.O.D. does indeed have a sense of humor… As G.O.D. is my witness, the individual individualistic shops of DNA (Do Not Agree) Galleria on Chatham Road also have a sense of humor, and it's a whole building full of shock chic. Three storeys of clothes, watches, accessories, keepsakes and toys from the edgiest, funkiest people in Hong Kong's art scene and many more from around Southeast Asia ply their wares here. For more highbrow conventional stuff, ifc Mall (International Finance Center – and yes, the letters are in lower-case) in Finance St. has a laundry list of super-duper name brands for you to contentedly max out your credit card over. From Anne Klein to Zara, Bvlgari to Tiffany, we stared wide-eyed at the luxury items all across the board, comprising four podium levels stretching over one entire block. In contrast, Horizon Plaza looks like any other sleek Hong Kong building. It's squirreled away in Lee Wing St. near Aberdeen and looks like a condo or office for stuffy law firms. Explore each floor as we did and you'll find outlet stores for some very sought-after brands at agreeable prices. We found Joyce Boutique, Armani, Diesel, Polo and Marc James clothing sharing elbowroom with Indigo Living, Tree and other furniture stores. Viva Italia Supermarket has a varied selection of pastas, sauces and wines, and other shops have everything from toys to pet accessories. Exploring The Dragon's Realm As Jags, Benzes and Porsches bumped bumpers with Thatcher-era cherry-red LPG taxis on the roads around us, we made our way to do some dusk-bound sightseeing around Statue Square in Central. The Bank of China building loomed large above us, a jagged finger pointing skyward while to its right, the HSBC Main Office hulked like a heroic Japanimation robot, first in a rainbow pastiche of neon, then in red and white. Flanked by the HSBC office was the stately Legislative Council Building, an edifice of grey colonial-style architecture with a Capitol-like dome. However, no visit to Hong Kong is complete without a tram ride to Victoria Peak, the highest point in the city. We weren't about to start missing out now! We were greeted at the entrance to the Peak Tram by a lifelike likeness of Li Ka-shing, Hong Kong's wealthiest man – a subtle invitation to check out Madame Tussauds' museum above. After getting an impromptu photo with him (and hoping some of his prosperity would rub off on me), we walked through a historical gallery highlighting the history of the Peak Tram, complete with photos and relics of the tram's early days, a replica of the tram and the huge engine that would power it. The actual tram ride is a short (10-15 minutes) but steep (hitting around 27 degrees) funicular up the Peak. We got tantalizing snatches of the view from the tram's windows but it would still be a hop, skip and a jump before we got to the topmost view in Hong Kong, the top of the Peak Tower. The Peak Tower houses some pleasant dining establishments such as Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Kyo Hachi and Pearl on the Peak. There are also a lot of shops with toys, trinkets and other touristy items at reasonable prices. One major attraction though is Madame Tussauds, the famous waxworks museum franchise of life-sized, painstakingly detailed facsimiles of famous people – in this case, Hong Kong luminaries such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen. Of course, I couldn't pass up the chance to have goofy photo-ops with them. At the top, we arrived at the Sky Terrace, the Peak's 360-degree view of the island and Kowloon beyond. Standing on top of the city, I briefly felt like a tai-pan. The next day proved to be an eye-opener - whoever says Hong Kong is just for gourmands and shopaholics has another thing coming. We found ourselves heading to Sai Kung, which is a volcanic rock region in High Island. This area is one of four designated geoparks, named so for the unusual rock formations found in the surrounding cliff sides and dams. We got to examine natural hexagonal rock formations and learned about the geological history of the geopark as we hiked a good kilometer across the expanse of the High Island Reservoir. It turns out that these formations were the result of volcanic pressure from millions of years ago that pushed the rock into striated tubes. Many of the patterns formed in Sai Kung are found in only a few other places such as Norway and Ireland. The beauty of the rock formations was breathtaking, much like looking at a divine expressionistic painting. At 8pm, we stood in awe at the play of light and sound of the Symphony of Lights. The Symphony is a precisely synchronized, computer-coordinated effort between the owners of forty four (and still growing) different buildings along the Kowloon and Central sides of Hong Kong. Displays of fixed and moving light emplacements, neon and LED signs and laser projectors make the cityscape come alive every evening for ten to fifteen minutes in time to an anthem specially composed for the event. Radios have to be tuned in to 103.4 FM to hear the exhilarating classical, Canto and synthpop fusion theme as well as the English explanation of the show's significance. Kind of like a trippy, ginormous 3D MP3 graphic equalizer with banks and offices instead of a computer screen. I found myself looking forward to being outdoors and in a high place every evening before 8pm after that. Long after I returned home, I'd look out my window and in my mind's eye, I'd be seeing the Symphony again. Here's to next time, Fragrant Harbor! |
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