Island Hopping in Hong Kong

Nay ho!

Hong Kong left us eager for more. While our expectations for skyscrapers and crowded streets were fully met, we were given an unexpected dose of greenery and local culture.  Imagine small villages and cows tyrannizing pedestrian roads.  Hong Kong is a fusion of urban and rural lifestyles connected by water.  The short ferry rides between the major and outlying islands offer nice views and a permanent swaying sensation.  We spent seven days sailing back and forth, enjoying the area's distinctive faces, and loved our findings (even the stinky tofu)!

We were lucky enough to have two spectacular hosts, Stephen's cousin, Fatima, and her Hong Konger boyfriend, Jackie. They made our trip one of the most unforgettable we've taken! Not only are they knowledgeable about the local culture and best places to explore, they're lots of fun.  And Fatima collects tea and pretty pillows. I felt unbelievably lucky to share our experience of Hong Kong with them and will always equate our trip with our time spent together.

Fatima and Jackie live in one of Lantau Island's many small villages surrounded by hills and vegetation.  At night, the path from the waterside town to their house is warm and full of crickets, and by day, narrowed by locals on bikes.  The village restaurants have fresh seafood and the markets astoundingly cheap fruit (If you're Japanese and used to paying over $50 for watermelon).  It was an idyllic place to create a home-base.

While Hong Kong was full of highlights, the scenic islands created a peaceful atmosphere in a place known for its intense metropolitan culture.  We spent the majority of our evenings (and a couple days) on Lantau with Fatima and Jackie but also stayed a night on Lamma island.  The weather was ceaselessly warm and the wildlife chirping and biting.  We ate a lot of seafood at open-air restaurants and loved the break from our usual Japanese diet.  Everywhere we went the menus were endless, hoarding page after page of Chinese dishes twisted with a Hong Kong influence.  While Japanese food is known for its refinement and simplicity, the food in Hong Kong is exciting, oily, and full-bodied.

And now, the most memorable parts of our stay:

On one hot afternoon, after lathering on the sunscreen, Fatima took us on a bike "tour" around Lantau.  We rode through brightly-colored villages, some houses bearing large Christian crosses, up tree-shrouded hills, and past docile cattle roaming and pooping uninhibited.  She took us to a waterfall framed by woods and Stephen immediately made the barefooted climb up the rocks to the cascading water's center for a bath. So far, he's sat in two waterfalls in two Asian countries.

Another morning Fatima and Jackie took us to "The Venice of the East," Tai O fishing village on Lantau.  The open-air houses stand on stilts above the water and are connected by railed pathways and bridges.  The village is doused with color, texture, and a distinct local character.  Residents sat in the sunny air of their living rooms watching TV, hung their laundry on rickety lines, and dried fish on the curves and dips of roofs.  It felt invasive to literally wander through the edges of people's homes but the paths lent no other option. In some areas the tide was out, leaving crabs and other sea-life naked by rocks beneath the houses.  What a backyard! Following Jackie's tour of the village, we took a speedboat out on the water to see General's Rock (a formation that resembles a soldier's face), dolphins, and the horizon of mainland China.  Speedboat rides always smear an enormous smile on my face (I feel like an excited dog) so I was happy regardless of not seeing the sneaky dolphins beneath the waves!

Hong Kong Island is thirty to fifty minutes from Lantau depending on which ferry you catch.  Constantly crossing water was refreshing and granted some spectacular night views of downtown.  One evening, before strolling down the Avenue of Stars on the Victoria Harbor waterfront (and taking combat photos with the famous Bruce Lee statue) we witnessed another prime view of the skyline. This time, the famous buildings were performers in a lights show and enacted a flashy duet accompanied by music and narration.  Though in Chinese, the show was pretty impressive and engendered the awareness, "I am in HONG KONG, a Metropolitan capital of THE WORLD!"  Afterwards, Jackie took us to an unforgettable hot-pot restaurant that completely overshadowed Japan's simpler version with its sauces, spices, and overall variety.

Not every dish in Hong Kong is safe.  Before going downtown, Fatima warned us of the infamous "stinky tofu" that's also popular in Taiwan and mainland China.  It's a local dish of fermented tofu with an incredibly powerful stench.  You know it's coming from blocks away.  After we visited the colorful fish, flower, and bird markets, Stephen stopped to buy some.  Honestly, it smells a lot worse than it tastes.  The problem is you smell like rotting fecal matter afterward. This was made obvious when Stephen finished his tofu, went into a store, and was asked to leave! Even the locals don't always appreciate stinky tofu.

If you're visiting Hong Kong, it's worth the short speedboat ride eastward to visit Macau.  This casino-country is an unusual blend of Asia and Europe.  Though Hong Kong was occupied by Britain from the mid 1800s until 1997, the Western influence doesn't bleed from every building and street sign (an obsession with high tea is one of the more obvious cultural remnants) like it does in Macau.  Portugal colonized this currently deemed "administrative region" of China for over four hundred years before it was ceded to the Chinese government in 1999.  Due to Portugal's leisurely stay, the European influence is obvious in the architecture, local cuisine, and ubiquitous Portuguese writing.  I never expected to experience such a hybrid of cultures in Asia.

The speedboat ride to Macau was ridden with gambling advertisements on flat-screen TVs that successfully made us fantasize about what we'd do with a million dollars.  After going through customs, our first stop was the Chapel of St. Xavier on the island's southern tip.  The church is a cheerful yellow with white curves and pastel frames.  It's as nearly impressive as the famous Portuguese style cafe next door!  There zonked travelers sit in the shade and drink sangria while enjoying the backdrop.  After a lunch of prawns and curried vegetables we went to check in at the Hotel Royal.  The cab ride provided an overview of Macau's glamorous casino scape and towering hotels.  It was strange to see the Portuguese architecture randomly juxtaposed with the Vegas-esque environment.  During our stay we attended a show, ate amazing nachos, checked out the ruins of St. Paul's cathedral, and Stephen got lucky at blackjack!

Stephen has good karma. His luck continued when Fatima and Jackie took us to the Happy Valley (horse) Raceway in Hong Kong.  Before each race, you can preview the horses brandishing their well-groomed manes and muscles.  The stadium's culminated energy is contagious and you can sense the tension and money-to-be-lost.  Everyone is drinking beer and screaming on their selected gambles.  Though I never bet in Hong Kong or Macau, I enjoyed the atmosphere and like to think that I contributed to Stephen's winning (and strategic stopping)!

Our last venture in Hong Kong was to Lamma Island, home to a trendy town full of seaside restaurants, bars, and boutiques.  There we found both an organic convenience store, where we stocked up on natural peanut butter and dried beans to haul back to Japan, and a vegetarian breakfast cafe.  I was surprised by the ubiquitous amount of "100% Organic" and "Vegan" products throughout Hong Kong, especially on an outlying island.  Lamma was a perfect place to spend our remaining HK dollars.  We purchased the bamboo tea tray we'd been looking for to accompany our new pu-erh tea and pot.  Chinese bamboo trays do well in humid climates, as they become stronger with water absorption, so it should absolutely thrive this summer in Japan!

Thanks for reading about our recent trip and another big thank you to Fatima and Jackie!  Our next destination is the US in August for two weeks. We're super excited to see everyone!  I'm also looking forward to the reverse culture shock bound to occur after nearly two years in Japan.  

See you soon! 

Claire