Hong Kong is without a doubt one of my favorite places on this planet. I have been there twice now and if given the chance, I would go back in a minute. When I say this to people they often look at me strangely. Hong Kong is not a common vacation destination for travelers from the Middle East, but it should be.
You may be wondering how someone who has only been to Hong Kong twice could feel like they know the city so well. Before I tell you my secret, let me point out that I don’t love Hong Kong because it feels like home. No, I love Hong Kong because it is so exotic and in most ways it is nothing at all like my home here in Saudi Arabia. I go to Hong Kong when I’m desperate for a radical change of pace — in a civilized location.
Getting there is easy. Cathay Pacific (www.cathaypacific.com) has started direct flights from Riyadh to Hong Kong. It’s the only airline in the Kingdom flying this route. Hong Kong’s hotels offer beautiful facilities and outstanding service. My accommodation at Hotel Inter-Continental Hong Kong came with 24-hour butler service, a whirlpool bathtub, steam shower, exotic fruits and a walk-in closet. Floor to ceiling windows along an entire wall of the room, allowed a view of Victoria Harbor. Every night, lying in bed under my down-filled comforter, I watched a magnificent scene of cruise ships passing just outside my window and the multicolored lights of the skyscrapers on Hong Kong Island across the way.
But a great flight and an excellent hotel are not enough to create a wonderful vacation. In the end, a vacation is judged by how the time was spent. So when you’re in Hong Kong how can you spend your time the way you want? Here’s the secret. Drop an e-mail to [email protected] and tell Nevin Lim to meet you at your hotel in Hong Kong when you arrive. Nevin Lim, is a Hong Kong Tourist Association registered tour coordinator, and the most incredible tour guide I have ever met. Whatever I want in Hong Kong, Nevin has always known where it is to be had. Wherever I have wanted to go in Hong Kong, Nevin has always found a way to get me there. If a day didn’t have a specific plan, Nevin would suggest amusing possibilities. He is a walking encyclopaedia on Hong Kong’s history, architecture, and natural wonders. He knows what’s cool, what’s new and what’s a lot of fun to do in Hong Kong.
Best of all, Nevin is very real. On my most recent trip, Nevin shared details of his family life with our group. One day we needed to send an e-mail urgently. Nevin let us use his wireless connection to get it out. If we ordered too much at a restaurant — it was okay. Nevin took the leftovers home. When we asked him any question about Hong Kong, he always gave us an honest answer, not the one that was politically correct. He showed us his favorite places, many that were hidden away which we surely would never have found alone. By the end of our week in Hong Kong, Nevin had become more than our tour guide. He had become a friend.
Many people think of Hong Kong as a city of tall buildings. It certainly has them. But one day, right in the middle of all those buildings, Nevin took us to see Hong Kong Park and its beautiful Edward Youde Aviary. This “walk-through” aviary, features about 3,000 square meters of green space enclosed within stainless steel mesh. An elevated wooden walkway allows visitors to walk through the tree canopy, seeing the birds up close in their tropical rainforest home.
I should point out that the walkway was specially designed for wheelchair access. In general, Hong Kong is very accessible to those in wheelchairs or for families with a toddler in a stroller. Most of Hong Kong’s tourist attractions offer excellent facilities for the disabled. Numerous Hong Kong hotels list rooms specially equipped for those with disabilities, although I was advised that such rooms should be requested when booking the reservation.
For Muslims, one of the perceived problems with Hong Kong is obtaining halal food. But actually this wasn’t a problem at all. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has put together an excellent publication for Muslims, giving details of some of the best halal restaurants on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. There are about 70,000 Muslims in Hong Kong. The publication points out that Hong Kong has a well-established community from the Indian subcontinent. Halal Indian and Pakistani restaurants offer rich curries, moist tandoori meats and fiery vindaloo dishes. We ate at an Afghani restaurant our first night in the city. We also sampled traditional Chinese dumplings at the Halal Canteen at the Osman Ranju Sadick Islamic Center. We dined out at vegetarian restaurants and seafood restaurants, too.
On our last night in Hong Kong, our group went to the new Silk Road Restaurant. It was a memorable occasion. Silk Road is the only place in Hong Kong that serves halal Chinese food plus offers a traditional Chinese cultural show. The restaurant features skilled performers dressed in traditional costumes from the famous Xinjiang Mukamu Art Ensemble. These brilliant dancers and singers are top artists and household names in their native Xinjiang Province in northwest China. Xinjiang has been known throughout history as “the land of song and dance.” The show was one of the highlights of our trip and definitely should not be missed. Performances are held every night except Sunday.
Many people come to Hong Kong to shop. The entire place is duty free. If you’ll be there this summer and you consider shopping to be a major sport, you’re in luck.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust is sponsoring a visitors’ campaign, “City of Life: Hong Kong is it!” through March 2003 to extend the tourism trail to every corner of Hong Kong. Under this campaign, for Summer 2002, Hong Kong is to be turned into a shopper’s paradise with a mega Hong Kong sale. In addition to slashed prices at retailers and shopping malls, there will be lucky draws with major prizes, as well as food and entertainment promotions when the day’s shopping is over.
How good is Hong Kong’s shopping? It’s great, but you have to be smart about it. There are definitely bargains to be had. Some items that I bought in Hong Kong on my first trip there, didn’t show up in Saudi Arabia until at least a year later, and then at much higher prices. The best way to shop is to look around the local Saudi market before you go, making note of model numbers, prices and the features of merchandise you’d be interested in purchasing. Then you will be able to compare properly once you’re in Hong Kong. The first price quoted by a Hong Kong shopkeeper is frequently not the last price. Bargain even on currency exchange. Almost everyone in Hong Kong speaks some English. If you are with a guide ask him for shopping advice. Many of the best stores are located on the second floor of buildings and aren’t visible from the street, but a good guide will know them and know the right prices.
Hong Kong has launched a quality tourism services scheme (QTS) to help keep tourists from being fleeced. You can shop and dine in Hong Kong with peace of mind at any establishment displaying the QTS sign. The QTS initiative is enhancing Hong Kong’s service quality image and upgrading performance among tourism service providers. QTS is a service certification program under which only those applicant organizations and establishments that have successfully passed the assessment criteria are authorized to display the QTS sign. The bottom line, if you see the QTS decal on a door, you’ll receive courteous, fair service from the business inside.
Everybody wants to know what there is to do in Hong Kong. One thing that many tourists do is to make a suit of clothes. The most famous tailoring shop in Hong Kong is Sam’s (www.samstailor.com). The original Sam was Nariandas Melwani, born in Hyderabad, Pakistan. His sons Manu and Sam now run the business and they still cater to royalty and rock stars. To make a suit at Sam’s takes 48 hours and three fittings. For women, they make skirts and blazers rather than jackets and trousers. A bespoke suit from Sam’s costs half of what it would from London’s Saville Row. Even if you don’t want a suit, it is well worth the trip to see Sam’s wall of autographed photos and to talk with Manu and Sam about all the famous men they have met.
Hong Kong has activities to suit all tastes. Families and animal lovers will enjoy Hong Kong’s Goldfish Market, Yuen Po Street Bird Garden and Ocean Park (www.oceanpark.com.hk). The Giant Panda Habitat at Ocean Park was purpose built for the comfort of “Panda Conservation Ambassadors” An An and Jia Jia. I spent about half an hour watching the pandas munching on their morning bamboo snack and hated to leave. The pandas are not behind glass and visitors are requested to be as quiet as possible in the panda habitat area.
If the day is hot or rainy, and outdoor activities aren’t possible, purchase a one-week museum pass for about SR30 per person and gain unlimited access to Hong Kong’s art, history, science, space and heritage museums. Once the weather improves, refresh your body and your spirit by attending the Tai Chi class held every Tuesday and Wednesday at the Waterfront Promenade. Don’t forget to take in as much “green” as you can. Get back to nature by visiting the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens. Bird watchers will love a day trip to the Mai Po Marshes and cruises to Hong Kong’s Outlying Islands are delightful. The DolphinWatch Tour (www.zianet.com/dolphins/tours.html) is fun for all and promises a 96 percent chance of seeing the Chinese pink dolphins. There are less than 150 of these creatures left on our planet.
Once you’ve seen the town from sea level, take a ride on the Peak Tram up to Victoria’s Peak. There you’ll find not only a spectacular view on sunny days, but also Madam Tussaud’s Waxworks, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Odditorium and the high-tech virtual reality ride called the Peak Explorer. If you don’t hire a guide through www.hktourismboard.com/hartco, do sign up for some of the numerous tours that can be booked by any Hong Kong hotel’s concierge. They are run professionally and well worth the time.
Hong Kong has an extremely active tourism board (HKTB). They are doing everything within their power to ensure that tourists to the “City of Life” have an excellent adventure. HKTB is very interested in attracting visitors from the Middle East and they are working hard to accommodate all the needs of Muslim travelers. Click to their informative website — DiscoverHongKong.com — to help plan the perfect trip. Another good website for planning a Hong Kong vacation is timeout.com/hongkong.
