SARS (The Good Kind): Hong Kong and Macau

Back to my story, beginning in Shanghai… A Chinese friend I met in a hostel helped me find a discounted plane ticket to Hong Kong. I was overjoyed about saving money, but this also meant I arrived in at a different time than my friends. I spent an hour or two wandering lost around Hong Kong island, in an attempt to find our hidden hostel. As I searched I really appreciated what I saw: lots of unique restaurants, interesting little coffee shops and boutique stores, as well as a street performance and a girl with a sign that said “Free Hugs.” I became desperate to put down my bag, and a young couple noticed my distress. They tracked down my hostel on their blackberry, and even walked me there; definitely a refreshing change from the frosty inhabitants of Shanghai.

Hong Kong was a colony of England for over a century, and the Westernization was very apparent. Everyone I met spoke English, and although the flashy signs in Cantonese constantly reminded me that I was in Asia, the fashion, the attitude and the general vibe of the city felt very Western.


As far as I was concerned, the dining and nightlife in Hong Kong lived up to its reputation—unfortunately, so did the prices. We met up with a friend who taught English there, and she took us out for sushi and buffet-style hot pot. My favorite restaurant served DIY okonomiyaki (also known as a “Japanese pizza” or savory pancake), which you prepared at a grill in the table. As for street food, we ate some scrumptious beef brisket in chu-hou sauce at the Temple Street Market. In the evenings we frequented a very American bar named Carnegie’s on a street full of young Westerners, who were a sight to behold for someone used to Thai bar girls and old British men.

We were rather diligent about hitting the big attractions during the day, and we became pros at using MTR subway system. In Tsim Sha Tsui we explored the Hong Kong Museum of Art, as well as the Space Museum. I found most of the old relics in the art museum to be beautiful but rather repetitive. My favorite exhibit was of a Chinese painter named Wu Guanzhong, who’d been painting for about 80 years and died only a few months ago; his work was a beautiful mix of contemporary styles and traditional themes. We bought 6:00pm tickets to a film in the Planetarium called “Colliding Universe” (narrated by Robert Redford), but promptly fell asleep the moment we sunk into the cushy chairs. Travel can be exhausting, even after a full night’s rest.


The next day we took the Peak Tram to the highest point in Hong Kong Island, but the views were less than spectacular thanks to the fog that rolled over the city. The Hong Kong Botanical gardens were rather expansive for a public park, and featured mammals including Lemurs, Gibbon and Orangutan.

We decided that rather than stay in Macau for a single night, we’d spend the entire day there and come back on the 24-hour ferry. Macau was a lot of things, but "Chinese" isn't actually the first adjective that comes to mind. As we approached the island I marveled at the gleaming casinos dotting the shore, and couldn’t shake the feeling that I was entering and island-version of Las Vegas. The architecture and food was also very European, since the Portuguese had control over Macau from the 16th century until the turn of the 20th century.

Macanese food was, in fact, some of the most unique cuisine I’ve ever tasted (yes, it’s really called “Macanese”). For lunch we tried a Macanese pork bun, Macanese chicken, curried beef stew and a Portuguese egg tart for desert—the latter two were my favorites.


As we strolled along Lago de Senado and wandered through a beautiful yellow cathedral called St. Dominic’s Church, I marveled at my Catholic surroundings. The Ruinas de Sao Paolo, the façade of what was originally part of the St. Paul Cathedral, was the most famous historical attraction in Macau. Nearby the ruins was the national museum, which gave us a little more insight on the rather complex cultural and ethnic identity of Macau.


As for the famous casinos, they were exactly like Vegas insofar as I could tell, although the only casino I entered was the Venetian. The only casino on the strip I didn’t recognize was the Casino Lisboa, which was actually the largest and originated from a casino in Lisben.

Our last day in Hong Kong was on Stanley beach, a relaxing part of the island characterized by rolling hills and nice condominiums. Stanley’s resemblance to California was eerie, but in an odd way prepared me for my father’s arrival. My travels with my father will (yet again) be a story for another day and another post.