Finding much to do besides shopping on a Hong Kong stopover
by Susan Lowe, Covington, WA
“You’re stopping over in Hong Kong again?”
My husband and I must have heard this question a dozen times in the weeks leading up to the trip I had planned for us in January ’08. One well-meaning friend even asked, “What is there to do in Hong Kong besides shop?”
I had been in Hong Kong twice in the previous 12 months as stopovers on other Asian trips, but on this trip I would be heading for all the fascinating and inexpensive shopping available at the night bazaars in Bangkok and other Thailand destinations and I wanted to keep as many of my travel dollars in my pocket and as much luggage space as possible available for that. My husband has little, if any, interest in shopping.
What my friends didn’t know is that Hong Kong offers travelers much more than shopping, and I set out to prove it by including a 3-day Hong Kong stopover on this trip.
Getting settled
After arriving at Hong Kong International Airport, we used the incredibly efficient and self-explanatory Airport Express to Kowloon (HK$140, or US$18, for both of us), then took the complimentary hotel shuttle from there to the venerable Kimberley Hotel (phone 2723 3888, www.kimberley.com.hk), located just off Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Our first stop after checking into the hotel was the Hong Kong Tourism Board office at the Star Ferry concourse. I explained to the helpful tourist guide there that we had visited Hong Kong before and had seen most of the museums and “big sights” so were interested in tours that did not end up with several hours of “free time” at a shopping mall or outdoor market.
Together we selected the “Land Between” full-day coach tour (HK$420, or US$54, each, including lunch) for the second full day of our stopover. Tickets in hand, we finished the day with a quick, early-evening trip on the Star Ferry to view the city from the harbor and a nice dinner at P.J. Murphy’s Irish Country Pub (32 Nathan Rd.) near our hotel plus an attempt to adjust our sleep schedules to our new time zone.
Independent exploration
On our first full day, we ate well at the Kimberley Hotel’s excellent breakfast buffet, then headed to the Star Ferry concourse to catch a ferry to Lamma Island. The 40-minute transfer required two ferry trips, with little waiting. Views of the city were somewhat obstructed by fog on the trip to Lamma Island, but there was plenty of activity on the waterway to watch.
Once on Lamma Island, we set out to complete a well-signed, 90-minute walk from Yung Shue Wan to Sok Kwu Wan, the island’s two main villages. The trail took us by several nice beaches and residential areas. Cars are prohibited on the island, and most of it seemed nicely rural and slow paced.
The island is busiest on warm-weather weekends, when Hong Kong residents want to be out-of-doors and away from the heat of the city. Our walk — on a mid-January weekday — was not only pleasantly uncrowded but almost completely free of tourists.
Fresh air and the exposure to sunshine helped reset our body clocks, and the exercise felt great after the long flight the day before. At the end of the trail was an array of seafood restaurants, well stocked with refreshing cold drinks and snacks and convenient for either having lunch, as we did, or just awaiting the arrival of the ferry back to Hong Kong.
Later that afternoon we took the subway to the Jordan Road station, site of the Temple Street Night Market. In keeping with our pact to avoid shopping, we strolled among the vendors as they set up their open-air storefronts and unpacked goods to sell.
We spent a happy hour at the beautifully atmospheric Tai Pan Reflexology Beauty & Foot Spa (83 Nathan Road), receiving restorative foot massages from two handsome and skilled masseurs (about US$30). The spa provided us with a locker for our shoes and gave us slippers and tea, all of which added to the relaxing experience.
When we emerged, the sun had gone down and the Temple Street market was in full swing. Instead of shopping, we sampled steamed buns and other Chinese favorites prepared at some of the dozens of street food stalls, soaking up the street life on display. Slowly we made our way amidst a tide of shoppers and commuters along the mile or two back to our hotel.
Day tour
The next morning we joined about 15 others for the prearranged HKTB “Land Between” tour. Despite there being only a handful of Americans on the tour, the tour guide’s comments and prerecorded narrative were presented in excellent English.
The tour included stops at a series of interesting temples, lookouts, old villages and other sites in the New Territories, the “land between” Hong Kong and China.
Our young Hong Kong guide’s willingness to comment on the seemingly endless government highrise housing and the new developments that are displacing traditional ways of life provided a poignant point of view we wouldn’t have heard any other way.
The 6-hour tour ended with a communal Chinese-style late-afternoon meal for participants. We enjoyed comparing travel notes with the others, some of whom were on their first trip to Hong Kong and some who had been coming since the 1960s.
Our last evening in Hong Kong was spent strolling along the famed Hong Kong waterfront and selecting a restaurant from among the many offerings along Nathan Road. On our walk back to the Kimberley Hotel, we stopped at what must be the most glamorous YMCA in the world, the Salisbury YMCA (41 Salisbury Road), to use their excellent and well-priced Internet services. Confirmation of our Cathay Pacific flight to Bangkok at noon the next day was quick and easy.
One last stop
On our final morning in Hong Kong, we showered and packed. We both were pleased that after some moderate physical and mental stimulation over the past few days in Hong Kong, we felt our jet lag was mostly behind us.
After breakfast, I left my husband to check us out of the hotel while I had one last stroll down Nathan Road. I had a must-do stop in mind: Babila.
Babila (36-44 Nathan Rd.) is my favorite place in the world to buy handbags, wallets and other small leather goods. As any American female between 14 and 94 knows, a stylish handbag is the single most important accessory a fashion-conscious woman can own. In the U.S., a quality, trendy handbag, particularly a designer bag, can cost the price of an international airline ticket. And it’s not easy finding a bag that’s well designed and fashionable but also different from all the others.
Could I really pass up an opportunity to get a good-quality handbag that was fresh and up to date and looked almost as good as “the real thing” for a price as low as $25-$75?
Luckily, the Babila store opened promptly at 9 a.m. I quickly found the perfect “it” bag for spring and bought a couple of wallets for gifts, too, for a total of HK$540 (US$70).
Swinging down Nathan Road back to the hotel with my new Babila bag on my arm, ready for the Airport Express trip to the airport and then the banquet of shopping that awaited in Thailand, I thought of my determination to really follow through on making a stopover in Hong Kong that involved absolutely no shopping. Maybe next time.