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Live it, love it, Hong Kong is the flavor of the year
Linda Hollands , The Jakarta Post , Hong Kong | Fri, 07/18/2008 11:17 AM | Supplement
Upon landing in Hong Kong and joining the hundreds of people in the arrival hall, I was pleasantly surprised at how little time it took to clear customs. In no time at all we were on the road and heading to the shops for some retail therapy before hitting the sights in the Chinese territory.
With storm clouds gathering later that day as we reached the Peak, we decided to take some photos first before heading into Madam Tussard's wax museum. Others obviously had the same intention but the crowd was not uncomfortable, and we managed to get some dramatic shots of storm clouds descending on Victoria Harbour.
Between now and Sept. 21, Hong Kong is running its Summer Temptations program, in which people can visit any of the 18 participating tourist spots to collect three stamps that entitle them to a Wing Wah Sweety Delicacies Box-Set. The Peak is one of the venues and so we dropped into the Visitor Service Center on an original antique tram to get our first stamp.
And then we were posing with Jackie Chan at the entrance of Madame Tussard's wax museum. Here you can get up close and personal with the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Bruce Lee, Eddie Murphy, Paris Hilton, Naomi Campbell and Leslie Cheung. Or if statesmen are your thing, Bill Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev, Saddam Hussein and George W Bush are all there waiting for an audience. So life-like are the wax figures, that when I was posing for a photo between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, a woman approached to examine the exhibit and when I moved, she gave a startled gasp, apparently mistaking me for part of the display despite my far from regal attire and wind-blown hair. Nobody in the vicinity was able to suppress their laughter, and the poor woman slinked away in embarrassment. But no doubt she isn't the only one to have made such a mistake, for the figures seem so real that you can almost see the five-o'clock shadow forming on Brat Pitt's chin.
Inside the wax museum is the new thriller Scream exhibition, where staff line you up in single file with hands on the waist of the person in front of you to walk in the darkness through a "mental institution". First you are warned not to touch anything or anyone, and that "inmates" will rush up suddenly and almost brush against you. As I neared the entrance, the file of people broke off, and I was left first in the new lineup. All but groping my way through the darkness with the person behind me holding me by the waist, there was a sudden rush of air when an inmate dressed in white overalls and powered face with blackened eye sockets almost brushed against me and scared me out of my wits. Even knowing it was an innocent thriller ride, we proceeded with tribulation, knowing that we could be sprung at any time. Everyone with me seemed to leave exhilarated and in high spirits.
If you are a sports fan, it is best to backtrack after Scream to see the sports greats, like Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali, basketball giant Yao Ming, to name a few.
The next day we went to Disneyland on Lantau island, which is about 20 minutes by road from Kowloon. It was raining on the day of our visit, but that did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowds of people heading for its gates before the 10 a.m. opening time. Kids had a spring in their step as they approached to the snippets of Disney tunes playing through the speakers and anticipation was clearly written on their faces. Once passing the security bag check and through the turnstiles, we headed for Mickey's PhilharMagic, a 3D animated show. It starts off with Mickey rushing onto the stage calling out, "Wake up, it's show time," and he places a sorcerer's hat on the podium. Out pops Donald Duck, and he pulls all the orchestra's instruments out of a tiny trunk that he was snoozing in, including a grand piano, and jumps onto the conductor's podium. He then spies the sorcerer's hat, gives a gleeful chuckle, dons the hat and taps the conductor's baton to instruct the orchestra, which gives out a cacophony of sound. Outraged, Donald calls for quiet, but a playful flute continues playing and twirls out at the audience. With our 3D goggles, it really does seem like the flute will hit us, and everyone ducks. Donald is then flung out at the audience, and he reaches out to everyone in the audience to save him from being sucked into a vortex. His outstretched hands seemed so near and the pleading look on his face so real that it was hard not to reach out to help him. The show continues to take us on an enchanting trip with Donald to catch the hat, with characters from Beauty and the Beast, Fantasia, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Peter Pan and Aladdin all making an appearance. It is a wonderful adventure with lots of surprises that enchant adults and kids alike.
Another show is the Festival of the Lion King, which retells the story of Simba the lion king fighting to regain his kingdom. The four main characters are dressed in African tribal costumes and Warthog, Elephant, Giraffe and Lion floats enter the arena to the beat of drums by tribesmen. It is a colorful performance that kids are bound to love.
Cable cars head toward the Po Lin Monastery and its imposing Tian Tan Buddha statue, the world’s largest outdoor seated Buddha, on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. (JP/Linda Hollands)
Also on Lantau Island is the Po Lin Monastery, sitting atop the Ngong Ping Plateau with its famed giant Buddha 500 meters above sea level. The cable car to get to the monastery is an experience in itself, spanning 5.7 km over land. Those afraid of heights may not enjoy the ride so much, but despite the howling wind buffeting our car, I found the view well worth the trip as we wound our way through the peaks of Lantau. As we got higher and higher on the 30-minute ride, the view got better and better and as we passed another peak, the majestic Tian Tan Buddha statue came into view. We had thankfully joined a tour, and so after alighting from the cable car we were spared the strenuous hike up the 260 steps to reach the world's largest outdoor seated bronze Buddha. Instead we were bused up. The statute sits 26.4 meters atop a lotus throne, and altogether is 34 meters high. There are three floors beneath the Buddha statue: The Hall of Universe, The Hall of Benevolent Merit and The Hall of Remembrance. One of the most revered features inside is a bone fragment of Sakyamuni encased in a glass shrine. There is also a huge carved bell inscribed with Buddha images.
The monastery is a huge complex and the central hall is open to visitors.
Back in Kowloon, we visited the Hong Kong Museum of History, where we easily could have spent a whole day given the time. The exhibits at this fascinating museum follow 400 million years of Hong Kong's history, from its formation to the present day.
One of the most interesting sections was the Folk Culture Gallery, where there are colorful life-size exhibits. A replica of a fishing junk depicts the living conditions of fishermen, and three towers of steam buns for the Bun Festival stand tall, representing the festival dating back to the 18th century plague when offerings were made to appease the gods and bless those still living. Another exhibition is a Cantonese Opera theater, the lion dance and a Taoist altar. There is also a display of an old street, with a post office, dried foods store, bank, pawnshop and Cantonese teahouse. The section depicting the road to modernity has glass display cases of products from the 1960s, such as an old jukebox, thermoses, clocks, toys, kerosene lamps, and old school classroom.
The museum is another venue where you can collect a stamp in the Summer Temptations program, as is the Avenue of Stars on the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbour, where there is an imposing bronze statue of Bruce Lee.
And after we had taken in the sights, done our fill of shopping and stretch our waistlines a little from dining on scrumptious food, it was time to head to the airport and pick up our goodies from the Wing Wah outlet.
Details on the Summer Temptations program can be found at DiscoverHongKong.com.
