On the surface, Hong Kong seems just as prosperous as it was when we lived here, under British rule. China did not promise democracy to the people of Hong Kong, who were used to being subjects in a British colony. But in fact they now have greater say in their government than the people of the rest of China. Recently, Hong Kong was permitted to enact political reform that promises “one person, two votes” – that is, direct election to Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. One vote reflects where you live, as in the U.S.; the other reflects your profession or other such work life. Hong Kong people still find plenty of reasons to grouse about Beijing, but there is no doubt that the unlikely agreement over Hong Kong’s future has been working well. Tibet’s situation is very different, but perhaps a similar leap of faith will provide solutions to some of the tensions there.
Paul and I indulged ourselves with a topnotch hotel: the Kowloon Shangri-La. It was modern and luxurious back in the 1980s, and it still is. It makes all the “five star” hotels we stayed in during our China trip look “less than.” The attentive concierge, dressed in a lovely chi-pao, told us she is 22, a year younger than Emily!
For old times’ sake, we had a drink at what used to be the Regent Hotel. Now it is called the Intercontinental, but it still has floor-to-ceiling windows in the lobby bar, with breathtaking views of the Hong Kong skyline. A musical quintet was playing, and we had afternoon tea: scrumptious little cakes and open-faced sandwiches. In 1983, Paul and I had mango milkshakes here on one of our first dates.
Outside, the air is thick and hot and humid in July; we had forgotten about that. You can’t go far without sweating. Anyway, we walked to the “Star” Ferry and took it across the harbor to Hong Kong side. The double-decker ferries with their reversible wooden seats are just the same, as are the blue sailor-boy outfits of the men who toss the thick ropes to dock the ferries.
Since we last came here five years ago, there are no noticeably new buildings; the super-tall needle of the IFC was already built then. On Hong Kong side, the ferry docks are new, but the waterfront reclamation is not finished. The Furama Hotel is gone; good riddance. We could not see the apartment building where we lived in Wanchai; it is blocked now by a larger building.
We tried to have dinner at Paul’s favorite place, the Ningpo Residents’ Association. It is for members only, and we have never been members. This time, they told us they had no tables. So we had dinner at another old favorite: Peking Garden in the basement of Alexandra House. On Sunday, Chater Road was blocked to traffic – primarily, it appears, so that the Filipino maids have a place to gather and picnic on their day off. Twenty-five years later, Filipino women still find this work to be more attractive than options back home. At Peking Garden, waiters still toss hand-pulled noodles and hammer open the beggar’s chicken. The air conditioning is still too cold – requiring a “pay-gum” or shawl.
On our way back to the hotel, we walked along the “Avenue of the Stars” – a pleasant waterfront walkway with stars on the sidewalk for Hong Kong’s most famous movie stars.
On Monday Paul had a short business meeting, and then we had dim sum. Yum. No visit to Hong Kong is complete w
On Tuesday, Paul and I went to Macau, primarily to revisit the lovely little hotel where we had our wedding banquet, Pousada de Sao Tiago. This year marks our 25th anniversary. The Portuguese-style hotel, built on a fort at the tip of Macau’s peninsula, is as charming as ever from the outside: whitewashed walls, rounded arches, orange tiled roofs, blue-and-white tile artwork, 200-year-old cinnamon tree, outdoor patio shaded by mulberry trees. I looked around and remembered where the dance floor was, where the buffet table stood with its huge ice sculpture, where the head table was. However -!- the new owners have completely renovated the furnishings in the rooms, with horrible taste. Instead of 24 rooms, they now have 12 suites; and the interior décor is awful. So ugly that we have no desire to come back.
Yesterday afternoon, we took a taxi to Macau’s biggest new hotel: The Venetian, modeled on the Las Vegas version but bigger. Like the Las Vegas one, it has “streets” of shops, with several canals, gondolas and gondoliers, and a fake sky on the ceiling that does give the sense of being outdoors (but with air conditioning!) There must be hundreds of shops, most of them empty of buyers on a Tuesday afternoon. However, the casino floor had many gamblers, all Asians. China allows its citizens to cross the border and gamble in Macau’s casinos. Sad. Recently, we heard, China limited visits by government workers to once a month. What is so attractive about gambling? I don’t get it!
Anyway, we had one last great Chinese dinner, Shanghai style, including xiao-long-bao dumplings, fish pieces in wine sauce, Sichuan style beans, tofu, and Paul’s favorite dessert, mashed-date pancakes. Aaah.
Today we head back to the U.S., after more than three weeks on the road. Looking forward to getting home!
No comments:
Post a Comment