Hong Kong, 10/05/08 - Day 4 Part 1

Day 4. Where should I go? Anyway, that wasn't exactly the first question that popped up in my head when I first woke up. It was, breakfast!! Ahah! Mealtimes in Hong Kong always got me excited. They were always filled with anticipations and a lil' bit of economic judgment as well. After all, taking a certain lunch set meant that I had to forgo other lucrative options. Mind you, it wasn't easy, that, since I had only one stomach. (Probably my greatest regret in Hong Kong :P)

With one bowl of wanton mee resting contentedly in my tiny stomach, I set out for my next destination, Sai Kung. The journey was going to take quite awhile. An MTR ride all the way to Hang Hau followed by a bus trip to Sai Kung Waterfront Park awaited.

So, I embarked on the MTR ride with my reflection staring back at me from the glass panel across where I sat for the entire journey. I didn't remember having him staring at me for this long before back in Singapore. It was then I realized that there was something lacking from the MTR rides in Hong Kong.

The sceneries.

All my MTR rides had been underground thus far. Apart from the Airport Express line, all the other railway networks were located below ground level. Probably I hadn't traveled far enough from the core of the city. ( A mental note to travel further if I ever return to Hong Kong)

Sai Kung Waterfront Park. This place was, home. It felt so much like Penang. Reminiscences, one after the other, slowly crept their ways back into my mind. One couldn't help it but to ponder what could have become of Penang Island today if proper measures were taken to preserve its glory.

In a stark contrast to the now dilapidated Gurney Drive, Sai Kung Waterfront Park was so well kept. Overlooking a serene bay, it was the perfect retreat after a furious week of battle in the office. Judging by its location, it was no wonder that this area was frequented by the upper middle class of the society. One could easily tell this just by taking a look at the breed of dogs hurrying alongside them. Very well groomed and rushed about in such a lively manner, the monthly expenditures of those dogs might easily dwarf the living expenses of the less fortunate ones.

The other end of the seafront where the jetty was located, was abuzz with activities. Little groups of visitors were crowding around here and there along the edge of the esplanade to inspect the fresh catches brought back by the fishermen after their day of hard work.


From the dock, just next to where all the fish-mongering was taking place, one could also catch a ferry ride to the outlying islands. Filled with curiosity and also largely due to the seduction posed by the pictures of serene seafronts taken off those outlying isles, I hopped onto the wooden boat for a ride.
Anyway, that was probably a wrong choice. The boat took me to an isle about 10 minutes off the quay and I alighted onto Kiu Tsui Beach. Soon, I was to find out that the isle wasn't really a tourist attraction. There wasn't much to see here. I actually finished walking along the accessible seafront in 10 minutes. Worse, the stretch of beach where a, I repeat, A family was having an outing was less than 100m long. Dang.