Hong Kong, Day 2

Hong Kong

March 11&12, 2012

Monday, March 12, 2012

Today I had no particular plans, so looked at the map provided to us to see where to go and what to do.  Someone had mentioned the jade market and I thought that would be interesting.  I also saw the Fook Tak Temple and Kowloon Mosque both adjoining Kowloon Park.  Then I noticed that the jade market was listed as being just a block or so away from the park, so I headed in that direction.  On the way, I came across the King George V Memorial Park with this sign on the fence…

King George V Memorial Park

I did not see any people who looked homeless, but the sign implies that they are there…  The park also had play equipment for children and benches for others.  It was quite pleasant, although rather small.  So I continued on to where I thought the jade market was.  I found a street with lots of stalls selling clothes and various other things.  The openings of the stalls were in the street and the street was not blocked off from traffic, so you had to keep an eye out for cars while you shopped.  I only found one jewelry store selling jade and they kept making me too-good-to-be-true offers:  “If the first person who comes into the shop buys some lavender jade, we will have good fortune.”  So we'll give you this amazing price – 50% off; below cost; etc. – just to have the good luck.  I didn’t buy.  The stuff I liked was shown at over $800.  They would sell it for $400.  Still too rich for my blood, especially since I would not know if they were selling real jade or not.  (And somehow, I suspected, not.)

So I gave up on the market idea and headed back to find Kowloon Garden.  The map just showed a large green space with no real detail marked on it.  But what an amazing place it turned out to be.  I entered what looked like a raised paved area where I could see some trees and thought it was just going to be a disappointment.  That turned out to be a swimming pool building.  It was too cold for people to be swimming although the building looked large enough that there might have been an indoor pool in addition to the outdoor one.

Beyond that there were paved areas and planters and fountains.  But then I got into the park proper.  I did not see any maps so wandered for quite a while.  I saw school children walking with their teachers.  Some were seated on sheets of plastic, drawing whatever was in front of them.  I saw a Canadian totem pole.  And incredible trees.  Many of the trees had number signs on them and many had identifying signs in front of them.  There were also many college age people wandering around with clip boards.  The appeared to be studying the trees, so may have been a college botany class.

Children and Teachers in Kowloon Park

Path in Kowloon Garden

There was also an aviary with many large colorful birds, but those pictures did not turn out well.  Also waterfalls and ponds with turtles and fish.  Many striking vistas.  I did see the Mosque, but did not see an easy way in and was not sure about the etiquette so did not go in.  I did finally find a “you are here” map which showed all the park features.  I was particularly interested in the “Long Life Garden” and the “Color Garden.”

The Long Life “Garden” turned out to be a fountain, not plantings, honoring organ donors.  And the color garden was entirely a rose garden with gorgeous blooms – too many to show.

One of Many Roses in the "Color Garden"

I finally left the garden to go in search of the Fook Tak Temple on the way back to the ship.  I found what I think was the entrance, by asking one of the girls who was shilling for a health-type place.  She told me the doorway was very small and told me which side of the road to be on.  I found what looked appropriate and went in.  Just inside the archway was an old woman selling incense, which would be typical for a temple.  I went in a little further and found a tiny shrine with loads of statues, some bamboo and other greenery that appeared to be growing, a ladder leaning against the whole thing, with a cat sitting on a styrofoam cooler!

Fook Tak Temple?

This whole shrine was out in the “open” in a dingy little alley.  I did go a little further in, but it looked more like the entrance to a Chinese restaurant.  There was a table with a tea pot and some little cups facing the “door,” and a hallway to the left with a man sitting at the end of it.  So I backed out...  Just down the street from the temple was the Haiphong Road Temporary Market, which looked anything but temporary.  It looked like the Hong Kong version of a food court, with a few small tables and chairs for each “booth” selling prepared foods.  As it was lunch time, it was rather full and busy.  I decided to get my lunch on the ship rather than trying to experiment there on my own.

Bottom line is that I enjoyed Hong Kong more than I thought I would as I am basically not a big city person…