By Chi

“TIME CHECK: it’s 8:30, we need to be downstairs in 15 minutes if we want to get breakfast.” By our fourth day many of us got down our routine of walking down the street to our favorite bakery to get some fresh goods, coffee, and bottled water. My roommate, Melissa, and I hurried back just in time to meet our local tour guides for the day, Gabby and Susan. We were all split into two groups, one exploring the Kowloon side and the other exploring the Central District on the Hong Kong side. I was in the group with Gabby who took us to the Central District. It took us 2 buses, and 1 ferry ride to get there. In total we spent 14.26 HKD which is equivalent to about 2 USD. It was well worth the trip! The ferry, train, and the tram were all used in the old days as the main source of transportation and still widely used today. New sources of transportation that were later added were tunnels and the subway (MTR), which we all have gotten quite comfortable with. Once we boarded the ferry, everyone was in awe of the breath-taking view of the harbor. The subtle breeze from the harbor was enough to cool us down from the humid weather.

The view from Victoria Harbour before we boarded the ferry,

Half the group on the Star Ferry!

We walked to a commercial area where you can find many business men and women in formal attire. We quickly observed that many business men dressed in suits used the walk ways from building to building with AC to keep themselves cool from the heat. From Statue Square, we saw the court building, which is the oldest building that still exists in Hong Kong. Where there was once a statue of Queen Victoria, it is now replaced with a statue of the first general manager of the HSBC bank. The HSBC bank was once the tallest building in the Central District, and it now has one of the most powerful energy lines coming from the mountain to the sea. It is believed here that energy lines should be used and not blocked. This told us a lot about the control centers of the Central District and the belief of Feng Shui among Hong Kongers. Many businesses, like the HSBC bank, have two lions stand in front of the building to protect the building and the people in it. Everything here was strictly business and those who do business best, survive. The main goal is to get money that is what brings Hong Kongers together. There is no room for welfare in the Central District and everyone must look after themselves. No one really thinks bad of anyone and people look to each other with admiration for being so successful. This was interesting to hear because in the US we have many options for welfare support for those who need it.

Frankie defying gravity in the SoHo district.

Statue of the first general manager of the HSBC Bank.

Koi fish outside the Bank of China. Gold koi fish represent prosperity, good fortune, and health.

Next, we went to St. John’s Cathedral which is an Anglican church. Back in the old days many churches, just like St. John’s Cathedral, were build on hills from the highest point so it may be seen from the harbor. Trade between China and the western regions of the world became established early on and trading ports were of great value. The windows in the church were dedicated to all the people at sea such as fishermen. Gabby shared with us that she has been residing in Hong Kong for over 20 years and told us that originally, she was not planning to stay for more than a few years but ended up loving Hong Kong so much that she stayed. She also mentioned that she and her husband got married and had children in Hong Kong. He currently works at a university here and because of that, they get free housing in Hong Kong. Gabby took us around the SoHo district which has extremely high rent that can start with a base of $15,000 HKD, which is around $2000 USD. We quickly realized that the SoHo district had a lot of similarities with the Silicon Valley. We analyzed that both areas were extremely expensive to live in and it takes about 2-3 people to help pay rent for something as small as a 2 bedroom apartment. Last on our tour, we stopped by an old building which was once an old police quarter provided by the government for free housing. Each policeman only received one room regardless of how many children they had. They had a communal kitchen and restroom, which provided for a lot of socialization between neighbors.

Inside St. John’s Cathedral.

Stairs from the old police quarter.

We later met up with the other group that toured Kowloon and it was so exhilarating to hear about their tour. I was extremely excited for our next activity which was the Cha Chaan Teng Discovery. Franky greeted us with a warm welcome and quickly got us to our traditional tea restaurant. We were first served their version of westernized eating cakes. The first was a sweet pineapple bun served with butter. It was so  warm and delicious that I could not pass up the next snack which was scrambled eggs served on toast. One dish looked a lot like tofu but it was french toast. My favorite was the toast served with condensed milk and butter. I finally got to try a mixture of milk tea and coffee with red beans. It was so refreshing to drink after a long morning of exploring the Central District.

Cha Chaa Teng

All in all, our fourth day was a success and I can’t wait for my turn to explore Kowloon tomorrow!