TIBET, AS THE COMMUNIST PARTY CLAIMS, MAY ALWAYS HAVE been a part of China. Despite the Brits abdication, Hong Kong most definitely isn’t. It wasn’t a part of China when Connie visited in nearly 30 years ago and it isn’t today so I feel OK counting Hong Kong as my 110th countryIt is dirty, smelly, irreverent — and alive in a way that the modern cities of China will never be.
Kowloon from our window
We arrived Wednesday afternoon almost on time, a first for us, with no one to meet us at the airport. It’s wonderful to be on our own again, even if we have to find our own way — easy to do in Hong Kong. Just buy an Octopus card at the airport and hop on the train. For seniors like us it is dirt cheap and even covers the Star Ferry between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.
Star Ferry, the best transportation deal in town
We booked a hotel in Kowloon for four nights. It’s a bit slummy but conveniently located, not up to the standards we grew accustomed to on our Wendy Wu tour but we will make do. Our first mission was to find the Myanmar consulate and arrange for our visas to Burma. They cost only $20 each and should be ready tomorrow afternoon. Easy peasy even though the city is divided into the Island and Kowloon by the harbor. The metro is a snap and we took the Ferry back to Kowloon for only 20 cents each. Sometimes it’s good to be old!
Hong Kong Museum of Art - paintings and much more
Our tasks in Hong Kong complete — visas for Myanmar, laundry and internet — we set out to see the HK Museum of Art and all the things we missed at the museum in Shanghai. Our favorite exhibit featuring the French influence on 20th Century Chinese painters had some really interesting paintings; Chinese subjects with a definite Parisianne flair. And the calligraphy was outstanding. Too bad we couldn't have seen this in China.
Our favorites from the Hong Kong Museum of Art
