Harbo(u)r Walks

When I begin my walks on Victoria Harbour at about 6 a.m., I feel like I have come late to the show. The mile long promenade,  parts of it better known as the Avenue of the Stars, is filled people—old and young, tourists and locals, workers and  those like me who start their day with a bit of exercise. I often wonder what has gone on there in the hour or so before I arrive, but can’t even think about getting up earlier to find out.  One of the reasons everyone gets such an early start is the rising of the sun. In September the temperatures don’t seem to ever drop below 80, and rise quickly into the 90s, while the terrible humidity is often in the 80-90 per cent range. So add the morning sun to those conditions, and everything becomes harder to manage.

The harbor today  has gone through some serious changes since the time when the British occupied the territory.  Much reclaimed land now supports the  walkway itself along with other buildings, including my own hotel, the Harbour Plaza Metropolis.  Opened in 2004, the Avenue is a tribute to the Hong Kong Film Industry, and sports souvenir shops, statues of filmmakers including a 2 meter tall monument of Bruce Lee in a martial arts pose. Daily, at least one photographer, amateur or professional, can be seen snapping pictures of Lee. Copying the Hollywood version, about 100 handprint  plaques of various film stars are scattered along the walkway, kept pristine by the sweeping and polishing of several ladies who start work every morning at seven. Cleaning staff in Hong Kong pay such attention to detail that they scrub the grout between tiles with a toothbrush or sweep leaves off dirt pathways.

As I walk as fast as I can in the heat, wiping my brow constantly with a wash cloth I carry, I observe that women often choose not to go bare headed. Some carry umbrellas to keep the sun from their eyes and skin. And I once saw a woman who covered every inch of her body, including her hands with long gloves that appeared to be made of wool. The ladies who work all day cleaning on the avenue, needing to have their hands free, wear wide-brimmed hats with cloth stitched onto them that covers their necks or long scarves inside their hats. Others cover their  heads with a sort of umbrella hat. How hot it must be under all that covering, but clearly a wise choice given what we know about melanoma.

Early Risers on the Avenue of Stars

            Runners, walkers, and those who do calisthenics make up the bulk of the people I see in the mornings. But there is another group of brave souls who climb over the barricades built along the harbour  to have a morning swim. There is a small ladder on the other side that allows them to get down to the water several feet below.  I wonder why they would want to do it. A natural deep-sea harbour, Victoris is filled with boat traffic of all kinds—from barges to ferries to the occasional sail boat.  Close to the swimmers  containers are loaded on and off barges by enormous cranes. The water certainly isn’t clean, and small objects float around the swimmers.  Though the water may be refreshing in 85-degree weather, from my last visit here, I remember that these swimmers are also not deterred by the colder temperatures in January and February.

            On the weekends especially, fish are being caught up and down the wall. To me that too is a curious activity in what must be quite polluted sea water. Their efforts never produce too many fish and most are so small, that I would have thrown them back to grow a little before eating.

            Weekdays the cement ledge around the sub-tropical flowers and shrubs growing at the end of the walk near the Star Ferry, is filled with mostly men waiting for a range of ferries to carry them from Kowloon to the Hong Kong island. While they wait for the boats to arrive, they read newspapers and munch on the soft buns—filled with everything from bean paste to tuna. Mixed in with this group is the occasional drunk who wanders around with a bottle of whatever he could afford with high alcohol content. If they can escape the watchful eye of security workers, they stretch out on the cement to get some sleep.

Star Ferry and the Return

            As I approach the entrance for the Star Ferry, I am reminded of the millions of people who have traveled between Tsim Sha Tsui (on my side of the harbor) to Pedders Wharf on Hong Kong Island. Accounts of the first crossings of the ferry date to 1888, but the Star Ferry company took ownership at the turn of the century. From the first coal-powered ferries that took about an hour for the crossing to today’s 10-minute trip in diesel-electric powered boats, the ferries have allowed people to move between work and home on both sides of the divided city. The current service has four routes, operating about every 20 minutes or less, for more convenience. And if you are  aged 60 and more, you make the trip free as often as you like.  For me, the ferry always makes me think of the much larger ferries bridging Asian and European Istanbul. Much as I enjoy my trips on the Star Ferry, my personal bias is for the Turkish ferries. Besides, they offer you the time for a leisurely cup of tea.

            My walk goes beyond the Star Ferry entrance down the harbor past what must be one of the largest shopping malls/complexes in the world—Harbour City. On second check, I find that not to be true. In 2007 Forbes listed several malls in China and the U.S., the Philippines and even Turkey that are larger, but many of those contain entertainment complexes or Olympic swimming pools.  Most malls here are just shopping centers and Harbour City is the biggest of them all, with about 800 shops and restaurants.

            Once I have reached the end of the complex, I reverse my course and walk back to my hotel for some weight lifting—well not much—and breakfast. But first, I pick up my newspaper from the always smiling  lady who sells them outside the Star Ferry for 7 HK dollars (about $1 U.S.) daily and 8 HK $ on Sundays. My next entry will be about the news business here—of course one of my favorite topics.