2000 Newsletter - Hong Kong
Hong Kong from the Peak
To most Chinese, Hong Kong is still a foreign destination. They cannot travel there without a special pass. Little appears to have changed in Hong Kong since the handover. We were told that house prices halved in 1997, but are now starting to move back up again as some of the people who had departed decided to return. There is no sign of Chinese troops on the streets, the Hawkers patrol continue to police the stalls in Aberdeen Market. The streets are still full of shoppers, but there are definitely less bargains to be had.
Since I was not in Hong Kong on a Sunday last time, I have no idea if the Phillapino house maids took over the city then. It is an amazing sight to see these crowds of women camped out on the street, chatting, knitting, dancing and amusing themselves for the day until they can return to the houses of their employers in the evening. There were so many of them under the HSBC headquarters that they sounded for all the world like birds chirping.
We only had one free day in Hong Kong and Brian was really looking forward to exploring, particularly the shopping areas. He was therefore not impressed when I developed a temperature and took to my bed for the day. I was extremely grateful that our Guide had arranged for us to check out of the hotel at 8pm and go straight to the airport for our flight home.