Story: Lunar New Year's in Hong Kong

New York on steroids, that’s the image most people have of Hong Kong and it’s pumping up to prepare for the honor of hosting the Olympics. For the first time the equestrian events will take place this August at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which has spent $100 million preparing for their special four-legged guests.

Jackie Chan just starred in a commercial, wearing full riding gear, encouraging his two-legged fans to visit his hometown. Last year a record number of tourists visited Hong Kong, 28 million people with the largest number 1.3 million, coming from the USA. Americans feel comfortable in Hong Kong, most people speak English and it’s a very safe big city, even for a single woman at night. Taxes on hotel, beer and wine have just been lifted in an effort to encourage more spending. To keep up with demand, Cathay Pacific Airways (cathaypacific.com) added another flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong, calling it the daily double (two trips a day).

Even if Hong Kong didn’t have special events such as the Olympics and a Chinese New Year parade every February, tourists would flock there for the name brand designers. Louis Vuitton’s new store is larger than the one in Paris and Armani also has a flagship showcase here. “Shopping and dining are national pastimes,” says Lillibeth Bishop, spokesperson for the country’s tourism board, (www.discoverhongkong.com).

But there’s another side to Hong Kong most people never see. Just a short sampan ride away from skyscrapers, mega malls and businessmen juggling four cell phones, are places frozen in time. When the British returned Hong Kong to China in 1997, the communist government declared they would have one country, two systems, allowing Hong Kong to retain its cosmopolitan atmosphere. At the same time, China added Macau and several “new territories’ to the Hong Kong region, including 200 outlying islands.

This is where you’ll find locals living off the land and the sea, selling their harvest at the end of the day. “On one island I visited I saw women working the fields, wearing the traditional costume with the wide brim hat and black cotton pantsuit, and when I asked where the men were, the wives said their husbands were sleeping!” laughed Bishop.

Tai O, the "Venice of Hong Kong,” is a village of 4000 residents who live in Pangwus, simple homes built on stilts over the river because residents don’t feel safe living on land. The Tanka people make a living fishing and selling fresh and salted seafood and hand made objects to tourists. “We say we wake up poor and end the day rich, because we go fishing in the morning and sell our catch by sundown,” explained our guide. “The town’s people are known for living to an old age, because we are very carefree, we don’t worry about tomorrow.”

No motorized vehicles are allowed on Cheung Chau Island, home of the unusual Bun festival held every May. The only event of its kind in the world, it features towers of edible buns attached to bamboo that local men climb like mountains and throw the bread to the crowds. Little girls dressed as deities and goddesses are suspended in the air during a parade through the center of town. The festivities commemorate the Taoist God of the Sea, Pak Tai, who is credited with keeping pirates away from the island.

Even in Central Hong Kong you can get a bargain and a feel for the way locals used to live at the Temple Street Market. This street fair starts around 10 pm and close at 2 am. Haggling is not only expected it’s encouraged, but there are rules. Be sure and allow the seller to “save face.” In other words, you can start by offering half price but don’t go lower in an opening bid or the merchants may be insulted and refuse to do business with you.

In between your “retail therapy,” catch some entertainment. Watch opera singers perform free on a side street and have your fortune read for a small fee. Psychics are held in high regard in Hong Kong. “There are four things you can't change in life, the time, date, year and place of your birth,” says Bishop. “Because of that, locals consult astrologers about optimum times to get married or make other important decisions.” Unfortunately sometimes it results in wedding receptions starting at 3 am! Some astrologers at Temple Street also rely on chickens to read fortunes. The birds are released from their coops and the psychic then interprets the playing card they peck on.

The Shanghai Tang store is not inexpensive but it is authentic. This emporium offers everything from hand made cheongsam dresses with frog closures to silk fuchsia pajamas with an ancient royal pattern replicated in the fabric. Go to the bottom floor of the Pedder Building to find the sale racks.

Get a break from the crowds in central Hong Kong by visiting one of hundreds of ancient Buddhist or Taoist temples. Be prepared though for smoky air, not from cigarettes (which have been banned from most public spaces), but incense. The devout light as many sticks of incense as they can afford and hold them high in hopes that the smoke will carry their wishes to the heavens.

You can also experience tranquility by visiting the largest sitting Buddha in the world, according to the Guinness book of world records. "Tian Tan Buddha" or big Buddha is 250 tons and touching it reputedly brings you good luck. To earn that opportunity though, first you have to climb 268 steps! Located in the Po Lin Monastery, the bronze Buddha took three years to build at a cost of $68 million dollars.

Victoria’s Peak is still the most popular tourist spot in Hong Kong. Originally constructed to convey wealthy landowners up and down the Island’s largest mountain, it’s so steep that the buildings you pass by look as if they're leaning at a 45°angle! Pulled by steel cables, the tram slowly climbs about 1,200 feet. There are lots of new trendy minimalist restaurants at the top, but the landmark Peak Café is favored by locals. Linger over dim sum so you can soak in the panoramic view of Kowloon’s skyline, Victoria Harbour and green hillsides.

For a taste of 1920’s glamour, book high tea at the legendry Peninsula Hotel, where guests are whisked around town in Rolls Royce Phantoms. The Langham Hotels are also know for their elaborate tea service and offer locations in the new and old parts of Hong Kong. Alice Wu Cota, Langham spokesperson, says the hotels are meant to be a home away from home. The original Langham, established in the 1840’s in London is considered the first grand hotel in Europe. It had the first hotel elevators, first to have hot and cold water, and the first to have actual bathrooms in guest rooms. Langham Place is located in Mongkok, a historic section of Hong Kong where you can still see clothes drying over bamboo and discover mom and pop restaurants where the owners don’t speak English and you have to point at the other patron’s dishes to order.

“A lot of people think three nights in Hong Kong is plenty,” says Bishop. “It’s not. It doesn’t do justice to Hong Kong or to you. Soak yourself in the entire city by visiting the outlying islands and new territories, and explore the outdoors. Hong Kong has some of the most challenging hiking trails in Asia and you can kayak and enjoy other water sports on many islands.”

Hong Kong is moving so fast its in danger of losing some of its historic buildings. “We’re not very good about preserving our history, unlike San Francisco,” says Alan Wong, Senior Vice President, Cathay Pacific Airways. For instance Macau, once a quiet Portuguese fishing village, is now Las Vegas east. Visit the picturesque fishing villages time forgot, before progress overtakes them.