Christmas Get-Away
TRAVEL WRITER KEVIN FLANAGAN SPENDS CHRISTMAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD
Travel writer Kevin Flanagan spends Christmas on the other side of the world
Ialways enjoyed the lead up to Christmas. The lights, the holly, the buzz. But once Christmas Day dawned, I switched off. Too much sitting around. And as for New Year’s Day – don’t get me started! By then most people have turned into festive zombies. Too much food, drink and hanging around doing nothing. I always envied people who got away for Christmas and this year, I finally joined them!
On the morning of Christmas Eve, I found myself sitting on a plane taxiing down the runway at Dublin Airport. It was not just any plane, but a Cathay Pacific direct flight to Hong Kong. I was in Business Class sipping a glass of champagne and feeling the thrill of a totally new adventure. Finally, I was getting away from an Irish Christmas but would I be disappointed?
The itinerary had been decided. Christmas Day in Hong Kong and New Year’s Day in China, with a lot of sightseeing in between. I was meeting my Chinese companion who would be my guide, especially for the Chinese leg of the trip. Settling back in my seat, I watched wintry Dublin disappear under the clouds. I drained my glass and ordered another. I was off, for better or worse. But what would Christmas in the Orient be like?
HONG KONG CHRISTMAS
Twelve hours later, I began to find out as I landed in Hong Kong. Although my internal clock told me it was still eleven at night on Christmas Eve, due to the time difference it was actually 7am on Christmas morning! I had been flying around the world at exactly the same time as Santa and his sleigh, and had magically gained half a day. I called home from the airport, and the family were still up celebrating Christmas Eve!
So, what was Christmas Day like in Hong Kong? The rather disappointing answer was very much like Christmas in Ireland. All the shops were decked with holly. Santa Claus beamed from shop windows. As I wandered around the fabulous shopping malls of Hong Kong airport, waiting for my companion, I really could have been in Dublin’s Dundrum Shopping Centre! There was one big difference though – the temperature outside was heading towards the twenties and the sun beamed down. It was time to take off my winter coat.
GETTING AROUND
The Airport Express, part of the MTR (the Mass Transit Railway) and the cheapest and best mode of transport in Hong Kong, took us on the 35km journey into the city in less than 24 minutes. We were staying in The Murray, a 5-Star hotel in the heart of the city. Recently redesigned and refurbished, this was the place we would be spending Christmas Day. First off, we were treated to a fabulous yuletide lunch, a combo of local Asian dishes and traditional Christmas pudding all served with that Hong Kong panache. We finished taking cocktails on the veranda, relaxing in the sun. So far, so good. It got even better that night as we stood on Victoria Heights looking down on the neon lit city, breathing in one of the most remarkable cityscapes in the world. Although jet-lagged, I would later turn into my bed a happy man, having never experienced a Christmas Day quite like it.
KOWLOON AND BEYOND
Four days in Hong Kong passed quickly. There were trips across the bay to Kowloon on the ferry, a breathtaking experience costing less than a euro. Kowloon makes up the northern part of Hong Kong. It was acquired by Britain in 1860 and returned to China with the rest of the colony in 1997. It’s now a fabulous shopping, arts and entertainment district and is not to be missed. We spent hours browsing the stores that line Nathan Road, searching the traditional markets that offer goods from flowers, to clothes, to watches, to sculpted decorations made of jade or gold.
We made visits to the backstreets to try out some local dishes: sweet and sour pork, wontons, wind sand chicken, shrimp and chicken balls, Phoenix Talons (Chickens’ Feet), Har Gow (steamed Shrimp Dumplings). The dishes looked amazing and tasted even better. And transporting us here, there and everywhere was the fabulous MTR. It’s the safest, most reliable and efficient way of getting around Hong Kong. It connects you with Light Rail and feeder bus services, if you plan to visit Tuen Mun and Yuen Long in the northwestern New Territories.
Hong Kong is not cheap. You need to watch your budget and keep translating the HK dollar into the euro. But it has an exotic life and feel. A combination of its British colonial past and brash, consumer present. And many people did speak English. That all changed the moment we took the train into mainland China to spend the New Year.