Greetings From the Other Side of the World, Day 3: The History of Hong Kong Through the Value of Lived Experience

 There are more than a few benefits to taking a Viking cruise, and I have no intention of being a marketing mouthpiece for the company, just calling it like I see it, naturally, after plunking down a fair amount of SKI dollars (Spending my Kids' Inheritance) on this trip and also conducting my due diligence comparing and contrasting the various cruise lines that offer a similar itinerary.   First, there is the aforementioned no children, no casino, smaller ship.  Not that I wouldn't want to spend fourteen continuous days with the younger folk, but my experience has been on a cruise ship they tend to run wild while their parents attempt to rebrand the cruise as a vacation rather than a trip, the difference being a vacation is a break and a trip is when you take the kids with.  Secondly, not being a gambler, the no casino is a good option for me.  There are better things to do at sea, IMO, than holing up with flashing bells and lights and screaming winners.  Third, the smaller ship really appeals to me.  Perhaps you've seen ads for the cruise lines that provide you an opportunity to sail with 5,000+ of your new BFFS. Uh, just no.

Adding in two more benefits to Viking: 1) a free shore tour in every port, not an inconsiderable benefit when you add up the cost of shore tours and b) complimentary beer and wine with lunch and dinner.  The waiters are attentive and, as happened as dinner last evening to my husband, fill your glass even when you're not looking.  Now if you're more of a wine snob than I am, perhaps that doesn't appeal to you but I found last night's pour to be perfectly acceptable.

The free shore tour tends to be the overview kind of experience; again, IMO, nothing wrong with that.  The cruise line offers about 1/2 dozen other options so if you choose to go beyond the "take a look" alternative in the time limit of less than 24 hours, that is available to you.  Yesterday we opted for the skimming version of learning about Hong Kong, a bus ride through one area of the city accompanied by the history of the city as viewed by a native guide, a young woman who has lived in Hong Kong her whole life.

The guides don't go off a script and I like that.  Yes, they point out sites that any good guide book will encourage you to see, the benefit of that being if you've read a guide book or two before visiting, you won't be disappointed that you missed the spots you think you should see.  Understandably 6 hours in any place is hardly enough to feel as if you've explored the locale in any depth, so then it's up to the guide to fill in history, culture, daily life, economy, education, etc.  And one way to do that with truth and color and through the guide's own lived experience.

As they should, guides are big time cheer leaders for their city or country.  I enjoy hearing their life stories that fill out the buildings or monuments you drive past, often at breakneck speed, with tourists grateful the bus driver is well skilled in navigating traffic.  That the guide is willing to share snippets of his/her family system and how it was shaped by and interfaces with the culture broadens your limited learning.  I know this type of tour is what I'm signing on for when I choose the group gallop, following the red sign held aloft so you stick with the crowd and don't get lost, not an insignificant benefit when traveling on the other side of the world.

Like so many places in the world, Hong Kong is a curious city with a deep history.  Established as part of China in 221 BCE, it has evolved from a small fishing village into a major international trading port and financial center.  One of the most significant events in Hong Kong's modern age was its return from Britain to China in 1997.  It is densely populated, approximately 6900 people per square kilometer, 7.1 million people.  It is known as one of the world's most unequal cities in its socioeconomic status.  The rich are Richie Rich and the gap between them and the rest of the population is fairly significant.  Obviously there's a whole lot more to it than these couple quick sentences.  But what I liked yesterday was listening to the history of Hong Kong through the value of lived experience. The guide weaved the stories of her own background into what could be read in a guide book and that makes for so much richer an exposure to the history.

This was the view from our cruise ship docked in Victoria Harbor.

We rode a funicular up to the top of Victoria Peak, the highest spot in Hong Kong.  The incline was so steep, the buildings we passed appeared to be set off at a crooked angle (not shown in this photo).  

We also got a ride on a sampan around the harbor.  Our guide said they are driven by retired people and are used mostly as water taxis.  There are more than a few mega yachts moored in the harbor so the sampans would come in handy for the captains, I would guess.  More of the divide between the have and have nots, visible throughout the world, yes?

This gives just a small view of the tall housing buildings crammed into the city.  Our guide shared that in a way to provide housing for the low to middle class, citizens are able to purchase supportive rental housing from the government with the intention being they will then be able to someday buy their own homes.

We had the first meet the crew and entertainment last night.  The entertainment begins at 9:00 p.m. which is, in my opinion, kinda late for us old folks.  It's not like we're doing the macarena on the Lido deck anymore.

Today we're sailing the South China Sea on our way to Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam.  So far the ship is rocking and rolling.  Should be a good day!