On The Doorstep Of The Dragon

The tail end of our Southeast Asia circuit -- largely spent lazing in the southern Thailand beach locales of Krabi and Ko Samui -- was decidedly unadventurous, but enjoyable nevertheless (particularly so for Vik who delighted in reading Red Sox and stock market message boards when he should have been assiduously updating this blog). After passing the week by reading frivolous paperbacks and dining al fresco, we bid the tropical weather farewell and made the two-hour plane journey from Bangkok to Hong Kong.

As we approached the sprawling metropolis during our descent, we were mesmerized by the unabashed verticality of myriad skyscrapers alongside mountainous topography. To Kaberi, the images below looked like Lego creations from the sky, almost as if a child had constructed the tallest possible configurations with all of the blocks in the set. We were both embarrassed to admit that our preconceived mental images of Hong Kong had completely omitted hills -- perhaps the second most conspicuous feature (after skyscrapers) of any competent description of the city.

While we queued up in a lengthy, albeit crisply-efficient, line for immigration, Kaberi conducted a running play-by-play commentary on the conspicuous luxury brands proudly worn by fellow travelers: Hermes purse, Tod shoes, Burberry shirt, Bulgari scarf, Prada slacks (and that was all on one lady -- no kidding -- Kaberi would never joke about such a serious topic). The incident served as a reasonable preview of Hong Kong's affluence and materialism. In our faded, well-worn North Face jackets, we were a bit underdressed in relative terms. Fortunately, our obvious fashion deficiencies did not preclude our securing a Hong Kong visa (after passing from British to Chinese control in 1997, Hong Kong became a special administrative jurisdiction). In short order we found ourselves on a sleek Airport Express train heading toward the city center.

After a twenty-minute cab ride up laughably-steep inclines, we finally arrived at the panoramic penthouse abode of our friends, Shiv and Suvarna, high atop Hong Kong's Midlevels neighborhood. Nestled below the grandiose Victoria Peak and above the commercial district of Central, Midlevels boasts, among other things, its own neighborhood escalator. Upon walking through the front door, we were greeted by a tall stone Chinese warrior standing watch over an expansive flat with sweeping views of the waterfront and a huge, private rooftop terrace (complete with a large daybed where Shiv regularly serenades Suvarna with Hindi film songs and vice versa).

On our first night, the four of us headed to nearby SoHo (South of Hollywood) for an excellent, authentic Chinese meal, complete with Tsingtao beers served in shallow bowls. Aside from the unlevel grade, Hong Kong's SoHo strongly resembled its Manhattan counterpart with an artsy energy and international vibe. After dinner, we checked out the expat bar scene, and stopped in at a vodka bar where the room temperature was literally kept at 20 degrees Fahrenheit (the group picture features Shiv showing off his cool breath in this unique backdrop). We capped the night off with dessert on Hollywood Street before making our way back to higher ground.

The next day we tagged along to a barbeque hosted by one of Shiv's colleagues. There, we met several Americans posted locally (hearing a chorus of genuine American accents after two and a half months abroad was music to our ears). Many of our new acquaintances had traveled extensively and offered helpful advice on a monthlong China and Tibet excursion. They managed to do so as knowledgably and effortlessly as if recommending a brunch spot or pizza joint back home. This experience impressed upon us that the circle of people with access to an international lifestyle was much wider than we ever imagined.

As nightfall approached, Shiv and Suvarna whisked us across the harbor to Kowloon via the Star Ferry. During the barely 10-minute, 1-mile voyage, we watched as Hong Kong's skyscrapers came alive with a distinctive light show that bathed both the night sky and the waters beneath us in brilliant technicolor. Once comfortably settled on the Kowloon side of the harbor, we made a beeline for the Peninsula Hotel's Spring Moon restaurant, where Shiv and Suvarna treated us to a scrumptuous meal featuring decadent jasmine tea and Peking duck, among other dishes.

On our third day in Hong Kong, we took a respite from the cosmopolitan glam and drove to the more tranquil southern side of Hong Kong island. Our journey took us over high outcrops with tantalizing views of the water unfolding around us. After brunching with one of Vik's old Stanford roommates, the two of us strolled around Victoria's Peak, the highest point in Hong Kong. The pleasant contours, shady foliage, easy foot paths, and total escape from the nearby city greatly reminded us of Frederick Law Olmsted's park atop Mont Royal in Montreal. After making the one-hour loop, we scaled the terrace for unobstructed city views and then made our descent to the city below via the backpedaling Peak Tram.

On Monday, we continued our tourist exploits. We started the day with dim sum at a downtown hotel vaguely reminiscent of the lair of a 1970's James Bond villain. Afterward, we explored the boutique-heavy corridors of Central and SoHo before dinner. With the benefit of Suvarna's Hong Kong Luxe guide, we stumbled upon Shui Hu Ju, an amazing SoHo restaurant featuring painfully-spicy Northern Chinese cuisine and carafes of chilled lychee wine. Our evening concluded with chocolush martins and chocolate ganache meringues at a nearby street cafe, an indulgence mostly rationalized by thoughts of the 140-stair uphill walk home at the end of the escalator.

On our last full day in HK, the ominous storm clouds looming overhead derailed our plans to cruise the harbor in a traditional Chinese junk or take a ferry to one of Hong Kong's outlying islands. With the weather forcing us indoors, we finalized our China travel plans through the help of Shiv's office manager and Kaberi's personal archive of New York Times travel articles. With our farflung travels abroad finally coming to fruition, the reality has finally begun to sink in. Within 24 hours, we will have made landfall in mainland China. First stop ... Shanghai.