This week, in honor of my nephew’s 6th birthday, and his obsession with Bruce Lee, I’ve decided to recount my weekend trip to Hong Kong over Dragon Boat Festival in 2017. Dragon Boat Festival is a Chinese holiday that falls in either May or June each year on the traditional calendar. One of the highlights of the Festival is dragon boat racing, of which Hong Kong is home to arguably the best in the world.
Hong Kong has always been high on my destination list as it’s the home of one of my favorite filmmakers, Wong Kar-Wai, and the setting for several of his best films. I had a list of filming locations from his movies that I wanted to see up close and that took priority over any boat races. I booked a small hotel room in Tsim Sha Tsui, the neighborhood where much of two of Wong’s films, Chungking Express and Fallen Angels, were filmed. In fact, the hotel was smack dab between the Chungking Mansions, made famous in Chungking Express, and the address where Bruce Lee grew up, which has unfortunately since turned into a gaudy shopping mall.
When I say that I booked a small hotel room, that may be an understatement. Hong Kong is notoriously congested and, as such, living quarters can be extremely cramped. Even the western chain hotels, which were all sold out on account of the holiday, barely give you enough room to stretch out. Lying in my twin bed at a local establishment, I could touch three walls at once and was only maybe a foot away from the fourth.
I arrived on a Saturday and spent the day exploring the city. People were flocking in from all over the globe for the races that were scheduled for Tuesday. I met several people from Scandinavia, Africa, New Zealand, and British Columbia that were all there to compete.
Of course, the other big draw to Hong Kong is the food. With living quarters so small and many homes lacking kitchens, Hong Kong is home to a ridiculous amount of restaurants and its most famous export is dim sum, a cuisine of several small plates of food that are often steamed or fried. Saturday night, I dined out at Tim Ho Wan, a Michelin-starred dim sum chain. It is famous for being one of the cheapest Michelin restaurants in the world and my dinner of pork bun, shrimp vermicelli roll, and spare rib came to about $9 US and was a contender for one of the best meals I’ve ever had.
Sundays make for great mornings for strolling around the most popular areas in Hong Kong. The city is home to almost half a million migrant domestic workers, most of which come from Philippines and Indonesia. These workers will work six days off a week but get Sundays off. Since they usually live with their host families and have no residence of their own, they instead will gather together with their countrywomen on the sidewalks and in the parks. They will lay out blankets and have large picnics with loads of delicious homemade food. Some play music and dance, some catch up on gossip, while others just use the time to catch up on rest.
As I was walking across a big courtyard filled with several picnics taking place, a group of Filipinas invited me to join them on their blanket to enjoy some pork adobo with them. I hung out with them for a few hours, eating and chatting, until the heat and humidity got too much to bear and I left to find some air conditioning.
On Monday, I decided to take the ferry to Macao. I was curious to see the island once colonized by the Portuguese that is now split almost down the middle: the northern half being the old Portuguese part of the island and the southern half, made up of casinos. This turned out to be a horrible idea, however, as all of the tourists in town for the boat races apparently had the same thought. The casinos were packed to the gills and the lines for buses or taxis to the other side of the island were consistently about 50 people deep. I spent a few hours at the Venetian Casino, lost a little bit of money playing Blackjack, and then decided on catching the ferry back.
Tuesday morning came and I met up with the Filipinas that I had met on Sunday. They had an extra day off because of the holiday and we decided to go out together to Stanley Beach to see the Dragon Boat Races. The beach was packed and we fought to get a decent spot. We watched several races before getting bored and exploring the surrounding inlet. Doing anything during daytime in Hong Kong can be difficult, though, because of the awful humidity and we quickly found our way to an air-conditioned bar.
Tuesday evening, I spent at the Avenue of the Stars park nearby my hotel. The small area is home to the famous Bruce Lee statue, as well as handprints and plaques from several famous Hong Kong natives, including Wong Kar-Wai, Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, and many more. Finally, I made one last run to Tim Ho Wan before catching my flight home.
Hong Kong is a beautiful city that is like nowhere else on Earth. In the past year, protests, riots, and overbearing police have made it a difficult place to visit. The people of Hong Kong are fighting to preserve their way of life and I fully support them. I really hope to get back there soon and more than anything, I stand with the people of Hong Kong in their fight to keep their freedoms.
