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Lonely Planet - Hong Kong
If you're exploring Hong Kong, be sure to check out these highlights, brought to you courtesy of our friends at Lonely Planet Publications
1. Slip-slidin into the heart of Hong Kong's cuisine
Nothing illustrates Hong Kong's zest for fresh (and, in many cases, live) food more colourfully than a wet market, so called because the ground is continually hosed down to wash away the detritus spilling from the fish, fruit and vegetable stalls. Though the government, ever vigilant against things deemed unhygienic in the wake of SARS and avian flu, has shut down many of the markets in recent years or converted them into sterile and soulless places of aluminium and white tiles, a few places carry on, including our favourite, the outdoor Graham Street Market.
Walk up from Queen's Rd Central (or down from Hollywood Rd) and prepare yourself for the cacophony and bustle, and the press of people lingering over, discussing and bargaining for food. Fishmongers sing out the praises of their grouper and red snapper flapping about on beds of shaved ice while greengrocers tempt shoppers by slicing open samples of their best fruit and vegetables.
Ideally you'll visit a wet market with a local - how else are you going to be able to tell a star fruit from a custard apple or distinguish between preserved eggs (the ready-to-eat greenish-black ones packed in a mixture of ash, lime and salt and buried for 100 days) and bright orange salted eggs, which are soaked in brine for 40 days and cooked before eating, usually with congee (rice porridge). Be warned, though: those of a squeamish disposition might find wet markets unnerving.
2. Rock & roll along Hong Kong Island's northern coast
Though there are any number of inventive ways to be shepherded around Hong Kong Island, our favourite views of the northern shore are from a tram. Hong Kong's venerable old trams are hardly the fastest or flashest way to go, but they're cheap and a lot of fun; in fact, apart from the Star Ferry, no form of transport is nearer and dearer to the hearts of Hong Kong people. These 164 tall, narrow streetcars comprise the world's only fully double-decker tramcar fleet, and they roll (and rock) along 13km of track from Kennedy Town in the west to Shau Kei Wan in the east, carrying almost a quarter of a million passengers a day.
Try to get a seat at the front window on the upper deck for a first-class view while rattling through the crowded streets. Tall passengers will find it uncomfortable standing up as the ceiling is low, but there is more space at the rear of the tram on both decks. And be prepared to elbow your way through the crowd to alight, particularly on the lower deck.
3. A night at the races in Happy Valley
No group of people (with the possible exception of the British) enjoys a flutter as much as the Chinese, and horse racing, worth more than US$1 billion annually, remains the most popular form of gambling in Hong Kong. Be prepared for a lot of, well, excitement (read: noise) at the races. Hong Kong Chinese view it both as a sport and a very serious way to augment their income! The first horse races were held at the Happy Valley Racecourse in 1846. Now there are about 80 meetings a year split between the racecourse here and the newer and larger (but less atmospheric) one at Sha Tin in the New Territories. The racing season runs from September to early July.
If you've been in Hong Kong for less than 21 days and are over 18 years of age, you can buy a tourist ticket, which allows you to jump the queue, sit in the members' enclosure and walk around next to the finish area. Make sure to bring along your passport as proof.
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