February 28th Hong Kong, March 1st

Wednesday, 28th February. Alan woke me up at 5.40am to go out onto the balcony as we approached Hong Kong. Fortunately, we were on the starboard side to see it all but as it was still dark all we could see were lights on the island. Within ten minutes we could see the silhouette of hills as dawn began to break. It wasn’t long before we were sailing close to the shore with Lamma Island on our port side. We recognised Repulse Bay, where, in 1981, I had my first paddle in the Pacific Ocean. Then high on the next mountain we spotted the cable car lift that took us up to Ocean Park; it was so exciting to be able to remember these places. The ship sailed around the point and we skirted Aberdeen. This photo of first sight has been lightened because it was only 6.15am. We could see huge sky scrapers that had been built where Kai Tak airport once was, but the whole area had been developed to its limit. The ship was too large to dock on Hong Kong Island and we sailed slowly into Qwai Chung container terminal on Kowloon Peninsula where we moored at 7.00am. We could just see Hong Kong Central from the ship but it was hidden in cloud. We didn’t rush because our day began at 10.30am when we met our group of about 70 ‘Queen’s Grill World Cruisers’ who were on the specially arranged Chinese New Year lunch with us. We enjoyed the panoramic drive, which took us through the tunnel and under Victoria Harbour across to Hong Kong Island. From there we drove across the island to Aberdeen and arrived at The Aberdeen Marina Club, where lifelong membership is approx £200,000 with a monthly fee of £250 - and members have to be sponsored. We were indeed privileged to be there, it was amazing! Above is the entrance and the terrace area. After being greeted at the entrance to the ballroom, where lunch was to be served, and given a fortune cookie by the gentleman below, we were escorted to our table for the celebration lunch. (Alan was wheeled in ahead of us.) After we were seated, accompanied by Chinese drummers, the lion entered by dancing around the room and onto the stage. I had positioned myself so that we sat close enough to get good photos and video the dancers. Four musicians played throughout the meal. The tables seated ten, but during lunch we were not expected to remain in our seats for the whole seven courses because around the room were tables with artists at work. We were invited to enjoy having our fortunes told, names written in Chinese calligraphy, personalised Chinese knots tied, and silhouettes artistically cut in minutes at any time that suited us. Here is Alan sitting for his silhouette. The fortune teller prophesied that Alan will outlive me - so Andrew and Mark had better toss a coin for possession! This was the luncheon menu; Steamed shrimp dumplings, steamed pork dumplings with crab roe, deep fried vegetable taro dumplings and steamed vegetarian dumplings; Braised pumpkin soup with assorted sea food; Stir fried dice beef with garlic and spring onions; Deep fried garoupa with sweet and sour sauce (the head is a delicacy, which was dressed and served with the tail fin for all to try – (Peter, a typical colonial type with Jimmy Edwards style moustache, who had lived in India - ate it all!) Poached seasonal vegetables in superior broth; Fried rice Yeung Chow style; Chilled honeydew melon with saog in coconut milk. Plenty of wine and green tea accompanied each course. It was a beautiful afternoon and we ventured out onto the terrace where the view was magnificent. We overlooked the yacht club marina, pools and boats, but also the Jumbo floating restaurant that Alan and I had been taken out to during our last visit when it was moored off shore and very popular venue. It was in one of the early James Bond movies too, but in recent years had to be brought in to the harbour for preservation. (Here I am with Jumbo in rear and I am wearing my red Chinese knot.) The afternoon seemed to wiz by and we had to leave at 3.15pm for our drive back to the ship. Some chose to be dropped off in Kowloon to shop but Alan and I thought better of racing around for the last couple of hours. We sailed out late because the Commodore had been given special dispensation, which allowed him to sail the QM2 through Victoria Harbour between Hong Kong Central and Kowloon, but it had to be at high water because there was only two metres of sea beneath the ship. It was a wonderful opportunity because at 8.00pm the city sprang to life, apparently, every evening at this time, for fifteen minutes the ‘Symphony of Light and Music’ takes place. All the lights on the tall business towers are synchronised to dance with the loud music played. (I have recorded it.) It was an amazing sight to see as we sailed parallel to the illuminated city that was also celebrating the eleventh day of the New Year! This year is the ‘Year of the Pig’ but also a special year because it happens to be the sixtieth anniversary when the year of the pig is said to be doubly lucky. The Chinese New Year starts on February 18th and lasts 15 days, but we were told that this day (Feb. 28th to us) was January 11th to the Chinese. We saw the Excelsior Hotel where we had stayed previously, and it stood proudly above the ‘noon day gun’, which is still fired. However, a new tunnel beneath the harbour has been built in the typhoon shelter area that was in front of the hotel, so now it is surrounded by other buildings, but it was still a majestic sight to see. The QM2 did a circuit of Hong Kong Island before heading in a southerly direction toward our next port of call, Singapore. This had been a really wonderful day to remember.
Thursday, 1st March. Alan was at his lecture while I had a lie in before sorting out all the paraphernalia from the previous day. By lunch time we were still in the China Sea sailing at 26 knots in temperatures around 25 degrees cent. with a gentle south easterly sea breeze. The sea was shallow in this area, only 2000 feet beneath the ship. We didn’t do much during the afternoon, except I wrote up this blog! Tonight is a formal evening and the show is ‘The Beatlemaniacs’; more talent embarked at HK. By midnight tonight we will be 55 n. miles off Da Nang, Vietnam.