We docked at the Ocean Terminal in Kowloon. This is an extremely good place because the Star Ferry pier is right next door; Harbor City and Ocean Terminal together make up a gigantic shopping mall with everything from a Rolex shop and free Wifi to a supermarket (but not, as I found when I tried to get my watch fixed, a watch repair shop). The nearest Metro stop is about three blocks away, and taxis are available night and day. Canton Road, the nearest road, is lined with high-end shops, and Kowloon Park is a short walk away. We were also strategically placed for the nightly Hong Kong son et lumiere (sound and light) show – more about that later.

My watch had stopped the day before we reached Hong Kong – battery needed replacing. I could not do much about it before we went out on tour, so we used our iPhones for time. Our tour took us to the top of Victoria Peak via the tram, to Aberdeen to ride one of the sampans there, and to Stanley Market: three of the must-see places in Hong Kong.

The tour started early and it was easy to see why when we reached the station for the Victoria Peak tram: we were the first customers, so there was no problem getting 40 tourists on the tram together. An hour later it would be impossible. Hong Kong may not have as many people as Manila, but it still has several million inhabitants, and most of them commute. The tram was built in 1888, and is still pretty much the same today as it was then. The view at the top is spectacular; we had been a bit worried because there was haze down at the harbor and the forecast was for possible rain. We were lucky, however, and the haze had (mostly) cleared away when we got to the top of Victoria Peak. (I did notice, however, when I processed my photos that distant shots are kind of hazy, so it wasn't completely gone.)

After Victoria Peak, we boarded the bus and rode down the mountain to Aberdeen, where we boarded a sampan and took a ride around the harbor. One of the sights there is Jumbo, the world’s largest floating restaurant. The guide claimed it could seat 5,000 people. I was also intrigued by the contrast between the houseboats and fishing boats (some of the houseboats are also used as fishing boats and some of the boats are just fishing boats) and some of the sleekest, most modern yachts I have seen anywhere.

Our last stop was Stanley Market, which has anything you might want to buy (and lots of things you don’t want to buy). The guide gave us an hour here, and explained the bus system to those who wanted to stay longer. She set up a meeting place and said anyone who wasn’t there at the appointed time would be assumed to be staying longer and returning on their own. Very efficient. She gave directions to certain types of shop to those who were interested and started everyone on their shopping way. David and I didn’t feel like shopping, so she told us where we could find a nice restaurant on the bay, and we went there. Had a sandwich and a beer and watched the water. The park had a wifi hot spot, so I used my iPhone to check email. (I never got the free wifi to work ever again -- bummer!).

After we returned to the ship, I took my laptop into the terminal to try to get some free wifi, but I think there were too many users. I could connect, but it was so slow, I couldn’t get to anything. So I started looking for a watch repair shop. I tried several jewelers, but they were pretty insulted when I asked about replacing a battery. They were willing to sell me a new watch, but not a battery for one I had. I finally asked at the information desk. They consulted each other, then said they were pretty sure there were no watch repairs in the terminal city, but there might be some shops on Hankow Road. It was dinner time, so I decided to go try to find a repair shop on Hankow Road the next day.

At eight o’clock every night, Hong Kong puts on a huge light and sound show. Buildings on both the Hong Kong and Kowloon side of the harbor participate, so the show can be seen from both sides. Our veranda faced the harbor, so David and I decided to watch the show from there. We found we could see everything, but wondered if the sound would make it better, so we decided to go to the Clock Tower to watch tomorrow night. I got some good pictures and video, and thus ended the first day in Hong Kong.