Getting Ready: Morning on Victoria Harbor

I haven’t gone to Hong Kong very much since last July. Five trips in seven months: That won’t do. My Chinese resident permit will be ready tomorrow, I will be a resident of the Middle Kingdom (again) and be able to leave and return without worrying about visas and other government mumbo-jumbo.

Once upon a time I loathed Hong Kong. I would have proclaimed “I hate Hong Kong,” from the top of Victoria peak if I’d had the chance. But, we all mellow. I still believe Hong Kong is the place useless and bitter expats go to die, but I’ve managed to see past that.

I usually stay at  a rather small guesthouse. (If you haven’t heard of Chungking Mansions you can count yourself as lucky. ) Being an early riser I’m out on the streets while everyone else is still asleep, except for the Chungking Mansions drug dealers: They never sleep. Seeing things that few people get to see is pretty amazing. The sun rising over Victoria Harbour, birds in dawn flight, joggers, fishermen, and boat captains.

Craig Ferguson, a master photographer, recommends getting up early, one of the tips in his new photography ebook, Tips, Tricks and Pics. At $5, it’s a steal. I had the pleasure of checking out an almost complete version of the book and highly recommend it. What in the photography world can you buy for $5? This book is a must-have.

The captain above had his boat anchored beside the Kowloon Star Ferry Terminal. At 7:38 am he was polishing the glass of his rustic conveyance. I grabbed a couple of shots before he noticed me.

Sleep is over-rated.

Anything but drab. Near Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.
Captured: June 22, 2008.

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Mongkok, (Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR) is a lot like a hang over if seen during the early-morning hours. The trash and debris of the night before litter the streets. It’s ugly and disappointing, much like the one-night-stands the causes of the trash and debris discover as they wake after a big night out.

Dedicated cleaners go to work on the streets, ensuring each day is shiny and new. They are the Aspirin, the visual hangover remedy. While experts at making Hong Kong beautiful, they don’t currently offer indoor services, assisting with the ugly lover in your bed.

Captured: July 12, 2008.

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This is one of the most common photographs taken in Asia. Every night of the week sees professional photographers, and people like me, with tripods set up on Avenue of the Stars in Kowloon, their lenses trained on the bright lights of Hong Kong Island.

How could you not take this photo? The clouds roll in from Victoria Peak, covering the skyscrapers. The phallic IFC2 building spotlights the sky. It’s freakish. It’s mysterious. It’s gaudy beauty. There are dozens of colorful metaphors I could use.

I hate you, Hong Kong. On your streets I feel like an adulterous husband sneaking guiltily around. How could I love the bastard child of opium-laced British Imperialism? I hate you, Hong Kong, and Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, Central, Wan Chai, and Causeway Bay.

But this photo: I can almost forget about the bitter expats that fill your bars and the fact Jackie Chan is still allowed to make films. This scene: That is why I love you.

And hate you.

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Some days it’s best to stay in bed.

I don’t like Hong Kong. The people that do think it’s a Shangri-La. It has everything, they say. It’s better than Disneyland. The sun rises and sets on/in HK.

Me? I say: Nay. Why?

1. The foreign residents of Hong Kong are more obnoxious than those in Mainland China.
2. Listening to Cantonese for an extended period makes me want to ram chopsticks in my ears.

But, I digress…

I went to Hong Kong a while back on a business matter. The day was doomed from the get-go. A co-worker and I boarded the fast bus to Honkers. Seventy minutes, the company advertises, from our district to Kowloon. Not bad. By Ferry, the next-fastest option, you’re looking at two hours.

As I was leaving Shenzhen and entering the Hong Kong SAR, the Chinese boarder guard placed my passport under a microscope-type thing. This caused a delay, and a nasty case of nerves for me. I am afraid of police officers, of any agency or stripe, without real reason. Read the full story

I had a dozen better things to do last Saturday than go to Hong Kong, but go to Hong Kong I did. The guest house wanted a deposit on the rooms for our upcoming staff excursion. They didn’t mention they were unlicenced. Giving 3000 Hong Kong Dollars to an unlicenced Guest House is not the wisest move, so I didn’t.

As I sat in the bus station attached to the Kowloon MTR station, wondering if every former British colony is full of snotty people, I looked around for stuff to shoot. This sign grabbed my eye, probably because I like The Count and it’s Seasame Street-esque.

For The Captain and Tennille: The music.

Captured: May 31, 2008.