Nov 08 2008
The Star Ferry - My 100th Post
This being my 100th post, I decided to talk about my home away from home - my favorite place on earth. Hong Kong for me is not a travel destination but my home even though I had never been there until 2005 when I first stepped off that plane I felt as if I were home. Today I want to introduce you to the floating gem of Victoria Harbour. The Star Ferry is 120 years old. Looks pretty good huh? I snapped the photo above during my last trip this past March. It navigates it’s way through yachts, sampans, cruise ships, tugs etc… to get back and forth from Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. It’s only about a 10 minute ride and an absolute beautiful journey. If you are lucky enough to be riding the ferry during the Symphony Of Lights show it is a spectacular ride of which you will never forget. It holds about 200 passengers both on the upper and lower decks and only costs a few cents. I had an octopus card which I used to pay for all of my traveling.
The Star Ferry is just charming. I fell in love with it during my first ride in 2005. I could stand along the waterfront promenade in Kowloon and just watch the ferries trek along the harbor for hours and I’ve done that many times. On my last visit and last day there I took the ferry from Hong Kong Island into Kowloon. It was very choppy along the harbour that day and while sitting on the ferry I always sat near the railing so I could see everything and take photos. Well, this particular day the ferry was rocking and at one point the waves started splashing onboard. Since I was sitting along the railing of course I was splashed but didn’t care. What was funny was that I realized everyone else onboard moved to the center of the ferry so as not to get splashed.Riding the Star Ferry is a must if you are ever in Hong Kong.
It is a ride you’ll never forget. A seafaring maestro playing the waves to perfection. My friends Jerry Holland and Sony Holland wrote and recorded this love song to Hong Kong called “On The Star Ferry To Kowloon” “On The Star Ferry To Kowloon” which is my favorite song. You can also visit my Hong Kong website at http://joshongkong.tripod.com for more info and pics. I’ve been very homesick for HK of late so I’ll be posting much more in the days to come. Enjoy!
