Sky100 Observation Deck – International Commerce Centre – Kowloon – Hong Kong – PRC – April 2018

Tags

drinks with friends, Hong Kong, International Commerce Centre, International Finance Centre, Kowloon, prc, Ritz Carlton Hotel Hong Kong, Sky100 Observation Deck, Star Ferry

Drinks at Hong Kong’s tallest building

The International Commerce Centre (ICC) is a 118 storey commercial building in Hong Kong, and its tallest.  It does have two sister buildings over Victoria Harbour on Hong Kong Island ( the International Finance Centre) where one is the second tallest in HK but it was the ICC that I wanted to visit as had been told the views from the roof were amazing.Whilst in Hong Kong earlier this year my Aussie friend Naomi and a HK friend and I went for drinks at the Ritz Carlton Hotel which is located on floors 102 to 118 of the ICC.  A cosy and dark [albeit extremely glamorous] lift took eighty-seconds to reach the 102nd floor which is the Ritz Carlton lobby.

I took a photo of the lift and sent to my brother as he cannot travel in lifts unless they have glass walls; makes him very anxious so our stays in hotels in the UK and UAE last year were very interesting for him; lots of fire-stairs and he would never have been able to travel in this one!!The foyer has an amazing chandelier and a very large sparkly panda bear…As we were about half hour early for the opening of the Sky100 bar, we decided to walk around the hotel.  I must say I have never seen anything so glamorous and to top it off spectacular views over the harbour and Hong Kong Island.The hotel has two Michelin-starred restaurants; Cantonese and Italian.  The Italian restaurant is beautiful; very modern with another amazing chandelier.  The floor to ceiling windows provide incredible views…shame we were not there for dinner! And the Cantonese restaurant is also beautiful; modern with a necessary Chinese feel.I found the hallways leading to the private dining rooms magnificent; it was like walking through a Christmas wonderland…I did take a lot of photos of the dining rooms, restaurants and other areas but for some reason I cannot find any of my photos so all photos on this blog are courtesy of my friend Naomi [thank you].

The rooftop lounge and Sky100 bar is located three levels down in the ICC.  We took the glamorous elevator and stepped into the bar area which was something special; all modern, blue lighting with modern seating, great floors and a lowered ceiling.

(this photo source: internet)

We ordered a bottle of champagne and the three of us realised we were rather hungry after a full day of sightseeing.  We ordered some snacks; fries [no surprises there], spring rolls and couple of other things that I now can’t remember.  We enjoyed lovely views from our table and then as the sun was setting we had beautiful views of the harbour and over to Hong Kong Island.  Pretty special!!It was then time for Naomi and I to take the ferry back to Hong Kong Island to our hotel…I have such a soft spot for the gorgeous Star Ferry and every time I return to Hong Kong I always take the ride across the harbour!What an afternoon; what a night!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revisiting Hong Kong (2) – PRC – April 2018

Tags

Hong Kong, Kowloon Walled City, PRC China, Star Ferry, the lawless city, Victoria Harbour

Different things to do in Hong Kong

During my six days in Hong Kong, my friend Naomi and I did all the usual sightseeing, but there were a few places I wanted to take her which were a little off the usual sightseeing program.  One was the previous site of the Kowloon Walled City or as it was colloquially known ‘the lawless city’.  I had last visited back in 2008 and just knew Naomi would like its history.I did a little bit of research and found we could take the larger ferry from North Point to Kowloon city.  Only thing was I had no idea where to go from Kowloon as I had not previously been there and our map didn’t cover Kowloon but I thought there would be signs…wrong!! Outside the ferry terminal was the bus station and I asked for help but no-one knew which bus would take us to the Walled City including some of the drivers.  Finally a lovely man approached us and offered assistance.  He found out which bus we should take and off we went.  He approached us at the bus stop once again and asked if we knew where to get off.  We both laughed as we hadn’t even thought of that…thank goodness for this lovely gentleman.

And when we got off at the bus stop he recommended, I saw this sign…great relief!!We walked to Kowloon Walled City Park; about ten minutes from the bus stop. From the 1950s until 1994, over 50,000 people lived and worked at Kowloon Walled City.  It was a massive complex of 300 interconnected buildings that took up an entire city block.  A government survey in 1987 showed an estimated 33,000 people resided within the City and at its peak there was an estimated 50,000.  Based on this survey, the Walled City had a population density of approximately 1,255,000 inhabitants per square kilometre making it the most densely populated spot in the world.

(source: South China Morning Post)

Until the 1970’s the city was controlled by triads and had high rates of prostitution, gambling and opium drug abuse along with an inordinate amount of dentists.  Police, customs and taxation officers were said to be afraid to enter.

(source: Greg Girard ‘City of Darkness Revisited’)

In 1987, the Hong Kong government announced plans to demolish the Walled City. After an arduous eviction process, demolition began in 1993 and was completed in 1994.  A park now stands in its place with some historical artefacts from the Walled City remaining including remnants of the South Gate.  Once you enter the park, you immediately come across a model of the walled city; it’s amazing to see how many buildings comprised the city. The park has many beautiful gardens, statues, terraces and floral walks.Every plant and tree is beautifully manicured and maintained including bonsai and one long bush shaped as a dragon…There is also an educational aspect which was really interesting.  We watched a few  videos on the city and its occupants.  There were dozens of alleyways often only 1–2 metres wide with poor lighting and drainage.  Construction in the city went unregulated, and most of the roughly 350 buildings were built with poor foundations and few or no utilities including electricity.  

 

(photo taken from video in park)

We then strolled around the park looking at the trees, pavilions, lakes and gardens…so lovely.We decided to take a taxi to the Star Ferry terminal to get back onto Hong Kong Island; one of my favourite things to do in HK, enjoying the views of the well-lit buildings along the harbour front.  And also passing by one of several junk boats on the harbour…After hopping off the ferry, we decided to walk back to our hotel and along the way we stopped and bought pineapple cakes, which really are fresh milky bread with a sweet topping – not a pineapple in sight but delicious anyway.Another great day out in fabulous Hong Kong!