Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Nostalgic for the Good Ol' Days


The last time I was in Hong Kong, people were protesting the shutting down of the Central Star Ferry terminal and moving it further down the street near IFC or International Finance Centre.

The locals were mourning the loss of a Hong Kong institution that was in a fantastic location, right by the Hong Kong Post Office and near the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Central.

So this time when I took the Star Ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui, I had to walk another 10 minutes to the ferry piers where you can take other boats to the outlying islands as well as the Star Ferry.

The ferry terminal is new but is trying to look colonial style which is quite odd. There are flashy store signs jarring with the old clock tower and the old ferries themselves. And to get to the upper deck of the ferry, you have to climb several flights of stairs from street level which is a bit annoying.

If I had known, I would have taken the sky bridge which is connected to the Hong Kong Post Office and taken me directly to the ferry terminal.

Oh well. Live and learn.

But I do miss that old ferry terminal.

And I'm sure millions of others do too.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

during the growth spurt of hong kong people forgot about the old only want things that are new. the land grab has left hong kong without a past. now it is too late. they are trying their best to preserve the heritage buildings. the pendulum swings the other way they include some of the old buildings that are without any historical or architectural merit .

Anonymous said...

The Star Ferry is an institution and one of the best parts of any HK visit.