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Postcard#2

MONDAY MORNING | April 2, 2007
Cruising the South China Sea aboard the Crystal Symphony

Last Thursday we boarded the lovely Crystal Symphony in Hong Kong's stunning harbor. After long but generally pleasant flights, it felt good to settle into our attractive accommodations.

Old and New Hong Kong Sampan in   Aberdeen's Fishing Harbor

We first visited Hong Kong three decades ago, a time when we still saw a few rickshaws in the streets and a skyscraper was a novelty. Passengers flying into Hong Kong's precariously situated old airport could look out their window and into the kitchens of apartment dwellers seemingly located at the ends of the aircraft's wings. Today Hong Kong wins awards for its ultra modern airport. A virtually silent (and immaculately clean) train whisks travelers into the heart of Kowloon or Hong Kong in less than 30 minutes. As you emerge into the sunshine, a forest of towering buildings surrounds you. When you walk on the Hong Kong side of the harbor, you hardly need touch the sidewalk or cross the street since an extensive network of convenient elevated walkways connects the heart of the city.

As with so much of China, Hong Kong brings you into the city of future. Yet, if you step around the corner, just a block or two away, you find yourself in the heart of busy, noisy, fascinating China, little changed from a much earlier time.

Under the care of Victor Au, our pony-tailed guide, we crossed the harbor on the venerable Star Ferry (it now costs 20 cents - 30 years ago it cost just a nickel), at one time the only means of cross-harbor transport before the city constructed two underwater tunnels and a slick subway. Walking through the sleek financial district, Victor brought us into the bustling side streets where freshly butchered meats hung out for purchase, ladies sold fresh vegetables and Chinese herbal remedies replaced western medicine.

We stopped for lunch in the atmospheric members-only China Club atop the old headquarters of the Bank of China. The lace covered overstuffed chairs reminded us of watching Nixon and Mao sit together as they created new relationships in the seventies. And the exquisite dim sum luncheon reminded us of just how good well-prepared Chinese cuisine can be.

The Republic of China

Yesterday, April 1, we landed in another China that we call Taiwan. (The Portuguese sailors named the island Ilhe Formosa, beautiful island, when they saw the island's towering green mountains.) We were anxious to visit Taiwan since it is the center of a long dispute with the Mainland Chinese - is Taiwan an independent country or will it become a province of the People's Republic?

After our ship docked in the massive harbor of Keelung, we drove to the country's National Palace Museum, where most of the treasures of Beijing's Imperial dynasties now reside. (The Taiwanese will tell you that they are preserving these treasures; the Mainland Chinese might say that they have been looted.) But, treasures they are indeed: Magnificent works of jade, ivory and silks - an absolutely stunning array of riches wonderfully displayed. Thanks to our exceptional guide, we arrived at the museum just ahead of the crowds. Perfect.

Taipei's Memorial to the Martyrs	Gary and Suzanne Bullock celebrate 29 years

Though the island's landscapes are very pretty, Taipei does not offer a great deal for travelers. We stopped for lunch in the island's showplace, the famed Grand Hotel. Once again the exquisite cuisine made most of our Chinese fare at home seem crudely prepared.

To conclude our day in Taiwan, we gained a bird's eye perspective of the city from the observation deck of the world's tallest building, the Taipei 101 skyscraper. Another important city landmark, the Memorial to Chang Kai-Shek, provided us the opportunity to watch the city's children at a festival.

Taipei's Iconic Grand Hotel	Nel Fingerson dines in Taipei

Young cats in Taipei

To conclude our day in Taiwan, we gained a bird's eye perspective of the city from the observation deck of the world's tallest building, the Taipei 101 skyscraper. Another important city landmark, the Memorial to Chang Kai-Shek, provided us the opportunity to watch the city's children at a festival.

Tomorrow we visit Kagashima, the capital of Japan's Kyushu Prefecture (located in the south of Japan.) Then it's on to Shanghai and our visit to the Chinese Mainland. We'll tell you more in a few days. We're all healthy and having a great time.

Wish you were here!

Paul and Christine Niskanen