Travelers' Tales Hong Kong: True Stories of Life on the Road

I have very much enjoyed some of the other Travelers Tales anthologies (San Francisco, Hawaii, Paris) and would not hesitate to recommend them. The Hong Kong anthology, while fine, was not quite as strong. Too many of the pieces, I thought, were about first-time visitors' initial reactions. As a first-time visitor, I was more interested in writing by people who knew Hong Kong well. Nevertheless, this is worth reading before a trip to Hong Kong.

It was the last minute business trip offered to me earlier this year. It would have been my first trip to Asia. I was excited, scared and anxious at the same time. A business woman all alone in Hong Kong for a month? I had to learn about the place. So I came across this book in my local library and it was a gem! Book contains first hand experience stories written by western travelers visiting Hong Kong. Some were there for the first time, some had ancestors there, some were expatriots. But each and every story had unique voice and each and every one was wonderful account of the experiences one can expect to have while visiting this place of magic. I enjoyed the book because it had really funny stories, that would make you giggle. So one had to be careful not to read them in public because the occasional laugh would cause heads turn. However, I understood the culture, customs and people so well, that I got attached to Hong Kong more than I ever thought it possible. It was hearthbreking coming home. I know I will have to go there again. Soon. Business or otherwise. And then - I will carry with me my own copy of the Travelers Tales. It is one of the kind traveler's book. One that deserves to be displayed in personal library!

I read this book two weeks before our first (but hopefully not last) trip to Hong Kong. Other travel books gave me information on where to stay, where to eat, where to buy. But this book told me stories that made me eager to experience the SAR.We first arrived in Hong Kong early one morning, tired, but determined to do something on our first day. We set out for the Star Ferry, something you must take whenever you have the chance. Taking the MTR subway to Central, we came above ground to find ourselves in the midst of what initially appeared to be some sort of social unrest. There was an official ceremony going on in the park, blocked off by police. There were thousands of women massed right outside. Both sides seemed ill at ease with the other.Jet-lagged, we were rather apprehensive as we tried to find our way out to the ferry. Until I realized that it was Sunday, and that the voices sang a different song than the Cantonese we had heard so far. We were in the midst of Fillipina housemaids who gather on their one day off to visit with their countrywomen. I explained to my wife what was happening, including a description of what life was like for these women and how they came to be there. Elaine wanted to know how I knew this."I read about it in the Traveler's Tales book".This book told stories of Hong Kong that steered us to places we might not have learned from the traditional guides and gave us a flavor for places that we knew not to go to.I've read the Japanese guide. I don't know if it will prove to be as good as the Hong Kong book in the field, but it has proven to me that this is an entertaining series to the armchair tourist as well as intrepid travelers.

I first was attracted to this book by its cover--a charming photo of the happy faces of a group of Chinese men watching an opera and, once I had read my first story, "A Perfect Pig", describing Mr. Chung Wa Pui's long search for the perfect little white jade pig, I knew this was no ordinary book. These, indeed, are "traveler's tales"--personal accounts selected from the writings of diverse individuls who have visited or lived in Hong Kong--choice selections offering a pleasing mix of fact and folklore. Did you know, for example, that the Portuguese influence in the East was such that Portuguese foods, architectural designs, and even Portuguese words were borrowed by the Chinese and others? The Chinese word "joss", the incense burned in Buddhist temples, was adopted from the Portuguese "dios"...We discover that, just a ferry boat ride away from the teeming throngs of Hong Kong, Lantau, the largest of the 235 outlying islands--larger even than Hong Kong--provides miles of wooded areas and secluded beaches, linked by hiking trails...We learn, also, of intriguing dining opportunities in Hong Kong, like the Yat Chau Health Restaurant, serving such delicacies as Double-Boiled Wild Duck with Deer's Penis or Spring Chicken with Sea Dragon & Sea Horse, dishes guaranteed to help restore one's physiological balance...Fascinating glimpses of a captivating part of the world. Truly a remarkable book. Nadine Greenup.