HK on my mind
Any trip to Hong Kong will always mean a rush of nostalgia and this feeling becomes more intense when staying at the Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel, which overlooks Kowloon’s Ocean Terminal.
This because my very first trip abroad as a child in the ‘60s was traveling to Hong Kong on a President Lines vessel, and we would dock at this very Ocean Terminal. Trivia interlude here, but this is the same Terminal where Bruce Lee boarded the ship that would take him to the United States and embark on his storied Hollywood career; and where later, he shot iconic promotional photos for Golden Harvest — it is one of the stops of the Bruce Lee Way walking tour. The terrace of the Marco Polo’s Cucina restaurant is on the roof deck of the Ocean Terminal — where a few yards away, one finds the Bruce Lee Way signage.
The Marco Polo Hongkong is situated right beside Ocean Terminal, and a room with a view gives one a magnificent panorama of the Hong Kong side skyline, and watching the Star Ferry ply back and forth between Hong Kong and Kowloon. The other two hotels adjacent to the Marco Polo Hongkong and part of the same hotel group, are the Gateway Hotel and the Prince Hotel. Per-dinner drinks at the aforementioned terrace, hosted by sales director Sonny Ang, meant renewing ties with general manager James Ong and meeting their wonderful president, Dr. Jennifer Cronin. Jennifer was here in Manila for the opening of the Marco Polo at the Ortigas Center, and fondly mentioned two other Philippine properties, Cebu and Davao — recalling how the Davao hotel has close ties with the preservation efforts being carried out for our Philippine Eagle. Along with James, Jennifer is an avid hiker and they were talking about Dragon’s Back as a great hiking/nature attraction for Filipino tourists visiting Hong Kong and looking for something different.
But truth be told, the great majority of Filipino visitors to Hong Kong are creatures of habit — heading for the same eating places, same stores and shops on each and every visit. Plus, quite often, we move in packs (read: family groups), and so we rely on the tried and tested. So, if you’re feeling adventurous on your next HK culinary trip, I would recommend Mott 32 at the Standard Chartered Building for its Cantonese cuisine — it’s a converted vault that celebrates how in New York, the first Chinese convenience store that opened in 1851 was located at 32 Mott Street. Another winner located on the 25th floor of the Prince’s Building Central is Bonnae Gokson’s Sevva — a very cosmopolitan dining establishment. Occupying the whole floor, I loved the ambiance of the Harbourside dining room, and the fantastic aerial views from its terrace. Highly recommended is the Caramel Crunch cake but methinks this may have been something Ms. Gokson discovered on her visits to Manila — rather, I was more impressed by the Mango-Banana Crunch cake slice we had.
Back to the Marco Polo, beyond the local Handy Phone that is supplied in every room in the three hotels of the group, it now has a Smart TV feature in selected rooms. So, that’s a phone that saves you tons on local calls and accessing the web. And now this TV feature allows one to interact as a hotel guest, finding restaurants, stores and what have you right on your room’s TV screen.
Truly, the original Marco Polo may have decided to stay put and put a halt to all his peregrination if he enjoyed all this fingertip access. At the Marco Polo Hongkong, it’s Old World aesthetic and charm, coupled with New World technology and convenience. Wonderful combination!
Bending time, places and people
Three eminently readable novels for today. Elton’s is time travel suffused with a strong historical quandary while Frank gives us urban crime that has film treatment written all over it. As for McKenzie, a wry tale about romance and values among the millennials.
Time and Time Again by Ben Elton (available on Amazon.com) Elton is one of my favorite contemporary British authors and with this novel, he takes on the time travel genre, bestowing it with much food for thought and human drama. Ex-Army man Hugh Stanton is called by his former History professor at Trinity, Cambridge. Her lessons back then would often pose the question of, “If you could change one event in 20th century history, what would it be?” Well, thanks to a secret cache of letters Isaac Newton had left behind, that query can now be a real possibility. Hoping to change the course of history by averting the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in 1914, Stanton whisks us along to an improbable journey that raises more questions than answers; while providing page-turning action and adventure. Engrossing tale that turns cautionary.
Shaker by Scott Frank (available at Amazon.com) Frank is a sought-after screenwriter, with credits that range from Little Man Tate to The Wolverine, and this is his first novel. NY hitman Ray Cooper is sent to LA in the midst of an earthquake and tremors to complete an assignment when he chances upon a mugging and gets involved. It turns out the victim is a mayoral candidate and a concealed witness records everything from a window. Due to his actions before the victim is fatally shot, Ray becomes something of a hero to the chagrin of the young black gang members who were doing the mugging. Overnight hero when anonymity is the name of the game becomes Ray’s dilemma. A tale that explores inner city politics, hit men and their psychological make-up, cops that are loose cannons and how circumstances wreak havoc on our futures, scarring us for life — this is one absorbing read.
The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie (available on Amazon.com) Here is a novel that perfectly captures the “heart and soul” of today’s twenty- and thirty-somethings — poised delicately between counterculture and living with a social conscience on one hand, while also falling victim to societal pressures on career, success and conspicuous consumption on the other hand. Veblen and Paul are about to get married. Veblen was named after the Norwegian/American economist, who in 1899 warned us of how the Industrial Revolution was creating a Leisure Class whose values placed status and consumption above value and necessity. Paul is a medical graduate on the cusp of inventing a medical tool for brain trauma, especially applicable for those in war zones. When the chance to make a lot of money looms, does ethics fly out the window?
