Friday, February 4, the 2nd day of Chinese New Year. Tonight's the big fireworks display over Victoria Harbor. I must admit that I am a fireworks junkie. Yes, I love them with an undying passion, will watch them any where, at any time and can never get enough.
Rusty has learned to tolerate my obsession and I do believe has become a mild fan of fireworks. He no longer tries to convince me to leave (thus avoiding traffic) after a Cardinal's baseball game when fireworks are planned. He knows I won't budge and will ultimately ignore his request. So he obviously wasn't surprised and couldn't say no when I insisted that we not only go see the fireworks, but do it in style. We were going to watch them from a boat in the harbor! Oh yes a dream come true.
I researched CNY firework boat tours and found the one that suited us best. We were picked up by a bus at the Marriott and whisked away through the traffic to a dock at the northeast end of the island. Along the way our guide explained the reason we had to leave so very early. The roads are closed to vehicle traffic several hours before the event. Therefore we would board the boat and spend an hour and a half touring the harbor.
Our boat was the perfect size. It held 54 passengers and had a 2nd level that was open so the view for all would be terrific. Rusty and I settled in next to a mother and daughter from Perth, Australia. They were lovely companions and we enjoyed hearing about their home in WA (Western Australia), their lives and their travel adventures around Asia/Pacific.
I had been told that light snacks would be provided. The guide served us beer and soft drinks. The she brought around some snacks: Ritz cheese crackers, small cans of Pringles and Moon Pies. What an interesting selection of American junk food. I hadn't eaten a Moon Pie in years. The Chinese called them Chococakes, the Aussies Wagon Wheels and yes, us Yanks thought they were Moon Pies. I hadn't eaten a Moon Pie in years, but I must say it tasted fantastic. Imagine enjoying a Moon Pie in the middle of Hong Kong.
The tour of the harbor offered great photo opportunities. No city is lit up quite like Hong Kong and what a treat to see it from this vantage point. As the time drew near we made our way to the viewing spot. Our guide had told us that the captain would do everything possible to get us in the front of the viewing. How could that be accomplished with all of these boats? He did!
It seemed an entire fleet of boats was lined up across the harbor from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon. I looked back and saw boats as far as the eye could see: junks that looked as though they had too many passengers, large ships with hundreds, yachts with families, and small tour boats such as ours. You could literally pass a beer to the boat next to you. Oh my, Party Cove had moved to Hong Kong!
Four large boats were stationed in the harbor from which the fireworks were set off. Police boats kept the others at a safe distance. It was organized chaos on a grand scale. And then they started.
Beautiful red and gold fireworks. Again good luck and prosperity. Fireworks in the shape of hearts for Valentine's Day. How did they do that? Not once or twice, but again and again. Huge blasts of white that glittered and glistened like crystals.
People were videoing and photographing the entire extravaganza. Not me. I wanted to take in every second of the color and light. I was getting my fireworks fix and loving every moment of it. After the finale I think for once I might have been satisfied.
The harbor was awash in smoke. Even the skyscrapers were obscured from view. Talk about second hand smoke.
Then before I knew it the boats were gone. They dispersed in what seemed to be moments. We headed back to the dock with lights in our eyes and memories in our minds. Happy New Year!
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