Post-SARS, Hong Kong Trip Priced as Steal
H O N G K O N G, Feb. 18 -- "Your hands are like clouds," said tai chimaster William Ng. "You are a bird showing its wings. … You areholding the cosmos."
As I waved my limbs with the other tourists, that last imagedidn't seem too far off. In front of us was breezy VictoriaHarbour, the skyline of the Kowloon peninsula a backdrop toblue-green waters dotted with ferries, cruise-liners and containerships. Beyond Kowloon was vast mainland China. Behind us, sunlightgleamed off ultramodern lines of glass and steel.
Hong Kong is pure energy, an epicenter of East meets West.Incredibly orderly, amazingly litter-free and impossibly packed,its skyscrapers stretch tall and thin from terraced slopes. Itswaterfront bustles and flows out to numerous beaches, islandrestaurants, and across the bay to Kowloon and the suburban "NewTerritories" that are growing up with clusters of skyscrapers amidthe traditional villages.
A Post-SARS Bargain
Not long ago, a trip here from the United States would haverequired a cash sacrifice along the lines of half a small car. Butafter SARS, and with new concerns about avian flu, that's changed,with drastically discounted airfare and hotel rates. When Itraveled to Hong Kong in December, fear of SARS hadn't disappeared— the lobby of the Newton Hotel where I stayed still had ahand-sanitizing machine, and some people still covered their faceswith handkerchiefs and surgical masks. But travelers were fillingthe city from around the world, reveling in the cheap deals.
"To get a ticket to Asia for under $1,000 usually is just afeat," said Lucas Bittick, a 27-year-old fellow traveler from St.Louis, Mo. "All my friends were worried about SARS. Whatever. Isay, hey, you only live once."
I found my deal after the mounting tally of a Midwestern skivacation sent me clicking around the Internet for Plan B.
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