Mission impossible in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, China—Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go on the garden variety tour of the former crown colony and then use the remaining less than two hours to shop for souvenirs and mementos from your abbreviated six-hour on-shore visit of Hong Kong.

That spiel from the opening of the Hollywood blockbuster Mission Impossible kind of sums up the challenge media from the CNMI and Guam—as well as Stay and Cruise promotion partners—gamely took on the SuperStar Virgo’s third and final port call on Wednesday.

The group, which was part of the familiarization tour organized by Resorts World Manila that earlier called on the ports of Currimao in Ilocos Norte and Kaohsiung, Taiwan, embarked after lunch and took a tour bus from Kowloon to Hong Kong up to The Peak. Formerly called Victoria Peak, the area is Hong Kong’s most exclusive neighborhood since colonial times.

Our tour guide, Carol, said the British immediately took a liking to the nearly 2,000-foot mountain due to its cooler air in the pre air-conditioning era and majestic view of Victoria Harbor. For a time, taking up residence in The Peak was exclusive to British citizens until a half-Chinese Brit forced the colonial government to ease the regulation in the 1930s.

Next stop for the FAM tour participants was Aberdeen Fishing Village, a mere 30 minutes downhill from The Peak.

Even as Aberdeen continues to be a thriving and busy harbor, the district is still home to the boat-dwelling Tanka people, which the group saw first hand during its short $8 sampan boat-ride around the canal.

Carol said the Tanka people are in a predicament these days as fewer of their youth take up the traditional way of living on their boats, called sampan; the present generation has traded fishing nets for a career in the big city.

The tour of Hong Kong concluded with a visit to the Garden of Stars, which included larger-than-life statues of the territory’s movie stars including those of Bruce Lee and Anita Mui.

Free and easy couldn’t have come sooner, as members of the group immediately made a beeline to the nearest shopping malls and stores that were a few steps away from the Garden of Stars.

While a few gravitated toward the fancy-shmancy boutiques in Harbor City, some members of the FAM tour sprinted to the fly-by-night shops located in Hong Kong’s narrow streets to buy their souvenirs.

Looking for the bargain makeshift stores, however, proved daunting as the exhausted and hungry group had to walk for more than an hour in the city’s crowded streets in a mild drizzle before finally hitting paydirt near Kimberly Street.

The bounty were some “I Love Hong Kong” T-shirts and caps, refrigerator magnets depicting the city’s skyline, tram, Victoria Harbor, and The Peak, and a few other souvenirs for the family and loved ones back home.

As a bonus, the group found a cute little Korean store that sold anything from bags to computer accessories, face masks, stuffed toys, to water tumblers at reasonable prices on the way back to the SuperStar Virgo.

Resorts World Manila’s Geric Hagemann later said he was relieved the group was able to buy souvenirs; he admitted that finding the bargain store in less than two hours was a minor miracle in itself.

The familiarization tour headed back to its homeport of Manila yesterday and the tour group would call Belmont Hotel at Resorts World Manila its home the next couple of days before flying back to Guam via Cebu Pacific Sunday morning.

The 882-foot, over 75,000-gross ton SuperStar Virgo could accommodate up to 1,870 passengers and was designed specifically for the Asian cruise market.

With rates starting at just $655 per person, you can stay at two properties of Resorts World Manila—the Philippines’ premier integrated entertainment and tourism destination—and go on a cruise aboard SuperStar Virgo as the luxury liner makes Manila its new homeport from March 19 to May 23.

Sailing dates are March 24 and 29, April 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, and 28, and May 3, 8, 13, 18, and 23.

Guam and Saipan residents can directly avail of the Stay and Cruise package using credit card payments through the SSV RWM BUNDLE option at www.rwmanila.com/stayandcruise. The package is inclusive of two-night accommodations at Resorts World Manila hotels.

Those interested can also call John Hagemann at +63917878583/john.hagemann@rwmanila.com or Janine Chua at +639178788576/ janine.chua@rwmanila for more details. For other inquiries and reservations, contact Tourist/Visitor Hotline at (02) 908-8833 or visit www.rwmanila.com.