Me, Jamie | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 48 years living in Hong Kong - I know the culture
… and yes, I am a proud Yorkshireman
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
Victoria Harbour View
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
March 30th 2020 | Isn’t that one of the most spectacular city views in the world! I think so.
The Victoria Harbour View in Hong Kong.
… and yes the water is clean enough for swimming!
I have seen this view thousands upon thousands of times since 1972 in all weather conditions and honestly, how could you possibly get tired of looking at this view.
If you can imagine that in 1972 and you were looking across the harbour from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island only a few of the buildings in the image were actually there, times have certainly changed but seriously I have no issue with change, the 2020 skyline is way, way better than in 1972!
When you do a tour of Hong Kong views are important and I wish I could wave a magic wand and guarantee a deep blue sky and white fluffy clouds… err… no, that is not going to happen, but trust me, the view on a cloudy, foggy, rainy, no sun days can be just as awesome and on a sunny day, the view at sunset is just awesome.
Please note that Victoria Harbour or “the Harbour” is a deep water harbour, it is NOT a river! if you go left or right you end up in the South China Sea, I have read that the average depth of the harbour is 30ft, there is a shallow area somewhere of 8ft and there is a deep channel in the middle of the harbour of about 120ft to allow for the passage of monster Cruise ships to our two Cruise Ship Terminals.
One thing that regularly comes up on my tours ( particularly from guests who visited Hong Kong 30 years ago ) is the observation about the missing fishing junks from the harbour, it is a valid point, dozens of fishing junks use to fish in the harbour but over the years, over fishing and bans on commercial fishing in Hong Kong waters has put paid to that.
These days there are basically two Tour Operators offering cruises around Victoria Harbour on a fishing junk
The Aqua Luna, shown in the image below, which is really excellent but it is a replica boat (and there are two of them) absolutely worth it in my opinion
The Duk Ling which is actually a genuine | authentic fishing junk and a lot smaller, the company (boat) has an interesting history to say the least and let’s leave it at that.
Finally, you will notice that there is no bridge or bridges connecting Hong Kong Island with Kowloon, that my friends is a story for another day.
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
Is this the end of the Jumbo Kingdom Floating Restaurant?
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
March 30th 2020 | Is this the end of the iconic Jumbo Kingdom Floating Restaurant
The Jumbo Kingdom Floating Restaurant, Aberdeen, Island South, Hong Kong
… the announcement was short and sweet, the iconic restaurant has closed indefinitely as of March 3rd 2020 and there is speculation that it will never re - open.
The so called Pro Democracy Riots in 2019 were the main reason patronage dropped suddenly, 8 months of ever decreasing numbers of visitors to Hong Kong was just tragic, the Coronavirus | Covid 19 was the final nail in the coffin.
So here’s the thing, for a photographer such as myself I love the place, it is gaudy and over the top but it makes for a great image, over the years I have probably eaten on this monstrosity around 75 times only mainly because the food is quite mediocre, it is expensive and it is a tourist trap of monumental proportions… even so it has it’s legions of fans all over the world.
Here are just some of the more memorable quotes about this floating restaurant.
“Jumbo Kingdom is an internationally renowned tourist attraction in Hong Kong, providing a unique dining experience for its customers “
“It has been a popular tourist destination since, with many celebrities, including royalty and movie stars, among its clientele over the years.”
“This restaurant is a tourist trap and clearly doesn’t rely on repeat business. .”
“We went to this place because many friends recommended it and it was totally disappointing, food is not good and the waiters were very aggressive”
“Do not visit this tourist rip off and waste time and money like we did! The food is awful, service (what service!) dreadful and a nightmare to get to! Realised afterwards from locals that should never visit this place.”
… I have a couple of issues other than it being a tourist trap that has apparently served close to 40 million patrons over the years
it is still quite difficult to get to as it is quite far from the Central Business District and even if you take the Subway, it still requires a bit of walk to the Marina and then you have to get on a free ferry provided by the restaurant to take you there.
I am NOT a fan of Aberdeen Harbour where the floating restaurant is situated, it is pretty dirty with lots of surface litter and human waste, trust me you do not want to be falling into the water in Aberdeen Harbour
I always recommend people go at night when it it is lit up with lights, I am pretty sure you can see it from the International Space Station.! it looks sensational.
So despite my misgivings and average happy memories of going there 75 times I do hope they renovate it and re-open it but I have a feeling this might never happen.
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
The Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
March 30th 2020 | I yearn for the old days at Chinese New Year in Hong Kong
The Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple
…oh my gosh I get the shivers when I recall taking this image in 2014 at one of my favourite places to visit in Hong Kong, it was overwhelming, the crowds, the noise, the incense.. and the culture.
Sadly it has been a couple of years since I have seen anything like this at the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple, it has been under going extensive renovations for a few years now and it is still NOT finished, so Chinese New Year 2019 and 2020 were duds as far as I was concerned with50% of the place closed.
I have been to many other Temples in Hong Kong around Chinese New Year and they simply do not compare to this iconic place.
I have been back recently and I am getting excited, a few more months and it will be back to the atmosphere, crowds and drama of the old days, I have been here thousands of times and my enthusiasm remains as strong as ever.
If you want a real and comprehensive insight into Hong Kong Chinese culture then book a tour with me, Jamie.. honestly, this is not really a place to visit on your own, you need a Hong Kong expert to explain what and why is going on as a lot of my cultural observations are not what you will read in a guide book or get from a very young, cheap, inexperienced guide. (or vanilla guides as I call them)
The Ultimate Hong Kong Tour Blog
The amazing Pagani Zonda Fantasma
© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | 2011 - 2020. All rights reserved. Click on the image to enlarge to full screen
March 30th 2020 | This thing I have about Pagani Cars in Hong Kong
Pagani Cars
…oh good heavens… what a magical car, the Pagani Zonda Fantasma and the Pagani Zonda Fantasma EVO
The details | story below cross reference with this Zonda Fantasma number plate PP 198
These cars can cost between US$3 Million - US$4 Million before taxes in Hong Kong.
This is a strange story and I think I have pieced together the actual “history” time line of this rather unique car.
This is a very special Pagani Zonda Fantasma EVO, the owner in Hong Kong had an orange Pagani which was partially destroyed in a road accident and sent it back to Pagani to rebuild with new materials, more power etc and it was reborn as the Zonda Fantasma.
The car came to Hong Kong in 2014 and I photographed it in the Service Centre and on the road with the Car Number Plate PP 198, apparently the owner was not 100% happy with the car and wanted something totally unique, so the car went back to Italy for a rebuild and you guessed it, even more power and even newer materials!!
........... and it was reborn as the Zonda Fantasma EVO
The car arrived back in Hong Kong towards the end of 2017 and prior to delivery to the owner, it was on show at the Gold Coast Motor Show in Hong Kong in November 2017, it is now on the road with the Car Number Plate 3E 3E .............. fabulous!
For the record both these cars do well over 210mph, they absolutely fit the definition of a hypercar!
This is NOT how I do tours! There are NO flags, whistles, stickers or large groups!
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