Memories of Hong Kong - Dec '05

In a Nutshell...

A fantastic trip! One of those times when everything goes right, the group gets along, and we have the privilege of participating in events of remembrance.

These pages contain our (Jim and Anne's)  impressions of the various aspects of the trip, so we'll try not to duplicate what others have written, and will link to other information as needed.

Getting There

Whoever said that getting there is half the fun never parked their posterior in a plane seat for 14 hours. We flew from Vancouver to San Francisco, then from SF to Hong Kong, almost going over Victoria again! For some inexplicable reason, instead of heading out across the Pacific, we flew over Russia and China in a big loop.

At one point on the Vancouver-SF leg, we thought life as we knew it was over. The calm of the flight was suddenly interrupted with a loud bang and a super-bright flash!. "That's it", I said to myself, "we've lost an engine". But calm reigned once again, everyone started breathing again, and a long lineup started to form at the washrooms. Turns out, we had been struck by lightning!

On the SF-Hong Kong leg, our in-flight entertainment was "death by movies".  On the bright side, the meals were very good. We were impressed with United Airlines.

Settling In

Several flights carrying our group landed in a short time period so we had to wait a little bit at Hong Kong airport to gather the flock together. Then it was onto the bus and off to the hotel. We stayed at City Garden which is in the North Point area on Hong Kong island. This turned out to be an excellent choice, as it was close to all the official activities. On the down side, renovations were in progress, so it was lucky we were out of our rooms for most of the day. Sounded like we were inside of someone's mouth being worked on by a mad dentist!

Excellent breakfast buffet!

Official Events

The formal part of our trip revolved around events commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Hong Kong Prisoners of War. Six Hong Kong veterans made the trip, as well as over 200 students from Ontario. More...

Impressions of Hong Kong

I'm not a fan of big cities, but Hong Kong turned out to be the exception. The "stone jungle" was clean, safe and easy to get around. An excellent transportation system makes going anywhere whether on the island, or over to the mainland, quick and cheap. Everything is spotless, whether it be a subway car or a washroom or a sidewalk. There are large fines for those caught littering. Anne received a warning when she tried to leave me on a park bench.

We thought that we would spend our time fighting through crowds, but that was not the case. Mind you, we didn't spend much time in "shopping mode" so others may have different opinions.

As everyone will tell you, a "must-do" in Hong Kong is to visit Victoria Peak via the Peak Tram. They are right. The views are fantastic, both North and South. Some of our group went back at night and took some excellent photos. Hong Kong is all decked out for Christmas, and complete buildings are decorated.

This is a city that is all about commerce, and apparently the Chinese are content to change nothing. If you have to ask if you can afford to live in Hong Kong, well, you probably can't.

Old Acquaintances

I ran into two old military comrades in Hong Kong.

Garth Jonah, who was accompanying the Durham Remembers school group, is someone I have known since 1963, when I first put on a uniform. We were in militia then, but later in 1969 our paths crossed again when I was posted to 2PPCLI in Hemer, Germany. We were platoon commanders together in A Company.

Also ran into Ian McNab (Armoured Corps) who I'd met in Calgary in the late '60s. He is living large in Hong Kong and loves it there.

Battlefield Tour

A trip highlight for me was meeting Tony Banham, author of Not the Slightest Chance.  On the Wednesday morning he took us on a walk through some of the areas that had seen the hardest fighting in Dec '41. As this was where my Dad saw action, it was especially meaningful. Tony has the knack of making these events of long-ago come alive, and all too soon we ran out of time. Must go back and walk this ground again.

Finding the Sham Shui Po Plaque

(or how Anne plays detective)

This tale deserves its own page.

Lunch at the Peninsula

Another "must see" in Hong Kong is the Peninsula Hotel. You step through the door and into the past - except for the prices - they are quite modern...

Anyway, having solved the plaque mystery (see above), we decided to pat ourselves on the back and stop in at the Peninsula. Oh, and since we're here, let's have a drink and lunch. Ann Allison (see photo below) most generously bought us a drink in memory of her father, and then we ordered a light lunch.

While we were enjoying the ambiance, a string quartet was playing from the mezzanine. Is this the life or what!

We all also made a pit-stop here- once again something you must do if you visit. Even in the washrooms the service is first-rate!

Some of our little group were so impressed that they returned for dinner.

Fellow Travellers

Our little trip record would not be complete without mentioning our 36 friends that we made on this trip. We started out in Vancouver with eight from that area, and ended up in Hong Kong with 38 from all over Canada and the USA. We won't single out anyone specifically, except Mike Babin, our tour coordinator. If we could name any one element that made this trip so memorable, it would be Mike. Take a bow!

OK, we lied. We'd like to talk about two ladies: Doris and Emily. We got to know them because I heard them mention the name "Smelts" and it rang a loud bell. It turned out they were sisters of Ed Smelts, who served with my Dad, and who perished during the invasion of the island. Dad talked about Ed in his diary, and I had a copy with me, so I was able to provide them some information as to what had happened to their brother. Doris and Emily may have been the "senior" folks on our tour, but they put us to shame with their energy and added to our memories with their sense of humour and affection.

Events that we participated in connected us in a way that is unique. We all had our reasons for going, but in the end the events with the veterans and the students made an impression that we all now share, and will for many years.

Time to Say Goodbye

All too soon we had to pack up and get on the airport bus. When I first arrived in Hong Kong I had said that this was the only time I'd visit, but I've changed my mind. There were many things that I wanted to do, but time ran out. It is a fascinating place.

Most of our group farewells took place in the hotel bar the night before, as travel arrangements varied amongst the group members.

All too soon, it was time to get on the airplane, pump up the whoopee cushion and launch for North America. Hard to believe that it's all over.

For those of you who have read this far, we extend our best wishes for the Holiday season and '06.

Best to you all,

Jim and Anne

PS: afraid that you'll forget some of the faces and names as time goes on? Not to worry- just check out our memory jogger page.

[HKVCA Site]  [ Official Events ] [ Treasure Hunt ] [ Photo Gallery ] [ Memory Jogger ]

Contents: ©Copyright James Trick 2005