Soaking up the Energy of the City that Lights up the Night

Some cities just do their ‘thing’ well. In saying that, Hong Kong at night is a sight to behold, and since our ship is parked right at the Harbour City terminal in Kowloon, we have an uninterrupted view of this wondrous city and its night lights. Every skyscraper, it seems, has its own set of lights under which we are dining tonight.

During the day, whilst we were exploring the third Big Bus route, the ‘blue’ line through Kowloon, the crew of the ship had been setting up tables and chairs under the stars. White fairy lights and the instruction that everyone is to wear white clothes for the voyage’s ‘White Night’ provided the setting for a magical celebration of our sailing out of Hong Kong. What could go wrong?

The weather, for a start. It has not just turned cold, it is frigid with a cutting wind. There is little shelter, and we are sitting on the top deck, watching the natural light fade and artificial lights from the hundreds of buildings fringing the water come to colourful life.

At the stroke of 7:15 PM, as the ship crawls out of the harbour, there is no sign of the laser light show we had been promised. That aside, I cannot think of a better way to say goodbye to Hong Kong than floating through an evening display of neon lights, all of which have been lit without using one solar panel, or one battery, or one wind turbine.

I will not forget our departure, and as we get ourselves out of the cold wind and into the warm lounge along with many of our fellow passengers, it is time to find a St Bernard in the form of a waiter with the ability to ply me with brandy to thaw myself out.

Very soon we leave the bright lights of Hong Kong behind us and head for our next destination.