Boats of Nostalgia – The Ferry to Sai Wan Ho from Kwun Tong
It could not have been a better weather for a ride on the sea. I was joining a friend for lunch at Sai Wan Ho. We planned on meeting at Soho East, the well-known restaurant strip right next to the Sai Wan Ho Pier. It was out of convenience that I decided to take the ferry, and it turned out to be a wonderful decision.
I took a bus to Kwun Tong and got off at Millennium City. I walked for ten minutes toward the sea and arrived at the Kwun Tong Public Pier. Its humility came as a surprise to me. I did not know what to expect, to begin with, but in the back of my mind I had the image of the swanky pier establishments in Central. Surely, someone thought that the selling point of this pier was its humble, simple elegance. On one of the main pillars there are printed words saying “boats of nostalgia.”
The ferry schedule is simple. In each hour of operation, the ferry comes twice, on the 18th and 48th minute. True to its word, the ferry to Sai Wan Ho came at 11:48am. When it arrived, I understood immediately the meaning of “boats of nostalgia.”
The ferry was clown-themed. It came with a very festive décor, perhaps in an outmoded way. The operator is Coral Sea, a company that I have not heard of. But the wooden ferry in its bright colors made me smile. I went on board and saw a clown, smiling ear-to-ear, sitting in the middle of the boat. It was as much a surprise as it was comical, “ah-ha, so these are clown colors!”
I took the stairs to the upper deck. The ferry headed right across the eastern entry to the Victoria Harbour, the Lei Yue Mun Pass. The first landmark that came into sight was the former runway of the Kai Tak Airport. Then came open, wide open, views of the Victoria Harbour. All of Hong Kong’s skyline, from the eastern corridor to the very western end, and on both sides of the harbour, reeled by.
Very frankly, I did not foresee that a boat ride could so refreshing. It really brightened up the day for me. I told my friend that I would be going for lunch with her again. And yes, I would do this again, and again.
