WHERE TO GO - Hong Kong - page 55

Club's racetrack, the stands are packed with punters on Wednesday night from September to
July. Except in the members' enclosure, it's a very informal affair; HK$10 gets you into the
public stand or track-side beer garden, with inexpensive food and drink, and offers a lively
look at Hong Kong life. The Hong Kong Racing Museum
( www.happyvalleyracecourse.com ; Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, race days until 7.30pm; free),
provides background information on the sport.
Aberdeen
Aberdeen , [map] is the island's oldest settlement. Once a pirate lair, by the mid-20th cen-
tury its harbour was home to a large 'floating population' - 'boat people' who spent their
entire lives on junks in the harbour, some claiming never to have set foot on land (except for
funerals, which weren't thought to count). The majority of the boat people have moved to
nearby high-rises but a small community remains. From the Aberdeen promenade, the junks
are a picturesque sight: children frolicking on the deck, women preparing food or playing
mahjong, dogs and cats underfoot, songbirds in bamboo cages overhead - and all afloat. The
boats may appear primitive, but many of them have electric generators and all modern con-
veniences. You can tour the port in one of the small sampan - around HK$80 for a half-hour
tour (pay at the end and negotiate a discount for two or more people).