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The Star Ferry

Made famous but it's appearance in almost every movie about Hong Kong the Star Ferry is unusual in being both a mode of normal transport for Hong Kong people as well as a sightseeing destination for tourists.

As a child I remember always looking forward to a ride on the ferry, it was always a little bit special -- there is, or was, an old-world luxury feel to the ferry.  At least when you take the upper "deluxe" class though that probably only cost 50cents given the ride only takes 5 minutes.

Now though sadly the original Star Ferry Pier -- a crossing place for the whole of Hong Kong where you could hang out all day and see every strata of society walk past -- is now to be replaced as reclamation is filling in the sea beside the piers.

So soon there will be a new Star ferry Pier -- it's under construction now and I only hope it can maintain some of the feel of the original but I'm afraid I'm not too optimistic.  At the very least though they have to keep the clock and bell tower!  Oh I do hope so.

Anyway if you are visiting Hong Kong soon -- rush to take your pictures not just of the ferry, but of the ferry pier itself with their distinctive rounded ends.  Soon it will be that the "Old Star Ferry Pier" will be gone, a sad day for me as it's been there all my life and quite a number of notable things have happened to me there.

The ferries themselves have been crossing Victoria harbour since 1898 and I hope to see the white and green Star Ferry going back and forth for many years to come.

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