Touring Hong Kong

It's remarkable how fast our tourism industry is heading straight for the gutter. First, Disneyland fails to impress (though the mainlanders who go there pull off some pretty impressive stuff), and promises to continue to be so at least until the third phase opens, if it opens at all. My grandkids won't be able to wait that long. Now, what was supposed to be Asia's biggest cable car system fails to open altogether, delivering Lantau's biggest punch line. It's as if featured attractions are striving to outdo one another in making embarrassing headlines.

It's precisely at times like these that we relearn to appreciate good old tourist spots. Oldies like the Peak and the Ocean Park are only getting more packed, with tourists and locals alike. And reaching their respective maximum capacities is anything but a problem for them.

With renovation work still in progress, the Peak Tower is now deserted with the exception of Madame Tussaud's wax museum, which makes this the perfect time to visit for people like me, who can't care less about the retail shops that are scheduled to open later in the year anyway. The wax museum only reopened recently with new statues and backdrops spanning through two floors. From what I could see when I went a few days ago, visitors generally have a blast posing and taking pictures with legendary celebrities and politicians, leaving lesser-known Hong Kong "singers" to gather cobwebs. The experience is well worth the $100 admission. It's fun because it's interactive. I knew I got more than my money's worth by the fourth time I grabbed Brad Pitt's ass.

Leslie Cheung--no cobweb there