I have shared my story about being attacked by monkeys on Monkey Mountain during my 2006 trip to China. Later that day, we were visiting more places around Hong Kong. We needed to travel to the other side of the harbor, so we took the Star Ferry. My traveling companion Mike told me that this ferry is the oldest in Hong Kong. He said it might be the oldest in China or maybe even the world. It is a famous Hong Kong tourist attraction ranking along side of the Eiffel Tower on some lists.
The trip takes you across the very scenic Victoria Harbor where you can see the Hong Kong skyline. The ferry was very crowded with tourists and people out for weekend shopping. When we arrived at the other side of the harbor, people were stacked in tight trying to exit the ferry. These crowds were not unusual getting off and onto public transportation in China. But I was still vigilant about the possibility of pickpockets as I am whenever traveling any place there are crowds. So, when I felt someone reaching for me, I turned immediately to see what was going on. In my travel journal, I wrote the following:
“I was a little scared before I turned around because of concern for pickpockets and monkeys.“
My travel journal
When I turned around, I saw a young handicapped boy reaching for me. I think he might have been blind too and needed assistance getting off the boat. The people with him were all the assistance he needed, but the crowd made it difficult to control where his arms went. I was relieved when I saw who it was, but I still checked my pockets just in case.