Hong Kong
Trip Start
Apr 20, 2003
1
21
24
Trip End
Jun 10, 2003
Hong Kong,
Hong Kong
Sunday, June 15, 2003
On the 9am minibus (that leaves at 8.45am!) for the ride from Pattaya to
Bangkok Airport. I'm wedged between an obese guy on my left, the window on
my right, and a guy in front who insisted on angling his seat back even
though he's got plenty of leg room in front of him. The obese guy constantly
nodded off to sleep, slumping over me. On top of this another guy was
snoring like a bear. A pleasant way to spend 3 hours.
What does one do when at Bangkok Airport 4 hours before a flight? One leaves
it! I walked across the expressway and trainline to a temple a few hundred
metres away. Shortly after arriving a strange ritual began. A young man,
head shaved, wearing white robes, was hoisted high on a chair above the
crowd. He was then paraded in the streets around the temple, with the
crowded dancing hari-krishna style to music blaring from loudspeakers.
Perhaps a Buddhist Barmitzvah?
The plane descends into Hong Kong just after 7.30pm. Unlike the old airport,
where you zig-zagged between the buildings on approach (stealing dim sims
off dinner plates from apartment windows if you were lucky), the new airport
is way out of town. The approach at dusk is still spectacular, with Hong
Kong's lights ablaze, with it still light enough to see the water and
surrounding mountains.
After a 30 minute express train in, I've checked into the YMCA, as I heard
it was fun to stay there. By 9pm I'm in an internet cafe attempting to book
tomorrow night's accommodation at the same place. Though I can't understand
why, if I book direct with the hotel, it costs 50% more than booking via the
internet. And direct there would be no cut to an agency. Go figure.
I wandered down through the Temple Street night markets. Its a bitzer market
- they sell bits of everything - pirate CDs, flashing accessory lights for
cars (alas nothing can make the Hyundai hip), fruit, clothes, leather goods,
handbags, and an amazing array of weird, and well weirder sex toys out on
stalls for public perusal. Last time I was in Honkers in 1987 I went home
with a new set of Golf Clubs and Driver. This time I do not intend to take
home a new set of "Drivers", from the last stalls mentioned above....
NAFAN ROAD, THE VILLAGE PEOPLE WERE WRONG and SUNSET HARBOUR PHOTOS
Up early to wander down Nathan Road (that's Nafan if you're Australian) to
Tsim Sha Tsui. Its my favourite place name in Asia because you can put on a
fake Asian accent and say it like a local just by pronouncing it as it
looks. A bit like Phuc Kieu really.
I found a cheap breakfast spot ($4 for the Sunday bacon 'n eggs special) and
headed to the Star Ferry Terminal to boat it to HK Island. I headed up to
first class (45 cents) as the photo opportunities upstairs were far better.
I then headed up the Peak Tram, which takes you up Victoria Peak to see what
I could see. And what I could see was fantastic. Hong Kong really is an
attractive place from way up high. It is a beautiful city. Over the farther
side of the peak are views towards Lantau Island, and the other islands that
make up the SAR (thats Special Administrative Area, not a one off case of
SARS).
After a walk around the peak, I headed back down the tram and across on the
ferry back to Kowloon. During the walk back to the YMCA (hands in the air
people) I stopped off at a supermarket for a fusion lunch.... bit of
Japanese, a bit of fruit, and a bit of chocolate cake. Even that was
expensive. The shopping centres are great for cooling down in, as its
scorching hot at the moment.
I headed slightly north of the Y to Mong Kok, which has a collection of
Travel Agencies in one area of an office building. Basically you can walk
from shop to shop comparing prices, so its a good way of getting a bargain.
I'm off to mainland China shortly for the last hurrah of the tour, now that
the SARS thing is 'officially' A-OK. I then wandered through the shops and
backstreets of Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui back to the hotel. Its time to use
the gym as its been a while.
As it turned out, its not so fun to stay at the YMCA. I was told that it
would cost me $12 to use the gym. Considering that my internet booking
mentions the gym as one of ther facilities of the place, I'm not a happy
camper, and the manager seemed to realise this after about 10 minutes of
chatting to me and my darker side.... in the end I've got free use of the
gym.
To close the day, I went down to the HK Harbour on dusk to take some photos
of the HK sykline. After dark I went to the Jade Garden Restaurant, which
overlooks the water. The budget is blown in comparison to Vietnam. What was
$5 there sets me back $30 plus here. I must say that it was deliciouis
Chicken and Sweet Corn soup - an old favourite. The service was dodgy though
with the waiters doing their best to look right through me. They better be
careful or I'll pull out my ugly stick for a second time today....
DOUBLE DECKERS, HECK! OH! IT'S SHEK O and DOUBLE CHEESEBURGERS
Start the day with a return to Mong Kok to finalise travel details to China.
In the end, the deal is about $200 cheaper than I anticipated, though its
still not super cheap. I'm flying to Beijing tomorrow, then eventually Xi'an
and then back to Honkers via Beijing.
Via the super-efficient subway, I made my way to the bus station on HK
island, for a trip around the isle. I sat perched at the front of the upper
deck of a double decker bus, and managed to fall asleep, very early in the
day. First stop was Big Wave Bay to see the allegedly big waves. Alas that
turned out to be a complete crock, and you can't even get to the bay to
determine if indeed they are big, due to a large fence and a pristine golf
course blocking the way. I then walked the 2km to Hong Kong's last 'village'
so I'm told, Shek O.
Shek O is indeed a village, as it only has a roundabout and two streets. One
leads to a headland with expensive houses, and the other leads to the beach.
Shek O Mound (a 250 metre high hill) towers over one side of the beach, with
the headland covering the other end, islands out to sea, and extensive shark
nets covering the shore. Apparently this side of the island is shark
infested.
I then caught the bus to Stanley Town. How I slept on the first bus ride
I'll never know, as its like a rollercoaster - up and down hills along
coastlines with cliffs overhanging huge drops. (one week after this a double
deckerer hammered through a barrier and plunged 35 metres, killing 21 on
board - I kid you not). The bays on this side of the island are Ritchie Rich
territory, with Gold Coast-esque apartments blocks towering skywards then
chosen abode of the HK elite and well-to-do.
Stanley is known for the Stanley Market. THe market itself is fairly ho hum,
with the majority of stalls selling silk, genuine sporting goods at huge
prices, and some fairly ugly clothing. I had lunch on the Stanley Promenade,
which overlooks the water, watching tankers come around the coast heading
for port. Just another stinking hot sunny day in Honkers.
Back on the rollercoaster for the ride to Aberdeen. Aberdeen Harbour is
chock full of sampans, junks and floating restaurants, with colorful flags
fluttering and a backdrop of highrise apartment blocks. Its an interesting
place to wander through, except for the constant yelling of "you want sampan
ride" every ten metres. I can't work out why they keep asking when they can
hear the bloke before yelling the same question five seconds previously.
The last bus ride to Central Station went past an amazing cemetary, building
on concrete tiers stretching over hundreds of metres down to the water. The
gravestones go on forever - its surreal. Then the final five minutes
involves a slalom course zig zagging the tiny streets of Hong Kong before
getting off with ribs that feel like you've been beaten up.
After returning to the hotel for a rest I headed out to dinner at the
'Joyful Vegetarian' Restaurant. I tried the "Stir Fried Prawns With
Vegetables". In a vegetarian restaurant that means tofu colored and
flavoured like prawns. Only problem was that they tasted like off prawns.
Not so joyful. Hence I had to follow up with a Double Cheeseburger across
the road at McDonalds. Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do...
eat fatty take away.
