Hong Kong - Cloud, Fog or Smog?
Trip Start
Apr 10, 2006
1
16
47
Trip End
Jul 24, 2006
Kowloon,
Hong Kong
Friday, April 28, 2006
On first arriving in Hong Kong I marvelled at the modern, vast, sparkling clean buildings, streets and public areas. Hong Kong is impeccably clean; an army of cleaners, pick up the odd piece of discarded litter, leaves and cigarette butts, normally adorning city streets. Signs requesting 'no littering' or 'spitting' are in abundance, as well as 'no smoking', and 'please wear masks if you have a cold'! On reflection I found Hong Kong very sterile, very plastic and cosmetic if you know what I mean. It was all perfect, but a little too pristine and artificial for my taste.
Hong Kong does have natural beauty, including many tree lined hills and slopes, where buildings cannot be built, but you only see these when you rise above the towering office and apartment blocks
A dangerous place?
. With the limited amount of space, buildings are far higher that I am used to, much closer and streets are confined. Look up in some parts of Kowloon and you'll be hard pressed to see windows, for the amount of washing hanging out of them.While walking along Kowloon's main shopping street I could have been in any city in the world, except for the glittering array of overhanging signs and some 30 -40% of all shops and stores being aimed at health, beauty and well being. There was the usual haranguing I've come to expect everywhere I travel, "would you like a watch; a camera, a massage, a phone?", but these street hustlers were not Chinese, they were Indian and Pakistani and I nearly lost my temper a couple of times with them - but stiff upper chin and all that!
The streets of Hong Kong are incredibly dangerous when it rains. Not from petty criminals, or poor driving but from umbrella carrying Chinese. With the average height of Chinese people being some 1 foot shorter than most westerners including myself, when brollies are raised they were at the perfect height for hitting me in the head or worse still poking me in the eye. Stooping was often the only way of defence, but I lost count of how many times I was hit!
Bright lights
My hotel in Kowloon The Mayfair Garden was excellent, the room was very small, but had great views and was modern, well appointed and comfortable. I managed to negotiate a good price and the final night although they didn't have any rooms, they moved me to a suite - a huge waste, as there was just me, but the bath was a welcome relaxant after a long day walking the streets.
I much prefer to walk everywhere; it helps keep the weight down and I also find I can get to know a place, it's streets, it's people better than from the inside of a taxi. Of course it's more tiring and you can't get around as quickly, and now my blisters have blisters, but It's worth it.
On one such walk I spotted a laundry, close to the hotel, and the next day handed in two large bags of washing representing all my clothes less those I was wearing. When weighed it came to 12kg, since by whole kit is only 18kg, it just shows what the bulk of a travellers kit is made up of. I was relieved that evening to see my clothes back and at just 40 Hong Kong Dollars (4 pounds approx) it was a bargain - better than using the hotel.
So how come my best Chinese meal was in the departure lounge of the airport? Well my first night I was determined to try a Chinese. I went up and down streets looking for a Chinese restaurant; Japanese, Thai, English, more Japanese, more Japanese and no Chinese! My confession is that I got completely fed up looking, very hungry and ended up in.......of all places; a McDonald's! My second night I did find some Chinese restaurants and was tempted in to one by the menu on the street
Bright lights & buses
. I walked past several fish tanks on the way in, the contents destined for customers plates at some time, nice! It was all smiles getting me in and seated, then the atmosphere seemed to change; with precision, waiters and waitresses buzzed around, dropping plates of food off everywhere including mine. I'd read before I'd arrived that tips were added to bills, and also food was given to you without it being ordered and added to your bill, it was happening to me now. By the third plate, I'd cottoned on and refused to have it. I ate what I'd ordered, disliked the room, the atmosphere and the food - I couldn't wait to get out, ate quickly, paid and left. The next evening I was in Hong Kong and ended up in an Italian, more because I craved company than anything else, and the occupants looked sane. The food was excellent too.I was expecting to find loads of the latest gadgets (boy's toys) in Hong Kong and at great prices, hence I'd thought that I'd be having three days of shopping. But electricals were as expensive and sometimes more expensive than from Europe, and I was pretty disappointed. The only things that seemed good value were food and clothes, but there was only so much I could eat and I had no room for clothes in my pack.
Hong Kong's transport system is superb, from the new airport (I was actually able to check my bags in at the train terminus - before catching the train to the airport - how cool is that?), to the metro, to the ferry's, which cost a staggering 20p per crossing! There is also an abundance of Taxi's and my one ride seemed good value.
Kowloon, has created a waterfront area overlooking the front of Hong Kong - it was ok but lacked buzz, there was nothing to keep me there, and once you've seen the lights across the bay there is nothing to come back for. There are a few reasonable shopping malls, but they all pretty much sell the same things and don't hold a candle to those in Hong Kong.
So Kowloon is an ok place to stay, has some bright lights, shops, bars and restaurants, a few antiquities and 1,000's of jostling people! Oh, and did I mention it rained every day I was there, very overcast or was it smog?
