Hong Kong April 5 to 7
April 5 & 6 Wellington to Hong Kong
Wayne & Sue arrived, loaded me into the car and drove me to the airport in no time at all. I checked in, with the disturbing news there was no record of my upgrade request. I may have to strangle my travel consultant when I return! I should find out what is happening when I reach Auckland.
The first course of dinner was a wildly unhealthy mixed cheese and mescalin sandwich. The second course will be in Auckland. The terminal was quite busy, with lots of school sports parties in evidence. Many of the state schools here have uniforms which would grace the poshest of public schools in the UK. I tried some photos with the small camera but suspect that they will be badly shaken.
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The plane was packed but we arrived on time and without the bumps that the driver had warned us about. We disembarked at a gate without an air bridge and all followed each other into the bowels of the airport. After a short time we realised that we were lost but eventually found a way into the main concourse. The evening was warm and still for my 10 minute walk to the international terminal.
I negotiated Immigration and security with a minimum of fuss and tried to find some decent food. Realising that this was a vain quest, and that I should have eaten in Wellington, I settled for a pasta salad and a coffee and a beer to wash it down. Not too unhealthy.
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A sign on the wall indicated that I was in a hot zone, so I switched on the laptop and soon connected to the WWW. This then demanded payment so I switched off again.
My upgrade proved non-existent as the plane was packed. While it was cramped and not particularly comfortable, the food was OK and the entertainment a massive improvement since I last travelled economy.
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The flight was predictable and we took off on time, landed on time and nothing exciting happened. Once on the ground in Hong Kong, we went down a level, boarded a small train, went somewhere for a couple of minutes and disembarked up another escalator. Very exciting!Last time I came here, Immigration was a shambles, with huge queues. This time, there was only one person ahead of me so I was through in no time and then had to wait a few minutes for my bag.I tried to add some cash onto my octopus card, using my credit card but discovered that you can buy a new one on credit but added value has to be done with cash. I added $100, which was more than enough to get me into the city. After about a 10 minute wait, a train arrived, and we sped along the new line into the city. It was dull and misty but I tried a few photos, mainly of fast moving posts, cables and reflections from the windows.Left: Hong Kong Airport |
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Twenty minutes later we reached Kowloon and I found a lift up to the level of the courtesy buses which go to the hotels. There was another wait of about 10 minutes before we pulled out into the open air – and the drizzle. When we reached the waterfront, you could hardly see the bank buildings on the Island opposite.
I completed the short walk to the YMCA – the bus only stops at the posher hotel up the road – and discovered that I would be able to check into my room at 10, a couple of hours later. This was good news as I had anticipated having to wait until the afternoon. I abandoned my suitcase and, realising that it was raining and that the shops wouldn’t open until about 11, decided to head downstairs to the cafeteria for breakfast.
This was excellent. Dim sum, congee (porridge with shredded pork), noodles and Chinese tea. all for £5. There were a few Americans about, ordering bacon and eggs and being rude. I managed to avoid them but several times already have forgotten to hand over credit cards etc using both hands. I apologised profusely to the lady at the hotel reception and she was greatly amused. She is well used to foreigners getting it wrong.
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The dim sum breakfast |
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I bought a map at the YMCA bookshop and looked at the two sides of Easter as displayed in the hotel foyer. A brief wander outside proved that it was still raining and that the Island had still sunk without trace and that the Peninsula, the oldest and grandest hotel in town, was looking a trifle past its best. I then returned to the Y, used the internet café and reported to reception at 10 to claim my room.
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After washing, changing, resting and re-arranging my goods and chattels, I walked up Nathan Rd, the main tourist drag, and was instantly assailed by people trying to sell me suits, shirts and dodgy watches.
It took a surprising amount of time to find a branch of the HSBC but, when I did, I quickly obtained some cash and went into the MRT to add some of it to my octopus. Suitably financially fortified, I went 3 stops to Mong Kok.
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Here, I visited several camera shops in search of the new lens that I wanted. All had sold out and one of the bigger stores checked their computer system & happily assured me that they didn’t have one in the whole of Hong Kong. This is often the story with new camera gear, where production is completely unable to keep up with demand. I will have to hope that a new shipment arrives before I return to HK in a month’s time.
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I meandered around the streets looking at entertaining things, such as bamboo scaffolding. There were stores selling all manner of clothes and other junk and, just for once, more fake watches.
The Mong Kok Computer Centre is similar to the one I frequent in Wanchai. Lots of narrow corridors lined with shops selling every known sort of computer and related components. I found one that I wanted but put off buying anything else until my next visit, at the end of the trip.
More rain had come and gone, my hip hurt and I was tired. As breakfast had been 5 hours earlier, I was also hungry, so I found DeliFrance and ordered a very fusion meal - tomato & vegetable soup, followed by chicken in black bean sauce with linguine and a china tea. The rest probably did me as much good as the food.
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I retraced my steps to the MRT and visited another of the recommended camera shops but with the same lack of success. On the waterfront is the local equivalent of London and Brisbane’s South Bank. I took photos of some of the architecture and staggered back to the hotel for a lie down. I actually slept for nearly an hour before showering again and heading back to the Star Ferry terminal to take photos. |
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I also found some Chinese rice paper in the China Arts & Crafts emporium. It was amazingly cheap so, if it turns out to be the wrong stuff for, it won’t really matter.I found one of the lenses I required but it was being sold at the same sort of price for which I could buy it in London or Wellington, so I didn’t bother.The building opposite the hotel, currently being restored, is the old Marine Police HQ, a magnificent example of colonial architecture with a large new building rising over the top. |
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I wandered through some of the posher malls, spotting a few names – Armani, Rolex, Prada and so on. I didn’t bother visiting any of the shops.
By now, it was growing dark and there was still a touch of drizzle in the air. All day it had remained pleasantly cool – about 20 degrees. In the middle of the noise and bustle is Kowloon Park, which has trees, flowers and fountains. I tried to take photos in the gloom but I don’t know how good they will be. I also tried an assortment of shots of the lights on Nathan Rd.
Still feeling tired, I decided to take the easy way out, forget my diet and have the buffet at the hotel. This included huge quantities of both fish and seafood, so I was able to feast on smoked salmon, marinated whelks, sashimi and prawns, to name but a few. The puddings looked divine but I ignored them and contented myself with some fruit. It can’t have been too unhealthy a meal.
At 8pm the nightly light show started on the major buildings on the Island waterfront. It is a magnificent show but trying to take photos without a tripod and through a hotel window is unlikely to be successful.
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