Summing up Hong Kong

Claire is too tired to do the summing up today I’m afraid you will have to settle for me again. Claire still hasn’t got used to the time difference yet and has severe jet lag. She goes to sleep real early then wakes up starving and we have to go for a midnight trip to Mc Donald’s. I even caught here reading by torch light under the covers last night. It hasn’t helped that she still has UK time on her watch so is constantly asking me whet time it is. It also hasn’t helped that I have dragged her all around Hong Kong for two days running in the hope that she will be knackered and sleep better. I’ve been watching too much of the “dog whisperer”. We set off quite late and bought fruit and juice at the super market in the market area next to our sister hotel and were just in time to catch the shuttle bus into town. As we didn’t have tickets they wouldn’t let us on the bus; how does that work then? The other times we have to sign and get a ticket on the bus giving our room number. Luckily there was a taxi waiting just in case so we jumped in that and set off to Star Ferries.

The main drag on this side (Tsim Sha Tsui) of town runs right through Hong Kong and is called Nathan Street but my God, the touts, or hawkers are out. You will be constantly plagued by them trying to sell you a suit that will be made the same day amongst other things. It’s a very busy road and takes ages to get across with all the traffic as does the side streets that cross it every block. Near the bottom off Nathan Street is Chungking Mansions which the guide book describes as, “..a place like no other in the world. This huge, ramshackle high-rise dump in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui caters virtually all needs-from finding a bed and curry lunch to changing your Burmese kyat and getting your hair cut- but you maybe put off by the undercurrent of sleaze and the peculiar odour of cooking fat, incense and sewage………and unclaimed bodies; everyone should come here once.” They certainly got that one right, but strangely, it reminded me of the “Agora Centre” in Wolverton.

We walked up to the metro station and bought a tourist day pass for about £4 each which enables you to travel on metro, overland train, bus and ferry for the day. ; Perfect to get further a field cheaply. The stations are very modern and clean and each station we saw had platform doors which synchronise with the train doors to stop jumpers. As it was lunch time by now and Claire was starving we used our first trip back over to Hong Kong Island Central station. Only a short walk through Lan Kwai Fong to Soho where all the little restaurants are and this time we chose “Café Siam”. The Businessman’s lunch for two with a pitcher of beer fitted the bill perfectly and we stuffed ourselves silly.

Back on the Metro up to Mong Kok where all the locals come to shop. This is still on the Nathan road but there are no touts this high up. I was looking for the Mong Kok computer centre but never did find it. I thought I might buy some cheap CAD software while here but no time now. I did ask in a shop on the street but they only had AutoCAD which was about 1000HK$ for the package or 330HK$ to install onto your computer. 1000HK$ was about £77.50 when I bought mine so a bit cheaper than the £2500 odd in England. We tried to walk from there through Kowloon Park but missed that as well. We were both exhausted and headed straight for the China Hong Kong City shopping centre where we normally catch the bus from. By the time we managed to cross the road we just missed the bus and didn’t have the energy to wait an hour for the next one so grabbed another taxi which costs about 150 to 160HK$ apposed to the 30HK$ on the bus.

We have been her plenty long enough for us, as we neither like cities much. Maybe a day less would have been perfect but never mind we don’t have to come back again now. One strange thing here that reminded me of Germany is that all old people seem to smell of moth balls. Bizarre; I guess the two nations have the same moths and only get out their best clothes when going on holiday. We have seen it, know the vibe now but still I would prefer Bangkok out the two. Everyone is very friendly, helpful, and polite as they seem to be in most other Asian cities we have seen. It’s very clean, modern but for me just too many people and haste, give me the beach life anyday. See you in Bali tomorrow!