I am writing this post from Hong Kong's international airport, feeling quite literally exhausted from 2 frenetic days of sightseeing. From the back seat of a Mercedes. As you do. HK hospitality is something else again.
In only two days, with our trusty chauffeur Robert to guide the way, batreg and I delighted in Hong Kong's sights, smells, and sounds. What no guide book felt honest enough to mention is the climate in February. We had fog, we had mist, we had cloud. And in that sense (and that sense alone), it was a shame we had a Harbor-view hotel room. We could only see out the window for such a small amount of time in the day, which was disappointing. I would say that, on a clear day, it would make for a magic sight.
We went to Victoria Peak, which again purports to have stellar views over Hong Kong. However, the site was deserted owing to the awful weather, and there was nothing to see up there anyway. In fact, it was quite treacherous because we were slipping and sliding over the rained-on tiles as the mist closed in around us. Eerie stuff.
We then went to the Stanley markets where I was in fear of being mugged (irrationally of course). A horrible coffee from the Delifrance chain accompanied us on a meander through the windy streets to peruse the shops selling pretty much the same things. Andrea and I emerged with a souvenir print each. Tacky souvenirs can wait I think.
After the market trip, we went to Repulse Bay, which is a misnomer if ever I have heard one. The beach is actually quite nice, with soft (treated) sand, and a calm swimming area. Off to one side is a collection of Chinese sculptures - mostly Buddha and other deities. Andrea and I walked across the Bridge of Long Life, to give us long life (DUH) and, upon direction, also fondled a stone that purports to see you fall in love and get hitched in the near future. I'll keep you all posted on that front (gulp).
All this misty touring works up an appetite, so we caught a ferry to Jumbos, the floating restaurant. For $7A each, we feasted on dim sum, but of course I used a fork. Never have masted those chopsticks. The meal was delicious, and the accompanying jasmine tea was a really relaxing (albeit hallucinogenic) condiment.
To work off the hearty meal, we took a public bus up to the Pao Lin Monastery. Again, the entire complement of passengers trusted our lives to the bus driver as we wound up and up a mist-covered mountain. We were rewarded with more fog. Oh, and the biggest Buddha I've never seen (fog fog fog). To see the Buddha we had to climb up about 700 stairs and I tell you - my legs are positively killing me. But the peace and quiet at the top was worth the effort. You know it's funny - it didn't matter what nationality my fellow tourists were - we were united in the common expression of pain and anguish as we ambled, mountain goat-style up step by step. We shared the common "oh-god-why-are-we-enduring-this-ridiculous-vertical-ascent" moments, and it was gratifying to notice. But they do say 'no pain no gain', so perhaps the muscle spasms will subside and reveal shapely, toned legs. Yeh. Moving on.
After Buddha, we went back to the Hotel and had dinner with my Dad and his colleague in Nathan Street. Shopping mecca, crazy place. A lot like Kuta in Bali, and a real place that never sleeps.
In only two days, with our trusty chauffeur Robert to guide the way, batreg and I delighted in Hong Kong's sights, smells, and sounds. What no guide book felt honest enough to mention is the climate in February. We had fog, we had mist, we had cloud. And in that sense (and that sense alone), it was a shame we had a Harbor-view hotel room. We could only see out the window for such a small amount of time in the day, which was disappointing. I would say that, on a clear day, it would make for a magic sight.
We went to Victoria Peak, which again purports to have stellar views over Hong Kong. However, the site was deserted owing to the awful weather, and there was nothing to see up there anyway. In fact, it was quite treacherous because we were slipping and sliding over the rained-on tiles as the mist closed in around us. Eerie stuff.
We then went to the Stanley markets where I was in fear of being mugged (irrationally of course). A horrible coffee from the Delifrance chain accompanied us on a meander through the windy streets to peruse the shops selling pretty much the same things. Andrea and I emerged with a souvenir print each. Tacky souvenirs can wait I think.
After the market trip, we went to Repulse Bay, which is a misnomer if ever I have heard one. The beach is actually quite nice, with soft (treated) sand, and a calm swimming area. Off to one side is a collection of Chinese sculptures - mostly Buddha and other deities. Andrea and I walked across the Bridge of Long Life, to give us long life (DUH) and, upon direction, also fondled a stone that purports to see you fall in love and get hitched in the near future. I'll keep you all posted on that front (gulp).
All this misty touring works up an appetite, so we caught a ferry to Jumbos, the floating restaurant. For $7A each, we feasted on dim sum, but of course I used a fork. Never have masted those chopsticks. The meal was delicious, and the accompanying jasmine tea was a really relaxing (albeit hallucinogenic) condiment.
To work off the hearty meal, we took a public bus up to the Pao Lin Monastery. Again, the entire complement of passengers trusted our lives to the bus driver as we wound up and up a mist-covered mountain. We were rewarded with more fog. Oh, and the biggest Buddha I've never seen (fog fog fog). To see the Buddha we had to climb up about 700 stairs and I tell you - my legs are positively killing me. But the peace and quiet at the top was worth the effort. You know it's funny - it didn't matter what nationality my fellow tourists were - we were united in the common expression of pain and anguish as we ambled, mountain goat-style up step by step. We shared the common "oh-god-why-are-we-enduring-this-ridiculous-vertical-ascent" moments, and it was gratifying to notice. But they do say 'no pain no gain', so perhaps the muscle spasms will subside and reveal shapely, toned legs. Yeh. Moving on.
After Buddha, we went back to the Hotel and had dinner with my Dad and his colleague in Nathan Street. Shopping mecca, crazy place. A lot like Kuta in Bali, and a real place that never sleeps.
On our last day in HK (today), we crossed the sea - and Chinese border - into Macau. On the whole a rather unpleasant experience. However, this blog post is already too full to go into it. Suffice it to say the first page in my new passport is already full of stamps. Not bad for my second day of holidays, huh?
Next stop is Paris - our flight leaves nearly midnight, and the cute guy at the checkin counter promised to try and get us better seats on the plane. I don't care really - I plan to sleep. Katie tells me that a James Bond party awaits us in France's snowy capital.
Will write more soon. I should have done this holiday "thing" years ago - it's such a blast!
Next stop is Paris - our flight leaves nearly midnight, and the cute guy at the checkin counter promised to try and get us better seats on the plane. I don't care really - I plan to sleep. Katie tells me that a James Bond party awaits us in France's snowy capital.
Will write more soon. I should have done this holiday "thing" years ago - it's such a blast!
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