I want to start by apologising for the length of this blog... these entries are not written as a blog, but more like a travel journal.
First impression of Hong Kong is that it was a lot greener than I expected. Riding to the city in the airport bus, there were huge areas of trees, shrubs and grass, and even amongst the skyscrapers a lot of effort had been made to keep a green look to the main streets. We also drove past huge areas of “apartment slums”, which dispels any myths that apartment living is only for the wealthy.
Arriving so early was not great, as we had to wait around 5 hours before we could check in. So we walked around the city in the clothes we wore on the plane, so it was very hot. Adding to this was the fact that we hadn’t slept much on the plane, hadn’t showered and no shops were open until about 11am. We walked down the Avenue of Stars and then took the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island - which has an impressive skyline. A thunder and lightning storm arrived, and was in some ways a welcome relief from the heat.We sought solace in a nearby mall, which was probably one of the most expensive malls in the city - all the big brand (real) stores were there, Armani, Versace and the like. We sampled some Snapple, a drink referred to in Seinfeld.
However the rain brought out the umbrellas, which we found out was not good for walking around the city. By this time the streets were jam packed and the locals have no qualms with banging their umbrellas into anyone and anything. Interestingly, most places had special free umbrella bags, and one even had a machine to put your umbrella in a bag.
As with every country we visit, I (Ari) have to try the KFC. Was probably the worst KFC we’ve ever had, but some interesting menu items. We actually ended up there after a rather unsuccessful search for a open eatery at that time of the morning (around midday). Good to get that out of the way so we can move on to the Dim Sum.
Lots and lots of hawkers on the streets, mainly peddling suits and watches. Definitely not as pushy as in Thailand, but annoying nevertheless.
Finally checked in to the hotel, which was the smallest ever hotel room. Think our Armagh Street apartment less the kitchen, lounge, balcony and wardrobe. We understand this is quite big for Hong Kong! Still, modern, great location and the biggest selection of free bathroom crap ever seen, plus free juice and mochas in the lounge room made this a pretty good choice.
Market shopping was quite similar to Bangkok, except the markets were not quite so big and bargaining was not quite the same. At Temple Street markets, the vendors did not even approach you, but at the Ladies market they were more forthcoming. Not only the markets, but all the streets were still extremely busy making it a struggle to move down the streets. Ice and bubble tea stalls on the side of the road were packed with people. Using the MTR (subway) to get to and from the markets was very efficient. One other interesting point was how little street lighting was on the streets, as all the lighting comes from the masses of neon signs.
Finding dinner was difficult. Despite the fact that it was about 10:00pm by the time we got round to getting dinner, the first three restaurants we thought we might enjoy were full, some with people waiting outside for tables. We found a rather interesting chain Chinese restaurant where communication was difficult. In fact all communication has been a lot more difficult than we expected - English is spoken a lot less than we had been told - certainly no more than in Thailand.
A long but enjoyable day was ended by watching some rugby league back at the hotel, resting some tired feet. As a side mission to the next few days will be to find some fresh roti canai, along with some fresh exotic fruits, particularly the mangosteen.
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