Day Four in Hong Kong - Ice cream and dragon races.

Friday 21st June, 2013

Today brunch was a fine affair of beef and wild mushroom stroganoff followed by a desert of Japanese toast and green ice cream.

The desert was the new dish of the meal and the toast and ice cream were a fine combination but can you guess what the brownish dollop of stuff next to the ice cream is? I was expecting something sticky and sweet but it turned out to be anchovies. Never had them with ice cream before and I can't say that it worked very well but I still managed to clear the plate:-)

Walked down to the harbour to take a look at the races and although it was busy it wasn't as packed as I was expecting. I suppose it was the first day and just getting the preliminary races out of the way which were a series of 7 or 8 boat races every 10 minutes or so and each race was completed in a little over one minute. Good to see but the novelty soon wore off so I thought it was time for one of those free beers. On the way to the beer stall I was stopped by yet another San Miguel rep who pressed another voucher for a free beer into my hand; "can I have one for my wife please?" I asked and was promptly given another. At the booth I asked for and was given two bottles of San Miguel Light in exchange for the two vouchers. Could I find a wife? Nope so I had to drink both of them myself. Hard life and just for the fun of it I then repeated the exercise. 

Tonight I'll visit the beer festival which is advertising oldies music between 8 and 10 so being a bit of an oldie myself I might enjoy it.

Slater,

R

P.S. Absinthe is highly alcoholic and used to be banned because it was thought to be hallucinogenic but has since been legalised again.  

Day Three in Hong Kong - The Underbelly

20th June 2013.

The underbelly

I started off on Lockhart Road, Wan Chai in Hong Kong which has the reputation of being one of the centers of the bar scene.

The first requirement was to line my stomach and according to a swift internet search an Irish pub called Delaneys's would fit the bill. One thing I wanted to do during my stay was to eat each meal in different venue and to try something new for every meal so I ordered a pint of Tetley's and a beef boxty which was very nice.

One difference between the bars here and those in Bangkok quickly became apparent. Anything between 25% and 75% of the customers were Asian and everybody mixed happily together whereas in Bangkok the farang bars are for the farangs and the Thai bars are for the Thais with very little mingling.

Suitably fortified by the boxty I strolled up the road and popped into Carnegie's which had a huge range of drinks available,

including a menu of different Absinthes so I had to try one and chose one from Paris called La Fee. Green in colour with an aniseed smell to it. I took a couple of sips from the shot glass and the tip of my tongue went numb so I downed the rest. A couple of minutes later I knew I had drunk something strong. I stopped at one although if I was in some company (safety in numbers) I would have happily tried another two or three brands. Where are you Paul when you are needed?

Back out to the street and the bars were thinning out so over the road and back along the other side pausing at "The Old China Hand" which had this brief write up on one site I looked at "Best Bar to See People Who Look Like Wizards: The Old China Hand. Lots of old men who like rugby and 2-3 Gandalfs on any given night". Another pint of Tetley's and some entertaining people watching. Yes there was a Gandalf look alike there as well!

A couple of girly bars next door caught my eye and a girl caught my arm and ushered me inside one of them. A clean and nicely decorated bar was behind the blackout curtain and a pretty girl in a bikini was dancing on the stage. Apart from us the place was empty so a quick about face and out I went.

My online research had told me that the go-go bars are very expensive to drink in. Your drink will be similar in price to the other bars (3 - 4 quid each) but if you buy a girl a drink it can cost you up to 20 quid so although I put my head around the door of a couple more go-go bars I didn't spend any time or money in any of them. They all looked very tame when compared to a bar I had visited in the Nana Entertainment Complex, Bangkok last week. I had been enticed in by a pretty girl waving a notice board at me that had "Live pussy mirror show. No cover charge" written on it. In the interests of research to ascertain exactly what a pussy mirror show was I went in. A bottle of beer was expensive at 150 baht but there were plenty of topless girls dancing on the two stages. Around the edge of each stage were mirrors and a girl would come and dance near you. All they had on was a short, a very short skirt and yep, you guessed it, all her charms were clearly displayed in the mirror. Not even a hint of such a place in Wan Chai that I could see although there might have been down some dark alley somewhere.

Caught the tube back to Tsim Sha Tsui (no idea how you pronounce it) in Kowloon and visited 3 more bars. First "The hair of the dog" which Paul would have loved due to the number of smokers ignoring the no smoking signs. One G&T was all I had and then moved on to "The Whale"

which was a bit more down to earth and when I ordered a Mai Thai the girl had to go and check to see if they could make it. They could but a rather poor imitation of the real thing was delivered. The last bar of the night was also the best. called "Tequila Jacks" where I order a 4 quid margarita which was an impressive size

and very nice too so I ordered another one. The t-shirts for the female staff had "Eat my taco" on the front which made me smile.

It was now approaching midnight and being a bit squiffy I called it a day. Like all good pub crawls mine finished just a short walk around the corner to the hotel and I slept very well.

All in all an entertaining evening but the bits I saw were certainly not seedy in any form or fashion. Some bits were a little risqué and there were definitely ladies available but that can be said about any major city on the planet. 

Time for brunch and then the Dragon Boat Races with free beer :-)

Slater,

R.

Hong Kong is a lot more organised and well planned than Bangkok will ever be. The Thai authorities really should come and visit to see how things should be run but they are too proud to admit that someone who isn't Thai is actually smarter than they are.

Take a look at the map of my local underground station (an interchange between two lines) with all of the various exits. No idea how large an area it covers but you can easily walk for 15 minutes underground in air conditioned comfort away from the traffic and weather. Moving walkways join together the more remote areas and plenty of signs make navigation easy. 

In just a couple of days I feel at ease here with the well planned public transport system and friendly natives. As I mentioned in an earlier email I would like to spend a couple of months here some time in the future because I'm sure that there are lots of good places to eat and drink at as well as other neighbourhoods to explore. I might even find some sleazy bits to whet Malcolm's appetite with but not this time. Currency conversion is easy with about 4 Thai baht to 1 HKD (although that won't help Ricky next month who has the more complicated conversion of about 12 HKD to 1 pound).

As expected everything is more expensive than in Thailand but same as everywhere if you don't drink too much (or only drink free beers) then your living expenses can be kept under control. A couple of things that are noticeable by their absence are a) street beggars and b) mosquitoes both of which Bangkok has in abundance.I also miss the street vendors who are everywhere in Bangkok from whom you can buy anything from fresh fruit to deep fried insects but I haven't seen any here. Same same but different as they say.

Day Three in Hong Kong

Thursday 20th June, 2013

My meandering took a different route to the ferry terminal and I encountered a "time ball", first picture. This simple but effective device was popular in Europe and we put one up here for the same purpose namely for ships chronometers to be set to the right time. At about 12:50 pm every day the ball was raised and then at 1pm sharp it was dropped (this still happens). Ships in the harbour could then set their watches to the correct time which, of course, was required for accurate navigation. Never heard of it before. Live and learn. 

Once again I caught the Star Ferry across to Hong Kong and first port of call was the maritime museum which was not what I was expecting. I had hoped that it would cover the history of Victoria Harbour and the development of Hong Kong as an important seaport. Although it covered this it also covered the long maritime history of China as a sea faring nation, how to build a junk etc. I suspect that political correctness has intruded and they couldn't tell the story of Hong Kong in all it''s glory because 99% of it happened without China. However, they did mention a few sea battles they had with the Japanese, French and us all of which they lost. For all the hype as to how great the Chinese navy was I didn't spot one display of a battle that they actually won. All vaguely interesting but somewhat disappointing.

Just for fun I got on a random "ding ding" which is the local name for a tram. Very narrow vehicles but cheap to use with a flat fare of HG 2.30 (about 80p) for what ever distance. I had no set destination but at one point when we were waiting at some traffic lights I spotted a sign on the pavement for the "Mid level escalator" which I had heard about and thought worth a look.

The escalator system apparently runs for 880 meters and rises 135 meters but I only went along a couple of the lower ramps because there is only one moving bit and I would have had to walk back down which didn't appeal to me.

Definitely enough sight seeing and beer and an investigation of the underbelly of Hong Kong is now in order :-)

R.

Day Two in Hong Kong

Wednesday 19th June 2013.

A tiring but enjoyable day out and about in sunny Hong Kong.

Walked down to the Star Ferry pier (about 20 minutes from the hotel) and paid the princely sum of 2 HKD (about 80p) for the trip across to the Central Pier on Hong Kong island. Basic but efficient mass transit for pedestrians with two decks for passengers to get on and off. Another 20 minute stroll took me to the Peak Tram station and up I went. We built this 125 years ago and it is impressive. The angle of ascent is quite steep in places as can be seen in the third pic.

Whilst waiting for the tram I over heard a tour guide telling her punters that the best seats are the last three rows at the back on the right hand side so that's where I ended up. Any window seat on the right would have done and the views between the trees were great; pics 4 and 5

Once at the top I spent a pleasant couple of hours having a bite to eat and meandering about looking at the views from various vantage points. I have never taken so many pictures of skyscrapers before and probably never will again! Well worth a visit for the views but if you go take a hat or umbrella as potable shade.

At one point I was stopped by a young lad who handed me a leaflet advertising the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival that is being held from 21 to 23 June. I didn't know about it before and by pure chance I will be here for the first two days of it and the venue is just a short walk from my hotel! The lad mentioned that the leaflet also includes a voucher for a free beer at the San Miguel beer festival which is being held at the same time on an adjacent plot. This gets better and better I thought to myself and with a smile said that I loved beer so he gave me a couple more leaflets. His companion, a young girl, had wandered over during the conversation and I said to him that perhaps the young lady should give me some of her leaflets as well which she duly did with lovely smile. Happy days and 6 free beers await me on Friday or Saturday afternoon :-)

On the way back down I got a seat at the front and pic 6 shows another image of how steep the track is in places.

I walked back to central station and decided to take the underground back home to Kowloon. Another piece of excellent engineering we built. Huge underground complexes linking large areas that included the station and shopping malls. Built I suppose because of the shortage of land above ground and once I arrived at my destination station I walked for a good 10 minutes in air conditioned comfort before going up to the surface.

All in all an interesting day out on Hong Kong island :-)

R.

Peter mentioned bamboo scaffolding so here are a couple of examples with the first underneath The Peak building and second passed in the street yesterday with two separate bits. You wouldn't get me on either of them and the one hanging on the 12th or 13th floor looks decidedly dodgy!

Another low key evening ahead but maybe tomorrow I'll descend into the seedier side of Hong Kong and do some of the research that both Malcolm and Paul crave. Apparently Wanchai is one of the places to go although I won't be trying the dentist's chair.

Slater,

R

Wonder what they are selling....

... and how much it costs.

Day One in Hong Kong

Tuesday 18th June, 2013.

Arrived yesterday evening very tired after the excesses of my last night in Bangkok and just grabbed a bite to eat and had an early night in.

When I booked it I knew that my room was on the small side but I surprised to see it was smaller than my bathroom in Bangkok. Approximate dimensions are 2m x 3.5m and that includes the shower / toilet cubicle! To add insult to injury it is termed a "double room" so I dread to think how small the singles are. Still it is only me and the room is clean, quiet and the air-con cool. 

The plus side is that it is in an excellent location just a short walk to the nearest underground station and 10 - 15 minutes on foot to the waterfront Kowloon side which I visited today. Usually when I get to somewhere new I have a walk about with no set plan although I grab a map and set off in what looks like the right direction. Today the waterfront was my initial destination and the view across the harbour to Hong Kong island is stupendous. I've never seen so many skyscrapers in one place and I just stood in the shade drinking it all in for a while.

A stroll along the "Avenue of Stars" (film stars have put their hand prints in cement on the floor) took me to a ferry terminal and I caught the Star Ferry Harbour Tour which was a nice way to see things with an air conditioned cabin and English commentary.

First impressions of the place? Well I have to compare it with Bangkok and from what I have seen so far it is cleaner, better organised, more expensive and not so hot, humid or smelly as Bangkok. If I had the dosh I would consider spending a couple of months here getting to know the place which looks like fun. There is, of course, a very strong English influence with all of the bi-lingual road signs, double yellow lines etc being familiar but that is mixed with the Asian culture making an interesting mix.

To do the harbour view justice you really need to be here but a couple of pictures attached anyway...

1. The view from my cupboard.

2. A particularly ugly set of high rise buildings on the waterfront.

3. and some less ugly ones

4. spotted this hard to miss weather display and it looks like Thursday is going to be a hot one (but still cooler than an average day in Bangkok).

more later...

R.

Yep I'm staying Kowloon side and the room rate is HK$ 690 / night which is just under 60 quid which isn't cheap in my book but is cheap for Hong Kong.

I took the Star Ferry for a one hour tour around the harbour this afternoon and will catch the ferry proper tomorrow over to Hong Kong island on my way to the Peak via the vernacular railway that we built and opened way back in 1888.

This evening I went back to the waterfront for a much vaunted sound and light show. Crap. Half a dozen buildings amongst the hundreds had some coloured lights flashing on and off. Three lasers "lit up the sky" and some poor quality speakers gave out some poor quality music. This went on for 15 minutes and then came to a climax when all the lights and lasers flashed on and off together. Awesome - not. No one applauded and I could hear mutterings of disappointment from the crowd. However, the view across the harbour to the brightly lit city with it's blaze of advertising hoardings was definitely worth the visit :-) If you go to Hong Kong I would suggest that you skip the show and go down to the harbour at 9pm when most of the crowd has gone or take a night time ferry for the night time view (which I hope to do tomorrow). Sorry no pics from my crappy camera but plenty on the web.

Prior to the show I wandered about looking for a likely restaurant to have dinner and by chance came across one I had seen on Trip Advisor called "Spring Deer" located upstairs with a dubious looking entrance from the street (pics 1 and 2).

Typical dodgy practice of putting a plate of peanuts and a pot of tea on my table before the menu arrived. Of course there was no mention of these being chargeable (which they were) and he looked taken aback when I abruptly rejected the peanuts but kept the pot of tea (about a quid when the bill came at the end of the meal).

I ordered chicken with walnuts in soya bean sauce and bamboo shoots with mushrooms. The "small" portions were large and I struggled to finish it all. Very tasty and the bill including service was about 16 quid. Not cheap but not over the top given the quantity.

End of day one.

R.