January 17th / 18th 2009
Last day, and it's going to be a long one so we stay in bed as late as possible before packing for the final time.
Checking out bang on noon we take a walk around the electrical shops of Mong Kok before taking the MTR to Central and a trip up the Peak for one last look at the view. It's busy at the terminus, weekend of course which must make a difference but also it's a beautiful day weatherwise and the visibility from the top is even better than earlier in the week.
Back down the Peak and we stroll through Central to return to Kowloon on the Star Ferry, this brings us out on the front at Kowloon so we can once again admire the view as the sun goes down and lights come on Hong Kong side.
We return to our hotel for the final time, via a stop off at Sim City, an electricals bazarre in Mong Kok that I just can't resist, and get comfy in the lobby to wait for our transfer to the airport which arrives on time.
At Hong Kong airport, what a faff. Dropped off at Terminal 1, check in desks for Emirates are in Terminal 2 so we have to walk quite a way to get there only to find that once we have checked in we then have to get 2 internal trains to get back to Terminal 1 where our departure gate is situated.
Was cursing the Emirates check in staff as they put us in the middle 2 seats of the central 4 – which is about the worst place to be, however as it turns out I have nobody sitting next to me and while the armrests don't allow for genuine spreading out we're not quite so squashed in either. A genuine gripe though, we're boarded over an hour before the flight is due to leave. Now have been on a few flights previously where early boarding means early takeoff, but we actually take off late so we've been on the plane a good hour and a half before we actually move! Manage about 4 and a half hours sleep or so during the just short of 9 hour flight which is pretty good for me.
Sitting in Dubai airport, Emirates are at it again, our flight is 7:55am but they've started boarding at 6:30am. No chance this time, we leave it a bit.
Final flight passes without incident, not much sleep, an hour at the most so watched a couple of films and some TV.
Our final driver and guide waiting at the airport, father and mother-in-law, so amazingly not a single mishap from 7 destinations!
Home, sunny day, cold, back to the real world, unfortunately...
Showing posts with label Hong Kong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hong Kong. Show all posts
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Saturday, 17 January 2009
Day 23 – Hong Kong
January 16th 2009
Day of rest and relaxation...
Dim Sum for breakfast (plus a whole lot more) followed by some lazy reading before finally, after a few false starts, we hit the gym. The gym's on the 41st floor with panoramic views across Kowloon, I'm sure you would get used to the view eventually but for our short time here it's worth savouring every minute. An hour or so later, without pushing it too hard after a 4 week break from the gym, we go back to our room for some more lazy reading and a little room service to tide us over as we're not eating until 8pm tonight.
Next on the power relaxation agenda is our salt scrub and harmony massage. My first time on a massage table but it definitely won't be my last. The whole experience is amazing, we're in a couples room, i.e. our tables are side by side but there's not exactly any talking, too busy relaxing and just staying on the awake side of comatose. Overall our treatment lasts 90 minutes and it has to be the quickest 90 minutes of my life! We're then invited to rest in a contemplation room drinking jasmine tea while again looking out over the view, this time merely from the 40th floor. To cap things off we head up to the roof and have a dip in the outdoor jacuzzi. To be honest it's pretty chilly so we don't stay outside long. Back in our respective changing rooms and there's just time to savour the steam room, udon shower, and steam bath – a scorching 42 degrees with a warning to not stay in more than 15 minutes, I'm out after 10 anyway, lightly poached!
As this is our last night in Hong Kong we've decided to push the boat out for dinner and are booked in at the Fook Lam Moon restaurant which we understand to be one of the top Cantonese restaurants in Kowloon and after getting over the initial shock of the menu – cheapest bottle of wine £50 – we find some more reasonably priced and absolutely excellent fayre. As with Seasons of Hanoi, which seems a world away now, we end on a very high note. Sarah is also finally, on our last night, able to wear the dress she's carried all round S.E. Asia, so the evening couldn't be better. We get a taxi back to the hotel – after the driver takes us to the other Langham that is – and complete our last night with wine and jazz in the hotel bar.
Day of rest and relaxation...
Dim Sum for breakfast (plus a whole lot more) followed by some lazy reading before finally, after a few false starts, we hit the gym. The gym's on the 41st floor with panoramic views across Kowloon, I'm sure you would get used to the view eventually but for our short time here it's worth savouring every minute. An hour or so later, without pushing it too hard after a 4 week break from the gym, we go back to our room for some more lazy reading and a little room service to tide us over as we're not eating until 8pm tonight.
Next on the power relaxation agenda is our salt scrub and harmony massage. My first time on a massage table but it definitely won't be my last. The whole experience is amazing, we're in a couples room, i.e. our tables are side by side but there's not exactly any talking, too busy relaxing and just staying on the awake side of comatose. Overall our treatment lasts 90 minutes and it has to be the quickest 90 minutes of my life! We're then invited to rest in a contemplation room drinking jasmine tea while again looking out over the view, this time merely from the 40th floor. To cap things off we head up to the roof and have a dip in the outdoor jacuzzi. To be honest it's pretty chilly so we don't stay outside long. Back in our respective changing rooms and there's just time to savour the steam room, udon shower, and steam bath – a scorching 42 degrees with a warning to not stay in more than 15 minutes, I'm out after 10 anyway, lightly poached!
As this is our last night in Hong Kong we've decided to push the boat out for dinner and are booked in at the Fook Lam Moon restaurant which we understand to be one of the top Cantonese restaurants in Kowloon and after getting over the initial shock of the menu – cheapest bottle of wine £50 – we find some more reasonably priced and absolutely excellent fayre. As with Seasons of Hanoi, which seems a world away now, we end on a very high note. Sarah is also finally, on our last night, able to wear the dress she's carried all round S.E. Asia, so the evening couldn't be better. We get a taxi back to the hotel – after the driver takes us to the other Langham that is – and complete our last night with wine and jazz in the hotel bar.
Day 22 – Hong Kong
January 15th 2009
So we're into our third week and I have to say the travel and pounding of the streets is beginning to put a bit of a strain on the old legs, mum was right (yes, it does happen) to suggest that we'd need a holiday when we got back, I'm feeling quite tired most of the time right now.
However, we've thought of that, and it is officially wind down time here in Hong Kong. We have our day of relaxation tomorrow and today we expect to do the last of the walking tours in the guide.
After a quick breakfast we MTR it down to Hong Kong Island for the Central & Western District walk.
Stopping briefly at the Western Market – which has had a number of roles including housing and a food market but is now a small arts and crafts centre – we head into an area dedicated to wholesale of various goods. This is a very real side of Hong Kong trading, no other westerners here, just people going about their business. The produce is very alien and we haven't got a clue what much of it is and to be honest am thankful of that lack of knowledge. There seems to be a heck of a scrummage at a shark products shop, must've had some sort of rare delivery or something. Sharks fins are something that can been identified and they're expensive, I see some at £400 each, which explains why Shark Fin soup is so pricey in a restaurant I suppose! Ingredients for herbal remedies, nuts, dried mussels, dried squid, dried just about everything are all available.
Leaving this area we pass the point where “modern” Hong Kong began. Possession Street is where the British landed in 1841. Again, this isn't actually on the waterfront anymore but it's a steep climb up to a road that you can imagine was the coast road many years ago, Hollywood Road, which we follow and eventually leads to Central.
As part of this walking tour we briefly go on the Mid Levels escalator, at 800 metres the longest covered escalator in the World. Only disappointment is the stretches of the escalator are actually very short. This wasn't here last time I came and I had pictured in my head standing on it for great distances, alas not, we don't see a bit that's any longer than a standard shopping centre escalator.
Having walked around Soho and its vast array of restaurants we come to Lan Kwai Fong which is where we had drinks and watched the United game on our first night so we decide to end the walking tour here and head down into Central as Sarah has run out of reading material – she's completed 5 books so far, but won't finish another as she now has Ken Follett's World Without End to wade through, all 1237 pages of it!
Back to the hotel for a bit, we're winding it down now remember, before we get changed into something more appropriate. Appropriate means smartening up as we're going for afternoon tea at the Peninsular Hotel which is a very pleasurable experience indeed. Not cheap, but then again comparable with back home when you'd actually expect it to be much dearer, I'm amazed at how filling the dainty sandwiches, scones and chocolate actually is. We of course finish everything that's put in front of us, but those with money to burn sitting around us seem to leave elements to be taken back – some people eh? Those who are fully aware of my decaf tea obsession will be shocked that I drank cup after cup of Peninsular Afternoon tea which, by the slight bitterness in there, definitely contained caffeine. All I can say is I'm completely wired at the moment!
To the hotel again for another change, we're winding it down remember(!), before we head back down to the Kowloon waterfront for the 8pm lightshow of which I'm expecting great things.
After getting a welcome second wind we get down to the waterfront, the Avenue of Stars (think Hollywood style stars and handprints just without many handprints), for the start of the lightshow which is crazy in a who on earth thought of putting this together but brilliant to watch as various buildings show different patterns of light all the way up and down the bay, many with laser light shining from the roof, the effect really has to be seen to be appreciated.
Carrying on we promenade along the front fully taking in the vista before turning back inland on the hunt for something to eat.
Having read about it in the book we seek out Knutsford Terrace (those who know we hope to move there one day will appreciate the “it's a sign” twitter comment) which is one of those tucked away places that you'd have no idea existed if a guide didn't show you exactly where to go. There's a string of restaurants with cuisine from all round the world. As we've decided to have what we hope will be a top notch Chinese meal for our last full night tomorrow it's time to take a break from all the Asian food we've been devouring so we stop at an Australian Bar and Grill. It's amazing what a difference having courses makes, everything coming in an expected order!
Back to the hotel and completing this blog entry in the hotel's main bar which has live jazz but unfortunately no free WiFi which we had inferred from the hotel directory, but sadly mistaken. With us unlikely to leave the hotel on Friday other than to go out for dinner this will therefore be severely delayed as have a number of postings while in Hong Kong. Oh, forgetting the jazz, the singer, an Australian girl is very good ably supported by Piano and Bass. All very civilised, as is the very nice Sauvignon Blanc I'm enjoying too...
So we're into our third week and I have to say the travel and pounding of the streets is beginning to put a bit of a strain on the old legs, mum was right (yes, it does happen) to suggest that we'd need a holiday when we got back, I'm feeling quite tired most of the time right now.
However, we've thought of that, and it is officially wind down time here in Hong Kong. We have our day of relaxation tomorrow and today we expect to do the last of the walking tours in the guide.
After a quick breakfast we MTR it down to Hong Kong Island for the Central & Western District walk.
Stopping briefly at the Western Market – which has had a number of roles including housing and a food market but is now a small arts and crafts centre – we head into an area dedicated to wholesale of various goods. This is a very real side of Hong Kong trading, no other westerners here, just people going about their business. The produce is very alien and we haven't got a clue what much of it is and to be honest am thankful of that lack of knowledge. There seems to be a heck of a scrummage at a shark products shop, must've had some sort of rare delivery or something. Sharks fins are something that can been identified and they're expensive, I see some at £400 each, which explains why Shark Fin soup is so pricey in a restaurant I suppose! Ingredients for herbal remedies, nuts, dried mussels, dried squid, dried just about everything are all available.
Leaving this area we pass the point where “modern” Hong Kong began. Possession Street is where the British landed in 1841. Again, this isn't actually on the waterfront anymore but it's a steep climb up to a road that you can imagine was the coast road many years ago, Hollywood Road, which we follow and eventually leads to Central.
As part of this walking tour we briefly go on the Mid Levels escalator, at 800 metres the longest covered escalator in the World. Only disappointment is the stretches of the escalator are actually very short. This wasn't here last time I came and I had pictured in my head standing on it for great distances, alas not, we don't see a bit that's any longer than a standard shopping centre escalator.
Having walked around Soho and its vast array of restaurants we come to Lan Kwai Fong which is where we had drinks and watched the United game on our first night so we decide to end the walking tour here and head down into Central as Sarah has run out of reading material – she's completed 5 books so far, but won't finish another as she now has Ken Follett's World Without End to wade through, all 1237 pages of it!
Back to the hotel for a bit, we're winding it down now remember, before we get changed into something more appropriate. Appropriate means smartening up as we're going for afternoon tea at the Peninsular Hotel which is a very pleasurable experience indeed. Not cheap, but then again comparable with back home when you'd actually expect it to be much dearer, I'm amazed at how filling the dainty sandwiches, scones and chocolate actually is. We of course finish everything that's put in front of us, but those with money to burn sitting around us seem to leave elements to be taken back – some people eh? Those who are fully aware of my decaf tea obsession will be shocked that I drank cup after cup of Peninsular Afternoon tea which, by the slight bitterness in there, definitely contained caffeine. All I can say is I'm completely wired at the moment!
To the hotel again for another change, we're winding it down remember(!), before we head back down to the Kowloon waterfront for the 8pm lightshow of which I'm expecting great things.
After getting a welcome second wind we get down to the waterfront, the Avenue of Stars (think Hollywood style stars and handprints just without many handprints), for the start of the lightshow which is crazy in a who on earth thought of putting this together but brilliant to watch as various buildings show different patterns of light all the way up and down the bay, many with laser light shining from the roof, the effect really has to be seen to be appreciated.
Carrying on we promenade along the front fully taking in the vista before turning back inland on the hunt for something to eat.
Having read about it in the book we seek out Knutsford Terrace (those who know we hope to move there one day will appreciate the “it's a sign” twitter comment) which is one of those tucked away places that you'd have no idea existed if a guide didn't show you exactly where to go. There's a string of restaurants with cuisine from all round the world. As we've decided to have what we hope will be a top notch Chinese meal for our last full night tomorrow it's time to take a break from all the Asian food we've been devouring so we stop at an Australian Bar and Grill. It's amazing what a difference having courses makes, everything coming in an expected order!
Back to the hotel and completing this blog entry in the hotel's main bar which has live jazz but unfortunately no free WiFi which we had inferred from the hotel directory, but sadly mistaken. With us unlikely to leave the hotel on Friday other than to go out for dinner this will therefore be severely delayed as have a number of postings while in Hong Kong. Oh, forgetting the jazz, the singer, an Australian girl is very good ably supported by Piano and Bass. All very civilised, as is the very nice Sauvignon Blanc I'm enjoying too...
Day 21 – Hong Kong
January 14th 2009
Late start again reading the papers and generally easing into the day and we head into the Langham Place Mall attached to our hotel for some brunch.
Yesterday we picked up an excellent little booklet from the Hong Kong tourist information centre describing a number of walks around certain areas. Today we're going to do the Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok walk which takes in 8 markets in Kowloon.
Firstly it's one stop along the MTR to Prince Edward station and we're walking to the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden which is half market half park where owners take their birds “for a walk”. Not my cup of tea I'm afraid, the cages are often far too small and we move on swiftly.
Next the flower market which is, and the clue's in the title here, on Flower Market Road. The road isn't closed off for this market so it is a little like walking past shop after shop selling flowers as opposed to strolling through a market but the colours are beautiful.
After a further short walk we get to the goldfish market which, like the flower market, is shop after shop selling all manner of fish, tanks, and accessories. It's all very colourful but we don't hang around long here, plenty more to see later.
Onto the Fa Yuen Street market, and this is serious stuff now. The road is closed to traffic and there's stall after stall in the road with shop after shop behind the crowded pavement all jostling for business. While there's a bit of everything on display most prominent is ladies' fashions and footwear, Sarah has a good look through a string of shops that only sell ladies' boots – this is a trend here, pockets of shops all selling exactly the same thing – as she “needs” a pair of brown boots.
Not too far away from the Fa Yuen Street market is the Ladies market which isn't full of items for ladies, there's a bit of everything. I stop at a football kit stall, being after a cheap 97/98 season Inter Milan away kit (if you saw it you'd see why) – the woman on the stall sees my interest and is immediately on my case as to what I want... “Inter Milan away? Yes, here it is” (which itself is pretty incredible) except she only has the 98/99 season. “Why would you want the old one, I only have the new one” - is a fairly obvious question I know but she's genuinely puzzled and, in a playful way, actually starts hitting me for my own stupidity, we're all laughing by the end – which is unusual as the traders hate to see a sale walk away.
Halfway down this market we come across an English bloke who was either plain stupid or thought we'd come down in the last shower. He was basically a tout for a holiday complex elsewhere on the island. We've all seen this before, the patter was that they were conducting a tourist survey blah blah, no personal information collected other than to ascertain that we fitted the bill as a potential owner of a timeshare or whatever. At the end, as a thank you we are both given a scratch card. At this point I'm really hamming it up - “I'm feeling really lucky today, I think we're going to win big” - of course I scratch my card and I've got a t-shirt, cue tout letting me know I can pick that up at one of their booths around town but then **shock** Sarah scratches her card and she's won the star prize! The look of amazement on all our faces is suitably perfect and the tout expresses his delight that we've somehow managed to pick out only 1 of 6 star prize winning scratch cards. All we have to do is take a 20 minute taxi ride to collect our prize and we'll be happy and he'll get £100 – it's a win win. Eventually we do start laughing and hand him back the card, which he doesn't understand – of course – and I try and find out where I can get my t-shirt, which he doesn't seem to be able to tell me any more because we have to go get our star prize. We walk away laughing but I've retained my card and read as we walk away the t's and c's which would have seen us sit through a 90 minute holiday promotion video – oooh, that'll have been fun. We've now had the same scam in Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and now Hong Kong. At least the Fuerteventura guy had the decency to know the game was up when I bet him we were going to win the star prize.
Sarah does a bit of haggling on some boots but the price quoted is much dearer than the shops we've already been to so we move on and the essential purchase is made around the corner at a bricks and mortar shop instead.
Shanghai Street is next on the way to the Jade market. The stuff in the Jade market does look nice but the guidebook warns of being sure about what you're buying. There's nothing here that seriously appeals so it's a simple browse and we're on our way to the Tin Hau Temple which is dedicated to the Goddess of Seafarers. The temple's in the middle of a suburb but apparently it used to be on the coast and all the land between it and the Victoria bay has been reclaimed. Put it this way, you wouldn't want to walk it in a hurry, it's 2 stops on the underground and then a bit more walking before you reach water.
We see the famous Temple Street Night Market being setup, but as it's just before 4pm the action hasn't started so we head straight back to the hotel for a rest before our night at the races.
The journey to Happy Valley is much smoother than the Concierge suggested, although it is rush hour so we have to queue a bit for the MTR. The suggestion of a taxi for part of the journey though turns out to be nothing more than a 10 minute walk so even with Sarah's new boots that's fine. The race course is amazing (of course) although apparently Sha Tin in Kowloon has twice the spectator capacity. It's a double first for us, horse racing under floodlights and a contained racetrack that has the appearance of a football stadium from the outside. Inside there are 15,000 spectators (according to next day's paper) and with 8 races on the card from 7:15pm to 10:45pm there's plenty of action from the word go. Of the 8 races a jockey with the nickname the Durban Demon wins 3. I bet on him twice of the 5 races I have a dabble on. He comes last in both races – cheers. One of the advantages of our tourist badge is that we get right down to the winning post which is brilliant being so close and when we do get a win its a great one as we watch our jockey bring the horse through perfectly from the back down the straight to win by a short head right in front of us. While we only get the one win, as there are no red hot favourites in these races it's enough to win most of our outlay back. The other interesting side of Happy Valley is the price of everything. Normally at racetracks you're paying a premium but here everything is cheaper than outside the stadium. Beer – from all over the world too, choice has been very limited in the bars – is about £2.80 a pint as opposed to more like £4.50 in the bars and the fast food is actually delicious and about the same price, I have a more than substantial Thai Red Chicken Curry with rice for about £3.50, compare that to the £5 spent on a cheese and ham panini at Chester races this summer...
We leave after the 7th race wondering if we'll have a winner on the 8th (the newspaper the next day reports our horse was 12th from 12 runners thanks to the Durban Disaster - thank you Sarah for the clean version of that) and head back to the hotel, first time before midnight but again absolutely shattered and ready for a good sleep.
Late start again reading the papers and generally easing into the day and we head into the Langham Place Mall attached to our hotel for some brunch.
Yesterday we picked up an excellent little booklet from the Hong Kong tourist information centre describing a number of walks around certain areas. Today we're going to do the Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok walk which takes in 8 markets in Kowloon.
Firstly it's one stop along the MTR to Prince Edward station and we're walking to the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden which is half market half park where owners take their birds “for a walk”. Not my cup of tea I'm afraid, the cages are often far too small and we move on swiftly.
Next the flower market which is, and the clue's in the title here, on Flower Market Road. The road isn't closed off for this market so it is a little like walking past shop after shop selling flowers as opposed to strolling through a market but the colours are beautiful.
After a further short walk we get to the goldfish market which, like the flower market, is shop after shop selling all manner of fish, tanks, and accessories. It's all very colourful but we don't hang around long here, plenty more to see later.
Onto the Fa Yuen Street market, and this is serious stuff now. The road is closed to traffic and there's stall after stall in the road with shop after shop behind the crowded pavement all jostling for business. While there's a bit of everything on display most prominent is ladies' fashions and footwear, Sarah has a good look through a string of shops that only sell ladies' boots – this is a trend here, pockets of shops all selling exactly the same thing – as she “needs” a pair of brown boots.
Not too far away from the Fa Yuen Street market is the Ladies market which isn't full of items for ladies, there's a bit of everything. I stop at a football kit stall, being after a cheap 97/98 season Inter Milan away kit (if you saw it you'd see why) – the woman on the stall sees my interest and is immediately on my case as to what I want... “Inter Milan away? Yes, here it is” (which itself is pretty incredible) except she only has the 98/99 season. “Why would you want the old one, I only have the new one” - is a fairly obvious question I know but she's genuinely puzzled and, in a playful way, actually starts hitting me for my own stupidity, we're all laughing by the end – which is unusual as the traders hate to see a sale walk away.
Halfway down this market we come across an English bloke who was either plain stupid or thought we'd come down in the last shower. He was basically a tout for a holiday complex elsewhere on the island. We've all seen this before, the patter was that they were conducting a tourist survey blah blah, no personal information collected other than to ascertain that we fitted the bill as a potential owner of a timeshare or whatever. At the end, as a thank you we are both given a scratch card. At this point I'm really hamming it up - “I'm feeling really lucky today, I think we're going to win big” - of course I scratch my card and I've got a t-shirt, cue tout letting me know I can pick that up at one of their booths around town but then **shock** Sarah scratches her card and she's won the star prize! The look of amazement on all our faces is suitably perfect and the tout expresses his delight that we've somehow managed to pick out only 1 of 6 star prize winning scratch cards. All we have to do is take a 20 minute taxi ride to collect our prize and we'll be happy and he'll get £100 – it's a win win. Eventually we do start laughing and hand him back the card, which he doesn't understand – of course – and I try and find out where I can get my t-shirt, which he doesn't seem to be able to tell me any more because we have to go get our star prize. We walk away laughing but I've retained my card and read as we walk away the t's and c's which would have seen us sit through a 90 minute holiday promotion video – oooh, that'll have been fun. We've now had the same scam in Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and now Hong Kong. At least the Fuerteventura guy had the decency to know the game was up when I bet him we were going to win the star prize.
Sarah does a bit of haggling on some boots but the price quoted is much dearer than the shops we've already been to so we move on and the essential purchase is made around the corner at a bricks and mortar shop instead.
Shanghai Street is next on the way to the Jade market. The stuff in the Jade market does look nice but the guidebook warns of being sure about what you're buying. There's nothing here that seriously appeals so it's a simple browse and we're on our way to the Tin Hau Temple which is dedicated to the Goddess of Seafarers. The temple's in the middle of a suburb but apparently it used to be on the coast and all the land between it and the Victoria bay has been reclaimed. Put it this way, you wouldn't want to walk it in a hurry, it's 2 stops on the underground and then a bit more walking before you reach water.
We see the famous Temple Street Night Market being setup, but as it's just before 4pm the action hasn't started so we head straight back to the hotel for a rest before our night at the races.
The journey to Happy Valley is much smoother than the Concierge suggested, although it is rush hour so we have to queue a bit for the MTR. The suggestion of a taxi for part of the journey though turns out to be nothing more than a 10 minute walk so even with Sarah's new boots that's fine. The race course is amazing (of course) although apparently Sha Tin in Kowloon has twice the spectator capacity. It's a double first for us, horse racing under floodlights and a contained racetrack that has the appearance of a football stadium from the outside. Inside there are 15,000 spectators (according to next day's paper) and with 8 races on the card from 7:15pm to 10:45pm there's plenty of action from the word go. Of the 8 races a jockey with the nickname the Durban Demon wins 3. I bet on him twice of the 5 races I have a dabble on. He comes last in both races – cheers. One of the advantages of our tourist badge is that we get right down to the winning post which is brilliant being so close and when we do get a win its a great one as we watch our jockey bring the horse through perfectly from the back down the straight to win by a short head right in front of us. While we only get the one win, as there are no red hot favourites in these races it's enough to win most of our outlay back. The other interesting side of Happy Valley is the price of everything. Normally at racetracks you're paying a premium but here everything is cheaper than outside the stadium. Beer – from all over the world too, choice has been very limited in the bars – is about £2.80 a pint as opposed to more like £4.50 in the bars and the fast food is actually delicious and about the same price, I have a more than substantial Thai Red Chicken Curry with rice for about £3.50, compare that to the £5 spent on a cheese and ham panini at Chester races this summer...
We leave after the 7th race wondering if we'll have a winner on the 8th (the newspaper the next day reports our horse was 12th from 12 runners thanks to the Durban Disaster - thank you Sarah for the clean version of that) and head back to the hotel, first time before midnight but again absolutely shattered and ready for a good sleep.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Day 20 – Hong Kong
January 13th 2009
No beeping motorbikes or hustle and bustle this morning, no maid ignoring the do not disturb sign, our room is soundproofed and blacked out, it's just heaven. Unfortunately though we've been waking up every day at 6:30ish to get to our pickups so by 8am – which makes sense as we've moved on an hour coming here – we're awake. No breakfast included here though and I wouldn't even like to think how much it costs either so we can take our time and I have the South China Morning Post to get through too, a publication I haven't seen for almost 16 years – it's very Beijing centric now in its news content, but with good snippets from around the world it's a gentle re-introduction to what might be going on elsewhere, we really have seen no TV, other than the odd bit of background in bars, the whole time we've been here – our sum knowledge is the odd football score and an understanding that it's been incredibly cold back home.
We leave the hotel at 11am and walk to Argyle Street where a trusty McDonalds furnishes us with a Sausage and Egg McMuffin meal for breakfast. What, Sausage and Egg McMuffin at 11am I hear you cry? Yes, available all day here, none of this only available till 10:30am nonsense here – and it's plenty cheaper too.
Then it's the MTR to the last stop on Kowloon side, Tsim Sha Tsui, so we can walk – via The Peninsular Hotel, woah, that's luxury – to our first Hong Kong iconic moment, crossing Victoria Bay on the Star Ferry.
When we get to Hong Kong island first impressions are unfortunately spoiled a little as the whole area near to the Star Ferry pier appears to be one huge construction site, so the views from this area are spoiled, oh well.
We do some more walking till eventually we get to the Peak Tram terminus. The funicular railway is Hong Kong's oldest public transport and while the ride itself is only 10 minutes the steepness of the climb and ever increasingly spectacular views make it a necessity for any visit here. Arriving at the top we do have a comedy experience trying to get out of the Mall which has been built up over the tram station. It of course turns out to be incredibly easy to get out if you know where you're going but there isn't a single sign for an exit, they're trying to herd you to the top floor viewing tower that you of course have to pay to get into. Finally, and with the help of a cleaner, we reach the outside world and take in the views.
After coffee overlooking said view, we take the tram back down the Peak and pass through Hong Kong Park which has 2 weddings taking place in the nearby registry office – both couples seem incredibly young, or am I just getting old?
Getting the MTR from Admiralty (near to where our old naval base used to be, ahhh, the glory days of Empire) to Yau Ma Tei which is one stop away from Mongkok – the nearest to our hotel – we're looking for an outlet of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The Hong Kong Jockey Club is, what appears to be at least, the monopoly betting outlet for the area. Here, and we do find one on Nathan Road which their website had suggested, we buy our Tourist Badges for the racing at Happy Valley tomorrow night which we're very excited about. It's only $10 to go in with the locals
(that's less than £1) but for $100 we get more freedom of where we can go and more access to bars etc. The tourist badges are only available to those who can prove they're in the country for less than 21 days, it's a clever idea that's for sure.
We walk back to the hotel for a quick change, but first we head up to the 41st floor to the gym/spa/pool area to book our treatments for Friday which we've set aside as a day of pure relaxation. This will all be a first for me, Sarah's been goading me to have a massage for years but I've always resisted. On Friday we'll be having a salt scrub and harmony massage – sounds interesting! The facilities all look incredible, the gym looks out over Hong Kong while the pool itself is on the 42nd floor, the roof!
For the evening we're heading back up The Peak to sample what has to be one of the best views in the world, Hong Kong at night. Although it's a little hazy due to the high pollution levels the visibility is officially classed as excellent and while there's no sign of any low cloud at this time of year my previous experience of this place says to grab the opportunity as soon as you can so off we go back up the funicular. I've told Sarah she's not allowed to look until we get to the top so she's forced to stare at the floor of the tram then similarly walk to the viewing point either looking down or away till I give the word. It's certainly a sight worth waiting for, quite breathtaking. I get busy with the camera while Sarah steadily freezes as she very patiently waits for me to get it all out of my system then after savouring the panorama for a few moments we quickly head into the Mall to get out of the cold and also find a restaurant, Japanese it turns out, that overlooks the view.
Diving onto a tram just before it leaves so we have to stand, itself an interesting experience at 45 degrees, we travel via the MTR to Wan Chai, Hong Kong's own “notorious” nightlife area. However, and maybe it's simply because it's a cold Tuesday night, the place is almost deserted so with no interest in passing through the curtains to see the dancing girls we settle for a drink in a couple of normal bars before heading back on the MTR to our hotel and, exhausted again, to bed.
No beeping motorbikes or hustle and bustle this morning, no maid ignoring the do not disturb sign, our room is soundproofed and blacked out, it's just heaven. Unfortunately though we've been waking up every day at 6:30ish to get to our pickups so by 8am – which makes sense as we've moved on an hour coming here – we're awake. No breakfast included here though and I wouldn't even like to think how much it costs either so we can take our time and I have the South China Morning Post to get through too, a publication I haven't seen for almost 16 years – it's very Beijing centric now in its news content, but with good snippets from around the world it's a gentle re-introduction to what might be going on elsewhere, we really have seen no TV, other than the odd bit of background in bars, the whole time we've been here – our sum knowledge is the odd football score and an understanding that it's been incredibly cold back home.
We leave the hotel at 11am and walk to Argyle Street where a trusty McDonalds furnishes us with a Sausage and Egg McMuffin meal for breakfast. What, Sausage and Egg McMuffin at 11am I hear you cry? Yes, available all day here, none of this only available till 10:30am nonsense here – and it's plenty cheaper too.
Then it's the MTR to the last stop on Kowloon side, Tsim Sha Tsui, so we can walk – via The Peninsular Hotel, woah, that's luxury – to our first Hong Kong iconic moment, crossing Victoria Bay on the Star Ferry.
When we get to Hong Kong island first impressions are unfortunately spoiled a little as the whole area near to the Star Ferry pier appears to be one huge construction site, so the views from this area are spoiled, oh well.
We do some more walking till eventually we get to the Peak Tram terminus. The funicular railway is Hong Kong's oldest public transport and while the ride itself is only 10 minutes the steepness of the climb and ever increasingly spectacular views make it a necessity for any visit here. Arriving at the top we do have a comedy experience trying to get out of the Mall which has been built up over the tram station. It of course turns out to be incredibly easy to get out if you know where you're going but there isn't a single sign for an exit, they're trying to herd you to the top floor viewing tower that you of course have to pay to get into. Finally, and with the help of a cleaner, we reach the outside world and take in the views.
After coffee overlooking said view, we take the tram back down the Peak and pass through Hong Kong Park which has 2 weddings taking place in the nearby registry office – both couples seem incredibly young, or am I just getting old?
Getting the MTR from Admiralty (near to where our old naval base used to be, ahhh, the glory days of Empire) to Yau Ma Tei which is one stop away from Mongkok – the nearest to our hotel – we're looking for an outlet of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The Hong Kong Jockey Club is, what appears to be at least, the monopoly betting outlet for the area. Here, and we do find one on Nathan Road which their website had suggested, we buy our Tourist Badges for the racing at Happy Valley tomorrow night which we're very excited about. It's only $10 to go in with the locals
(that's less than £1) but for $100 we get more freedom of where we can go and more access to bars etc. The tourist badges are only available to those who can prove they're in the country for less than 21 days, it's a clever idea that's for sure.
We walk back to the hotel for a quick change, but first we head up to the 41st floor to the gym/spa/pool area to book our treatments for Friday which we've set aside as a day of pure relaxation. This will all be a first for me, Sarah's been goading me to have a massage for years but I've always resisted. On Friday we'll be having a salt scrub and harmony massage – sounds interesting! The facilities all look incredible, the gym looks out over Hong Kong while the pool itself is on the 42nd floor, the roof!
For the evening we're heading back up The Peak to sample what has to be one of the best views in the world, Hong Kong at night. Although it's a little hazy due to the high pollution levels the visibility is officially classed as excellent and while there's no sign of any low cloud at this time of year my previous experience of this place says to grab the opportunity as soon as you can so off we go back up the funicular. I've told Sarah she's not allowed to look until we get to the top so she's forced to stare at the floor of the tram then similarly walk to the viewing point either looking down or away till I give the word. It's certainly a sight worth waiting for, quite breathtaking. I get busy with the camera while Sarah steadily freezes as she very patiently waits for me to get it all out of my system then after savouring the panorama for a few moments we quickly head into the Mall to get out of the cold and also find a restaurant, Japanese it turns out, that overlooks the view.
Diving onto a tram just before it leaves so we have to stand, itself an interesting experience at 45 degrees, we travel via the MTR to Wan Chai, Hong Kong's own “notorious” nightlife area. However, and maybe it's simply because it's a cold Tuesday night, the place is almost deserted so with no interest in passing through the curtains to see the dancing girls we settle for a drink in a couple of normal bars before heading back on the MTR to our hotel and, exhausted again, to bed.
Day 19 – Hanoi to Hong Kong
January 12th 2009
Our final few hours in Vietnam pass uneventfully, the driver is early – again – and apart from an odd wait lasting a few minutes while they “check the room”, I did contemplate putting the safety deposit box in my rucksack but fortunately decided against it or else I would've been rumbled, we cut through the morning rush hour traffic to the airport.
Hanoi International terminal is pretty standard although there seems to be a lot of building work going on in the waiting area which does make it all a bit scruffy. Efficient checkin, back to no queues, and we pass through immigration and security with minimal fuss, really does go to show you not to believe half of what you read on the internet (this blog of course is simply copied from a guidebook), I was expecting some sort of drama at some point passing through these borders but nothing of the sort. Yes, the immigration and security officers are grim faced, but that's pretty standard worldwide and I don't for a minute believe these people are cutting corners anywhere either, details are taken meticulously and security appears to be just as tight.
After some very nice beef and pasta on the plane, oh and another last Vietnamese beer, we touch down at Hong Kong's new (to me) airport 25 minutes early. The airport is vast, quite a shock compared to where we've been travelling previously and the first indication that we're in a totally different kind of crazy – the “temperature control station” which from the front is a group of about 10 completely bored looking girls staring at screens. It's only when you get to the other side and look back that you see they're watching thermal images of everyone walking through – if you've got a fever they'll spot it and you're off to quarantine. I suppose it's sort of reassuring but still crazy.
Queuing for immigration is a bit of a chore, the queues are of US proportions and there are very few staff working the desks, but we're British so queuing is what we do best. When we finally pass through to get our transfer things do start to get a bit weird. Previously all transfers have been by private car so you just get used to it. Here we're going to be on a coach it seems, but only after we've been passed around a bit between staff, told to stand with fellow travellers (we had all been happily sitting) and wait for about 10 minutes like naughty schoolchildren and then walk through the airport for what seems like miles – it's perhaps 150 yards – till we're diverted off to an array of coaches. It's not much different to a package holiday transfer I suppose, just seems a bit odd the way we're being handled.
The transfer itself is only notable in that our first drop off is at Disneyland Hong Kong – which from the car park appears to be almost empty, good time to go I suppose! We continue along what is in effect a bridge that runs for miles all the way from the airport to Kowloon and Sarah gets her first glimpse of Hong Kong itself, it's a bit hazy but still an impressive sight even at distance. I can tell that a number of newer, and even more massive, buildings have been built since I was last here, it's all incredible and you immediately lose all sense of perspective.
Our hotel, The Langham Place, is just incredible from the word go. Kowloon side, which is relatively low rise in comparison to Hong Kong, our hotel is 42 storeys high, has a taller office block right next to it and is simply nowhere near the size of buildings further away. This is the sort of place where blocks of flats – and there are hundreds of them – are getting on for Beetham Tower size. Would be quite easy to write a complete blog entry on this hotel, but suffice to say if I could afford to see out our 180 day visa here while staying here, I don't think we'd be coming home till the summer! The only downer is the lack of free wifi here. Like most western hotels they choose to make you pay which I find somewhat ridiculous when they should be getting themselves a reputation as somewhere that facilitates good business not taxes it. Updates will therefore be very difficult to post.
Having watched our hotel orientation video and come to terms with being able to look out of the window without screaming – we're on the 20th floor – we head out to hit Hong Kong for the first time.
A combination of walking and the MTR (Mass Transit Railway, Hong Kong's underground) we end up at Central to find somewhere to eat. Selecting a place which is basically for locals I begin to have my doubts as we're shown up a narrow staircase into a tiny back room with about 5 tables and a scattering of stools to sit on, but the food is great. It comes in the when it's ready style that is so Asian, this time our soup is the last thing on the table, and that does make you rush a bit to ensure it doesn't all go cold, but that said my braised pork rib in spicy red rice sauce is without doubt the tastiest Chinese main course I've ever eaten.
We then hit a couple of bars in Soho just to finish off the evening. After 1 drink in the first bar the plan is to move on for 1 more. This falls apart however when we take our seats at Bulldogs just as the complete 90 minutes re-run of Manchester United's 3-0 battering of Chelsea comes on the screen. Oh well, fortunately they take credit cards as the booze is very expensive here, and we're back to pints too which my body certainly has forgotten existed.
We do finally get back to the hotel shortly after midnight, shattered, it's been a long but excellent day.
Our final few hours in Vietnam pass uneventfully, the driver is early – again – and apart from an odd wait lasting a few minutes while they “check the room”, I did contemplate putting the safety deposit box in my rucksack but fortunately decided against it or else I would've been rumbled, we cut through the morning rush hour traffic to the airport.
Hanoi International terminal is pretty standard although there seems to be a lot of building work going on in the waiting area which does make it all a bit scruffy. Efficient checkin, back to no queues, and we pass through immigration and security with minimal fuss, really does go to show you not to believe half of what you read on the internet (this blog of course is simply copied from a guidebook), I was expecting some sort of drama at some point passing through these borders but nothing of the sort. Yes, the immigration and security officers are grim faced, but that's pretty standard worldwide and I don't for a minute believe these people are cutting corners anywhere either, details are taken meticulously and security appears to be just as tight.
After some very nice beef and pasta on the plane, oh and another last Vietnamese beer, we touch down at Hong Kong's new (to me) airport 25 minutes early. The airport is vast, quite a shock compared to where we've been travelling previously and the first indication that we're in a totally different kind of crazy – the “temperature control station” which from the front is a group of about 10 completely bored looking girls staring at screens. It's only when you get to the other side and look back that you see they're watching thermal images of everyone walking through – if you've got a fever they'll spot it and you're off to quarantine. I suppose it's sort of reassuring but still crazy.
Queuing for immigration is a bit of a chore, the queues are of US proportions and there are very few staff working the desks, but we're British so queuing is what we do best. When we finally pass through to get our transfer things do start to get a bit weird. Previously all transfers have been by private car so you just get used to it. Here we're going to be on a coach it seems, but only after we've been passed around a bit between staff, told to stand with fellow travellers (we had all been happily sitting) and wait for about 10 minutes like naughty schoolchildren and then walk through the airport for what seems like miles – it's perhaps 150 yards – till we're diverted off to an array of coaches. It's not much different to a package holiday transfer I suppose, just seems a bit odd the way we're being handled.
The transfer itself is only notable in that our first drop off is at Disneyland Hong Kong – which from the car park appears to be almost empty, good time to go I suppose! We continue along what is in effect a bridge that runs for miles all the way from the airport to Kowloon and Sarah gets her first glimpse of Hong Kong itself, it's a bit hazy but still an impressive sight even at distance. I can tell that a number of newer, and even more massive, buildings have been built since I was last here, it's all incredible and you immediately lose all sense of perspective.
Our hotel, The Langham Place, is just incredible from the word go. Kowloon side, which is relatively low rise in comparison to Hong Kong, our hotel is 42 storeys high, has a taller office block right next to it and is simply nowhere near the size of buildings further away. This is the sort of place where blocks of flats – and there are hundreds of them – are getting on for Beetham Tower size. Would be quite easy to write a complete blog entry on this hotel, but suffice to say if I could afford to see out our 180 day visa here while staying here, I don't think we'd be coming home till the summer! The only downer is the lack of free wifi here. Like most western hotels they choose to make you pay which I find somewhat ridiculous when they should be getting themselves a reputation as somewhere that facilitates good business not taxes it. Updates will therefore be very difficult to post.
Having watched our hotel orientation video and come to terms with being able to look out of the window without screaming – we're on the 20th floor – we head out to hit Hong Kong for the first time.
A combination of walking and the MTR (Mass Transit Railway, Hong Kong's underground) we end up at Central to find somewhere to eat. Selecting a place which is basically for locals I begin to have my doubts as we're shown up a narrow staircase into a tiny back room with about 5 tables and a scattering of stools to sit on, but the food is great. It comes in the when it's ready style that is so Asian, this time our soup is the last thing on the table, and that does make you rush a bit to ensure it doesn't all go cold, but that said my braised pork rib in spicy red rice sauce is without doubt the tastiest Chinese main course I've ever eaten.
We then hit a couple of bars in Soho just to finish off the evening. After 1 drink in the first bar the plan is to move on for 1 more. This falls apart however when we take our seats at Bulldogs just as the complete 90 minutes re-run of Manchester United's 3-0 battering of Chelsea comes on the screen. Oh well, fortunately they take credit cards as the booze is very expensive here, and we're back to pints too which my body certainly has forgotten existed.
We do finally get back to the hotel shortly after midnight, shattered, it's been a long but excellent day.
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