| |
Hong Kong Phoeey! –
25/06/03
For those of you who don't know, I am in Hong Kong. I have
just spent the past five days here. I nearly didn't make it, my
train stopped at Ipswich and a tree had fallen on the line at
Manningtree and we didn't move. Imagine being stuck within view
of Portman Rd and not being able to leave. Hell? Yes. However,
after a few choice words with Anglian railways they put on a
complimentary taxi for me and an elderly German woman to
Heathrow. It cost them 105 pounds and saved me the tube ride.
Nice.
So, two meals, two films, a beer (Lite - I don’t think the
stewardess liked the look of me), a wine and 11 and a bit hours
later I land in sticky, sweaty, cloudy Hong Kong. I spent the
first afternoon just wandering round Kowloon.
The next day I traipsed all over Hong Kong island. I went
up to the panoramic floor of the Plaza, up and down the outside
lift in the Hopewell Centre, went to Pacific Place a massive and
posh mall (there are some really good art shops on the third
floor, almost like galleries, but I felt a tad out of place in
my shorts, t-shirt and sandals), wandered round Hong Kong park
where there is a conservatory, atrium and museum of tea ware
(which was a bit naff) before heading up to the Botanical and
Zoological gardens to see the monkeys, jaguar, snakes, etc.
Finished the day going up the mid-level escalator which is a bit
pointless and is not the world’s longest escalator as it is a
series of escalators.
On Sunday I took a day trip to Macau. Well, I say a day-trip,
due to jet-lag and general tardiness on my part and the high
demand for inbound tickets on Sunday afternoons I only had three
hours. But it was OK. I wandered around central Macau and saw
some sights (the ruins of St Paul, Monte Fort, a few gardens).
Macau is a bit like Athens in that the centre is really cool and
quaint but it is ruined by surrounding urban sprawl. The
difference being that Macau's centre is very Portuguese and not
at all Greek!
Sao Paolo Cathedral,
Macau Yesterday I
went to Lantau on the ferry and saw the Big Buddha. It was as
big as you imagine and a pretty awe-inspiring sight, though
somewhat ruined by the commercial tourism that it has generated.
I went up to the peak in the evening to get the quintessential
photo of Hong Kong. The view was great but again the reliance of
marketing to couples meant there was something missing for me
being a solo traveler. But then it is a beautiful view and
the romantic appeal is evident.
Big Buddha, Lantau Today
I finished off my stopover here by wandering around Kowloon. I
went into the HK Museum of Art which is O.K, but there is only
so much Chinese art you can digest at one time. After this I
took the ferry and bus to Stanley Market which is very tacky. I
spent the rest of today wandering around Kowloon again, went to
Tom Lee Music (Asia's biggest musical instrument shop), HMV and
Kowloon Park.
Tomorrow I catch a flight to Bangkok, and I am feeling knackered
in every way. Just ripe for the picking of every tout and crook
in the book. Khao Sanh Rd here I come.
|
