Hong Kong 'Oh my gawd'

Caveat: Almost anyone can take better pictures than I of big buildings. If you want to see Hong Kong today, it's there on the net and done far better than I. So, those photos I share with you are the one's you probably won't see on a travelogue, but have somehow struck me as 'memorable'. Remember, you can double click on the pictures and they enlarge. enjoy!



Hi All, this is the first China blog

Lucky me, I was sharing a seat from Bangkok airport with this young Chinese woman who was in the travel business. She had just flown in to Bangkok (for the weekend....remember that, my ole airline pals!). And, she gave me an excellent piece of advice.... Air Asia to Macao. So, that is how I got to China. Flew to Macao and took the ferry to Hong Kong - where I had to get a visa to enter the rest of China. The whole airfare round trip was about $150. Can't beat that. PLus, my scheme had been to start in the south anyway, since it was still rather early spring (flew in on March 20) and work my way north, hopefully, as the Chinese spring was doing the same thing - and I could, thus, avoid the bad weather (hot or cold).

Friends/relatives, you absolutely cannot believe what Hong Kong is like today. The last time I was there was in 1995 (on a 'visa run' from Taiwan, to get another 6 months extension to stay there). It was a big impressive city then, but it is eye-popping today. I would bet that there is not another city on earth that looks as new, prosperous and huge as Hong Kong's skyline. I know that there are bigger cities, but the thing about Hong Kong is that half of it is on Hong Kong Island. (where every single building is a skyscraper). I do not understand why that piece of real estate doesn't sink right under the sea it is so jam packed. Then, the other half is on the mainland side (Kowloon) and all the big buildings are right by the sea/harbor facing Hong Kong Island. So, it doesn't matter whether you are in Kowloon, looking at the Island or on the Island looking at Kowloon....or in a boat looking back and forth at both, all you see are these huge skylines. And, three quarters of it all looks brand new. In fact, the few that have not been replaced really look tacky and old. I would venture to guess it probably is the most glitzy skyline of any city in the world today. And, every night you can go down to the promenade on Kowloon side and watch a 'Disney' type light show "A symphony of Light" put on from a bunch of the buildings on th Island. They all light up in different ways at slightly different times and it's like Christmas light display at the whole city level. Great fun.

Hong Kong wasn't even on my agenda, I have been there now at least 5 times. But, am glad things happened the way they did. The 'things happening' were that it is impossible to get longer than a 30 day visa in Bangkok. I thought I could get a 90 day visa in Hong Kong because the LP says that you cannot get a 90 day visa outside of China nowadays. Well, I guess they don't consider Hong Kong China-enough, because HK travel agents told me they could only get me a 30 day visa. I was not going to stop there, so the first morning I got up (I had talked to the agents the minute I arrived, natch) and got myself down to the govenment offices that issues visas direct....where I took a number and an application and waited. Finally, got to talk to someone but was told the maximum I could get was 60 days. This is the Chinese government I am talking to so there no good can come from arguing. They did say that I could 'probably' get it extended while in China. However, just today I was reading a blog from some Chinese source who said that they are cracking down on visa extensions because of all the 'bad' things the western press is saying about their handling of Tibet. Wish me luck, because I'll not be able to do my whole trip if they won't extend for a month, I'll be spending more time in Macao and Hong Kong (where I don't need a visa) until my return ticket on 6/4. My visa now is until 5/20.

Getting to the government place was interesting because it gave me a chance to learn to use the new subway system. Works great and, although I only was in HK 3 nights, I managed to be on that subway at least a half dozen times. Since then I have had the 'opportunity' to scope out and struggle through using quite a few very good subway systems in China...much better than most of the US.

Let's back up just a bit. MY arrival in HK was one of thoE *&)#**()%) affairs. I had called a guest house from Bangkok, not cheap, and told them I would be coming and please hold the room. They said I would have to be there by 5:00 or they couldn't guarantee it. So, I reshuffled all my plans. Was up at 5:30 am and on a bus to Bangkok airport at 6:15 to get an early trip to Macao. Everything went well and I got to my guest house at about 3:30....Guess, what. Right. They had given my room away. Gees, I can't tell you how unsatisfactorily 'I roll with the punches' when this sort of thing happens. It drives me mad not to have a place to stay when I get some place..... and I go to all sorts of trouble to make sure this doesn't happen. But, HK is a good example of how the best of plans and planning don't always work. The manager was most apologetic and got me another place close by for that night and told me he would have a room for me early the next morning. Let me tell you, at 8:30 the next morning I dropped my luggage off in his office (much to his surprise) and told him to put them in my room as soon as it became available and I would be back later. The room was there when I got back.

Since there was going to be a holiday in Hong Kong in 3 days, I had 2 choices with my visa, either wait about 6 days or pay an additional $50 or so and get it in two. I chose the latter. That meant I needed to do a little quick sight seeing. First of all let me describe where I stayed...on Nathan Road in Kowloon. It's other sobriquet is 'The Golden Mile'. Now, here I am staying in 'The Chungking Mansion' that is in the heart of this area. This place is a fleabag, firetrap. It is about 20 stories of about 40 or 50 cheap cheap hostels. I would say that half of the people staying there were from Africa. They were all there on buying trips to take stuff home to sell. They had these huge plastic bags that they jammed full of merchandise that they had bought cheap in Hong Kong. Always, there was someone out in the hallways filling these bags to take home...and carefully weighing them because there probably is some cutoff weight. And, to get to your floor there was always a line (sometimes 3 elevator waits long). But, it was cheap and in a good location.

Low class establishment, high class neighborhood. Now, you who know me well, know that I am about as interested in shopping as I am in skydiving. But, Nathan Road is filled with the most high end stores there are. To mention a few: Gucci/Prada/Fendi/Channel/Dior/Ferrangomo (say, you know they still sell that little flat/heel with the grossgrain ribbon bow on the top that, until 2 months ago had been part of my wardrobe for 5 years - mainly cause they hurt my feet too much to wear often)/ Cartier/Rolex/Calvin Klein/Harry Winston/Bvlgari/ and at least 4 Armani stores. In fact the only one I consciously remember not seeing was Jimmy Choo shoes (and the only reason I know about them is through 'Sex and the City'...it was probably there I just didn't see it. Not only that, I, who considers dressing up changing from my New Balance walking shoes to Keds, can tell you all the latest colors: Taupe with dusty rose/dusty purple or blue. Beiges of different shades together and with blue, gray with blue or black...with some little yellow. And, the model look favored by Hong Kong is the younger versions of Goldie Hawn/Uma Thurman/Charlese Theron...all blond...plus, they also like the racoon look on their models makeup (except for those blonds). So, there you have it, direct from the fashion runways of Hong Kong, your personal fashion maven, Charlene Mills. My sister, Jerri, will be proud that I was so abservant. But, it wasn't actually that so much, rather that I was on that street 20 times in 3 days and even I could not avoid picking up a few 'hot tips' to pass on. My sister would love this place...and China. I have always said that Chinese women were 'born to shop'. And, the thing is, you can cruise a place like Nathan (the Golden Mile) Road and get oodles of ideas and then go digging in places where they sell things at very good prices.

Even I have to buy occassionally and yesterday (by the way I am in Qingdao, not Shanghai, but don't know how to change that location thing) had to go looking for a pair of pants and some socks. The gals at the hostel directed me to this broken down building that looked dangerous to be in and was filled with so many little shops you wouldn't have been able to count all. And, right outside the main door a man was selling the cutest little puppies - and not so cute- white mice. Those puppies were the hardest to resist.

I got a good pair of Adidas pants (or knock-offs, but the quality looks good) for about $15 and 3 pairs of Niki socks for $2. I don't consider that a huge bargain, but not bad prices (not as good as you and I got at Columbia Sportswear outlet in Sherwood, Marge...in fact, that is the only pair of 'whole' pants I had left until yesterday) and if I knew what I were doing (like Jerri would if she lived here) I could probably have done a lot better. But, this was a pressing emergency. I was down to one pair of pants with a growing hole and one pair of whole pants. So, purchasing was not a luxury but a definite necessity.

Back to HK. I did take a boat ride to get a better view of both sides of the city. From what I saw, if I come back in a few years, there will be even more huge buildings, particularly on the Kowloon side. Already there are many under construction. The only other thing I did, other than travel on the subway and buses to get my visa and a train out of there for the mainland, was go up to this new/old area that is becoming popular. They call it Soho. It's an old area that is built on steep hills so wasn't particularly appealing to most. Now, they have put in a serious of excalators....stories and stories... you get on one, it goes up over a couple of streets, then you can get off and walk ahead (or down to the street below) to continue onto the next one. It's a real cool neighborhood. Soho, is a perfect name. Lots of great restaurants, antique shops, botiques, that sort of place. Had a terrific French lunch up there. Not easy to find in Asia. And, loved the feel of the place. Other than that, I strolled along the promenade at the end of Nathan Road (they even have a Chinese-Gruman-Theater 'Avenue of the Stars" section that has handprints (or was it footprints?) and plaques for all the famous Asian actors, plus some interesting scultures of the movie industry. The promenade looks out at the water and Hong Kong Island and is just a fun place to 'people watch'. Chinese people are great to observe because they want to have their pictures taken by everything. They must all have a zillion photos of themselves by the time they are our age. I also spent quite a bit of time drinking lattes in Starbucks....at, yes, the town is complete...many Starbucks. You friends who denigrate Starbucks will change your tunes swiftly if ever you become travelers. There is NOTHING nicer than enjoying one of their lattes a long way from home. I went to the same Starbucks every time and it was playing the same music....Frank Sinatra. I mentioned it to one of the baristas, and he said it was a mixed track with lots of different music. I don't think so! I was there 5 times, for some lengthy periods in 3 days and never heard anything else. But, that was fine with me. Listening him so much, though, did make me realize just how much is behind us. Never will old 'blue eye' entertain us again in this lifetime.


After two days, I had my visa and on the forth day I left Hong Kong on an overnight train to Guilin. Everyone told me to take 'hard sleeper', it's cheaper than soft and not really 'hard', and thus the smartest way to travel. There are six beds in a section and, unlike Indian trains, you can sit up straight when the middle bed is down. Plus, on Indian trains, they have these 6 (or 4) bed sections, then across the aisle there are two more lengthwise beds (one over the other). In Chinese trains across the aisle (or on the other side of the aisle) they have a tiny table and two pull down seats in this space so people who don't have the bottom bed can sit and eat, gaze at the scenery, read or whatever. Plus, there are trolleys coming through all the time to sell you food and drink and they have thermses of boiling hot water in each compartment and at a faucet for your tea or noodles. In fact, every place I have stayed in China has a kettle for boiling water or a huge thermus of hot water. Have been able to stop buying all those damned plastic water bottles. (Aside: I still can't get used to being served hot water in restaurants. They did that in Taiwan too. To get non-hot water you have to buy bottled water. And, at this time of year there isn't a cold drink machine in the country that is turned on/working. Machines are all full of drinks but they aren't cold. Now, I take that back I was able to buy a bottle of cold beer at the super market the other day. But, all these shops with their cold drink machines that aren't on drive me a bit whacko because, if I am looking for a drink, I can never resist hopefully opening them up. Isn't that a sign of mental 'unwellness'? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome? Well, summer isn't that far off and I am betting before I leave they turn those machines back on)

Chinese trains are very comfortable and the train stations area good. There are waiting areas for each train with lots of seats...and, so far, I haven't seen any beggers or homeless sleeping in the train stations like they do in India. Of course, you all may have heard about the train accident just 2 days ago that was coming here to Qingdao from Beijing. Fortunately, Jeff is probably the only one who actually realized where I was and I had just sent him an e-mail so he wasn't worried. But, this is their most serious accident in almost 10 years, so the safety record really is quite good. And, I'll keep risking my little life on them without any worries.

Well, I do want to get one of these finished and off. It will feel like I am on my way to successfully doing a China blog. I have been keeping a dairy, but haven't found any place to burn my pictures of my little chips. Well, this may be a blessing because there is a guy here in this internet cafe who says he can attach my chips and I can download some pictures from the chip to this blog. That is what I am now going to try. You'll know it worked if you get this blog. Hope spring in the Northwest is getting better. Have heard bad reports from some of you about it. Next blog, Guilin. Later

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