Blogs from Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, Asia - page 99

Advertisement

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island December 30th 2006

After another grueling 12 hours in first class from Heathrow to Hong Kong (kidding)… we arrive at the Hong Kong International Airport and immediately I’m impressed. Not only are the immigration lines extremely efficient… the terminal itself is immaculate and beautiful. Our plane landed about 45 minutes late…as, when we were departing, two passengers who had checked luggage just simply did not show up for the flight. Therefore - they had to find their bags and pull them off the flight. How do you do that? How do you make it to the terminal, check your bags, and then miss the flight after the airline holds the plane for 45 minutes?? I just don’t get it. We stayed at the airport, met Keely’s flight and headed toward the city in a cab. Oh wait - one ... read more
Keely finds Yung Kee!!
I swear this is Lost in Translation

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island December 26th 2006

We flew in the afternoon from Beijing straight to Hong Kong. We got there at night, but it was really nice to avoid below 0 Celsius degree in Beijing, and met a tolerant temperature in Hong Kong. we took the fast train to Hong Kong Island and took cab to this area called Central. Arrived in Hong Kong was an absurd experience for me. I used to watch Hong Kong movies since I was a kid. When I was in the city I look everyone and I couldn’t stop imagine them doing kung fu style or typical Hong Kong mafia actions. Even the way taxi drivers drive the car was so cool they made me feel like I was in a movie’s highway scene. We went to our friends’ house at Magazine Gap Road. The apartment ... read more
Lhasa
night view
the spot we crashed in

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island December 17th 2006

Coming back to Hong Kong is never a chore, and with Christmas fast approaching I was looking forward to taking advantage of the island's superb shopping opportunities. The crisp temperatures, ubiquitous Christmas decorations, and first five thousand playings of Wham's "Last Christmas" put me in a Yuletide mood, not to mention having to battle through crowds of fellow shoppers in scenes reminiscent of all my previous big city Christmases. I also had the pleasure of being served in one store by an assistant called Chilli Lam. I'd elected to stay in a budget hotel with a shared bathroom and kitchen, reasoning that I'd be spending so little time in the room that staying somewhere even half-decent would be a waste of money. Though conveniently located steps away from Causeway Bay MTR station, it was as basic ... read more
Mask
Tai Chi exponent
Christmas display

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island December 15th 2006

First and foremost - magnificent skyline. As we approached central HK from the airport, it was around 10pm and the views of the city was amazing! all lit up HK shone. We arrived at the hotel - very hungry and quickly realised that in our local area, only local food is served after 11pm - tough! Anyway, we had a very expensive meal at the hotel, planned the events of the next few days and fell asleep looking forward to seeing the sights and experiencing Hong Kong. Day 1 - We took the hotel shuttle bus service was only 10 mins away and came across amazing tall buildings within the financial district - Bank of China was one our favourite and the views from the 43rd floor were spectacular. Designer shops occupied most of this area ... read more
Harbour
Central Statue Square
Landmark Shopping Plaza

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island December 12th 2006

I find myself waking up at 3 AM every morning to write in my journal. Still jet-lagged. I miss vegetables. In HK, fungus, corn, and bokchoy are all you seem to be able to get in the restaurants. I have to admit that it's probably because I don't know the language. The menus are largely a mystery to me. My brother had been to HK when he was in the Navy and he recalls having to make cow sounds to indicate he wanted beef and flap his arms like he had wings when he wanted chicken. How do you imitate a vegetable? I thought I would never say this, but thank god for Mc Donald's!!! I was able to order a garden salad with some tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and kidney beans and yes a filet-o-fish in ... read more

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island December 10th 2006

Hey everyone, It's nearly Christmas!! Wohoo!! I've been meaning to write for a while but just haven't found the time! Not because I'm having too much fun but just generally busy with work (although some fun was had this weekend - a little too much I might add, one example being I tried to pay for drinks on Friday with my Toys'R'us card... long story). Getting quite excited about upcoming birthday and Christmas - only because it's an excuse to spend some dollars on meself! Gave myself my birthday present already - an NDS Lite(hand held Nintendo game for all of you not cool enough!) and drumming lessons for Crimbo! By next year I'm hoping to be able to play both at the same time! Ha! I've now been to Macau twice, the first time to ... read more
Macau
Macau
Macau

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island December 10th 2006

Well, I did it again. I went to Hong Kong, and here I am post-relapse and felling empty, scheming imaginary scenerios that would cause me to go back immediately, and wondering how two cities, so close in proximity, yet so different in culture and experiences could lay right next to each other. It is "a tale of two cities", shenzhen, completely and wholly china and Hong Kong, is a complilation of the world, in fashion, food, in people, in language. Hong Kong has been touched by the rest of the world and it shows. You walk across a border crossing for the same country and it is immediately evident that these two places are different. I don't stand out in Hong Kong, no one takes my picture, I can fade into the day to day motion ... read more
Chaiman Mao...I mean Bailey
So much for sale
Fresh market....

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island December 7th 2006

Hello boys and girls, here is my entry of the story so far, done in a 3rd person context! From the beginning then: On a cold, wet and windy morning, at just after 5am, the five adventurors (Richard Cook, Andrew Cook, Steve Dickerson, Ben Stuart & Shelden Read) gathered outside the Stuart house. Shivering in conditions they hoped to leave behind very soon for the next three months, they made their way to Heathrow. Once through the traffic, the weather, and queuing for a flight with Saudi Airlines, check-in was relatively simple with Cathay Pacific... once the girl checking them in had stopped laughing at Sheldens passport photo. The first bet of the weekend was also staked. Who had the heaviest bag without going over the 20kg limit? AC won that one, weighing in at 18.8kg, ... read more

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island December 7th 2006

This trip never slows down! After a 16 hour train ride and 1 hour on the subway we have left China and arrived in Hong Kong. HK is an incredible city. I'm told it's a mixture of London, New York and Bangkok. It's easily as vibrant as the first two, but has a character of its own, which it derives from its quirks. For example, all the traffic lights emit a clicking sound which gets faster when you need to cross, wherever you walk on Indian man will find you and try to pursued you to buy a tailor made suit, and the massage parlours aren't even subtle abut the extras they offer! The day we arrived we took the world's steepest tram (you couldn't come close to standing without grabbing hold of something) up Victoria's ... read more
More sky line
From this....
...to this

Asia » Hong Kong » Hong Kong Island December 7th 2006

The Asia expat scene, I am finding, is one big “suspended reality.” I borrow this term from a writer friend here in Bangkok, and I find it quite fitting. Life in Bangkok is an especially extreme version of this suspended reality. Men enjoy a veritable sexual playground; 27-year olds go into semi-early retirement (no, I’m not talking about myself here!), and Thanksgiving is celebrated on the beach in 90 degree weather. Perhaps most prominently, life is one long party made up of individual parties that seem to stretch into each other. Like it or not, for now it is my reality. So, when I went to Hong Kong, I enjoyed a pleasant respite from that reality of mine. Pollution, while still present, does not overwhelm one with the stench from open sewers. Professional, conservative attire is ... read more
Baz and Anita
Junk Boat at Causeway Bay
Partying Hong Kong expat style




Tot: 0.159s; Tpl: 0.006s; cc: 8; qc: 100; dbt: 0.0911s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.3mb